Self-Brown And Mathews's Effect On Classroom Structures

Effects on Classroom Structure on Student Achievement goals Orientation, by Shannon R. Self-Brown and Samuel Mathews II, was published in The Journal of Educational Research in 2003. In the study, Self-Brown and Mathews wanted to study the effect of how three different types of classroom structures affect the goals that students set for themselves. In today’s schools students consistently show a lack of motivation. They take for granted the educational opportunity that is in front of them. Students frequently do what is necessary for a traditional grade instead of showing a desire to learn and grow as a student. The study by Self-Brown and Mathews was devised to identify if various classroom structures effect goals that students have. The ultimate objective is to create a learning environment that rewards student gains and success, instead of the traditional grade based classroom structure. The study by Self-Brown and Mathews is about setting goals. They focus on two different types of goals; performance goals and learning goals. Self-Brown and Mathews (2003) use previous learning to explain that with performance goals, “students often avoid more difficult tasks and exhibit little intrinsic interest in academic activities” (p. 106). In other words, students who are solely focused …show more content…
Self-Brown and Mathews had three different classroom structures. The first was a token economy classroom that was hypothesized to see a great deal of performance goals from the students. The students set goals and if they achieved their goals they were awarded school money that they could redeem for rewards. The second was a contingency contract classroom aimed at student learning goals. The student received a gold star and praise for achieving their goals. Finally, there was a control classroom that only set goals but did not encourage or reward students for achieving the