Running head: COMPETITION IN THE CLASSROOM

Using Competition as a Tool to Initiate Learning in the Classroom

Ira L. Mascardo
Waxahachie Global High School
December 2014

COMPETITION IN THE CLASSROOM

Table of Contents
Abstract... 2
Introduction. 3
Types of Competition in the Classroom..3
Figure 13
Negative Side of Competition in the Classroom..............................4
Positive Side of Competition in the Classroom...5
Changing the Way Competition is Viewed 6
Implementing Collaborative Competition in the Classroom...6
Figure 26
Conclusion...7
Reference.8
Appendix A..9

COMPETITION IN THE CLASSROOM

2
Abstract

Competition has never become so useful until merged it with collaboration. In todays
classroom, there is competition that is either destructive or constructive to students. Competition
is destructive because it can only benefit the winners and puts down the losers. Even then, the
winners are still in a disadvantage. This is because the students either cheated and learned
nothing, or they will have that pressure to win again. Destructive competition can also stifle
creativity. Since the students are only focused on winning, they become mechanical in their
thinking. The students will pull ideas from other sources and discard their own to have a better
grade. On the other side, competition can be constructive because it can help give students the
drive to succeed, uncover the students hidden talents and strengths, and prepare students for the
highly competitive world. Instead of picking a side, there is an option that satisfies both,
competitive collaboration. Ted Gonder (2010) explains competitive collaboration as, not
mutually exclusive forces, and if combined effectively, they produce maximum results.
Competitive collaboration can be implemented in the classroom by introducing the students to
Project Based Learning where they compete against one another or teachers can monitor students
while they collaborate on helping each other with tests, quizzes, and homework.

Key words: collaborative competition, competition, collaboration, project based learning

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3
Introduction

Alfie Kohn (1987) stated, But some things arent just bad because theyre done to
excess; some things are inherently destructive. Competition, which simply means that one person
can succeed only if others fail, is one of those things. Its always unnecessary and inappropriate
at school, at play, and at home. Competition in the classroom does not always have to be a
vicious tool to worship the winners and to lower the losers self-esteem. If competition makes the
students learn and lets them see which problems they excel at and which problem other people
are good at, the result could be entirely different from what people believe. This could merge
competition and collaboration all in one. The students could help each other by taking the
problems they got correct and teaching them to the students that scored poorly on those
problems.
Types of Competition in the Classroom
Linda McFayden, a reading and curriculum coordinator at New Vistas Center for
Education in Chandler, believes that self-competition will provide positive skills such as having
the ability to develop performance under pressure, the ability to be comfortable with the pressure
that the element of time presents, and participating with an internal sense of control and
concentration (McFadyen, 2014). This shows one type of competition, which is selfcompetition. Another type of competition is termed by CA_fpob as destructive competition.
He further explains that to be a destructive competition, only one round should exist, students
compete against each other, a zero-sum (See appendix A for more information about zero-sum)
condition applies, merit should determine the winner, and students have at least one direct
comparable (CA_fpob, 2013). The end result of this type of competition would be only a few
would benefit and even then, they would not benefit a lot from winning because they will lose

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the incentive to perform well. The other students will compare themselves and lose the incentive
to do better academically. Comparative competition is another type of competition. Grading is in
this category because teachers have to compare the students scores. Another example is
comparing the students grades
from different countries from each
other. This is unfair because the
culture and the environment of the
students are different. Some
countries are trained for
standardized testing, and the

culture that makes the

Figure 1 World Test Graph

commitment to education mandatory for success, thus the test scores are higher than other
countries (See Figure 1 for world test graph).To be categorized as comparative competition,
multiple rounds may exist, students compete directly against one another, the outcome of the
round is based soley on merit, and students share all comparables (CA_fpob, 2013). The last
and final type of competition is collaborative competition. Collaborative competition meets these
criterias: multiple rounds exist, students or teams compete against one another, zero-sum
condition may apply, merit and performance should determine the winner. And students have the
same task or promp which structures the competition (CA_fpob, 2013).
Negative Side of Competition in the Classroom
Donald McCabe (Rutgers University), found that 64 percent of students admitted to
cheating on a test, 58 percent admitted to plagiarism and 95 percent said they participated in
some form of cheating, whether it was on a test, plagiarism or copying homework (FACTS &

COMPETITION IN THE CLASSROOM

STATS, n.d.). This is an example of destructive competition, because the students cheated
because they cared enough about their grades to do so. This suggests that the students want to do
better than their peers, so they chose the option that is considered morally wrong to advance
themselves. Alfie Kohn, who is against competition, states that winning does not build character
since it causes the loser self-doubt and lets the winner boast temporarily; Studies have shown
that feelings of self-worth become dependent on external sources of evaluation as a result of
competition: Your value is defined by what youve done. Worseyoure a good person in
proportion to the number of people youve beaten (Kohn, 1987). This is important, because it
defines the society we live in if we continue to popularize the concept of competition. If
competition is popularized, our productivity in the classroom will lower since the people who
experienced many loses will believe only a few people can be excellent and pursue higher
education. That in turn will slow the efficiency of the classroom system if only a few people are
looking forward to pursue higher education.
Positive Side of Competition in the Classroom
Constructive competition is when students are challenged to give their best or preferably
more than that (Verhoeff, 1997). Dr. Tom Verhoeff also believes competitions have much to
offer in education, are a good measure of how well a discipline is accepted, can be further
developed, and that competitions should receive more support and attention from the academic
and industrial worlds and from governments (Verhoeff, 1997). He clearly displays his fondness
of competition and goes as far as stating that he wanted competitions in general to receive more
attention even though competitions are well known. Academic competition can be a good
motivator and challenges students to work harder on their studies and helps them get excited
about academic content (Tucker, n.d.).

COMPETITION IN THE CLASSROOM

Changing the Way Competition is Viewed

Competition is usually viewed as between either really harmful for students or
helpful to the students. There were no in-between during the arguments. However, if you place
Collaborative Competition in the picture, it satisfies both of the sides. The side that usually were
against competition is mostly pro collaboration. The side that were for competition with the idea
of healthy competition is actually a contradiction in terms, wrote Alfie Kohn (Kohn, 1987).
Implementing Collaborative Competition in the Classroom
A way to implement collaborative competition in the classroom is to use Project Based
Learning (PBL). This allows the students to work in groups while giving them the chance to
compete with other groups. This
method is proven to have better
results than Lecture Based
Learning (LBL) with high
compliance from the students (See
Figure 2 for PBL vs. LBL graph).
Another, time consuming way, is
to let the students collaborate with

Figure 2 PBL vs. LBL graph

each other after the teacher is done giving the answers to a test, quiz, or homework. The students
can actively help each other while the teacher monitors them. This way the students will learn
more because they are teaching. The students are describing an idea to their fellow classmates,
and that in turn helps that student to internalize the information that was just taught. Teaching
can also help the one who is teaching have a clearer idea about the subject if they dont get the
whole concept yet. Another factor to implementing collaborative competition in the classroom is

COMPETITION IN THE CLASSROOM

the willingness and flexibility of teachers. Creating a collaborative competition environment

requires passionate teachers who care about their students learning. The teachers have to work
around the students and guide them slowly so they will get used to the collaborative competition
environment.
Conclusion
The key to collaborative competition is incentivizing advancement and correction while
placing an equal weight on process and product (CA_fpob, 2013). Competition and
collaboration can act as one if balanced correctly. The efficiency and productivity will increase
in the classroom, and the students will be more prepared in a job setting. The classroom is the
perfect place to begin, because the minds of the students are more moldable and more open
minded than adults. Collaborative competition is a way that students can learn two important
skills consecutively. Students can experiment in balancing these two skills and perfect their
collaborative competition skill, which will be a great to have anywhere.

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References
CA_fpob. (2013, January 9). Defining types of competition in education. Retrieved from
http://blog.collegeapprentice.com/defining-types-of-competition-in-education/
FACTS & STATS. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.plagiarism.org/resources/facts-and-stats/
Gonder, T. (2010, February 26). Collaborative competition. Retrieved from
http://moneythink.org/blog/collaborative-competition/
Kohn, A. (1987, September). The case against competition. Retrieved from
http://www.alfiekohn.org/parenting/tcac.htm
McFadyen, L. (2014, September 5). Is academic competition good or bad for students?
Retrieved from
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/chandler/2014/09/05/academic-competitiongood-or-bad-for-students/15097289/
Tucker, K. (n.d.). Positive & negative effects of competition on academic achievement. Retrieved
from http://classroom.synonym.com/positive-negative-effects-competition-academicachievement-6928.html
Verhoeff, D. T. (1997, November). The role of competitions in education . Retrieved from
http://olympiads.win.tue.nl/ioi/ioi97/ffutwrld/competit.html
zero-sum. 2011. In Merriam-Webster.com.
Retrieved from http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/zero-sum

COMPETITION IN THE CLASSROOM

Appendix A
Zero-Sum
Zero-sum is defined as relating to, or being a situation (as a game or relationship) in
which a gain for one side entails a corresponding loss for the other side (Merriam-Websters
online dictionary, n.d.).