Crafting Collective Policies on Awards and Recognition to Enhanced

Learning Motivation and Students’ Performance

A Policy Review on Policy Guidelines on Awards and Recognition for the K to 12 Basic Education Program
(DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2016)
Ricardo R. Gutierrez Jr.

Recognizing and rewarding the achievements of students is not a new idea. For
years, elementary teachers have handed out gold stars, high schools have placed students
on honor rolls, and universities have published dean’s lists to honor the accomplishments
of students. For highly talented and motivated individuals, opportunities to pursue skills and
interests outside of the formal educational curriculum have typically involved a component
of competition and recognition as well, such as science fairs and essay contests,
intramurals’ competition, quiz bee and among others.
Awards have been designed to formally recognize the outstanding performance and
achievement of learners in the academic, leadership, social responsibility, and among other
aspects of student’ progress and development. This policy highlights the importance of
providing opportunities in giving awards system to those students’ performed in a combine
equity with quality. They give all schoolchildren chances for a good quality education. This
policy review presents a policy recommendation for educational systems to help all children
succeed in their schooling. It looks into system level and school level policies to promote
equity and quality. It also provides evidence on how to support disadvantaged students and
schools, as improving opportunities for them benefits the educational systems and
community as a whole. In effect, the policy encourages all learners to remarkably and
skillfully perform specific kinds of tasks critical to their success in school and at work.
Consequently, the policy will include all learners and encourage them to be proactive
members of their school and community (DO No. 36, s. 2016).
According to UNESCO (2012) emphasizes the principles and viewpoints on awards
and recognition that the propose principles and mechanisms could assist in developing or
improving structures and procedures to recognize all forms of learning, particularly the
outcomes of non-formal and formal learning. UNESCO’s Education Sector remains
committed on their goals in providing technical assistance and capacity building, facilitating
policy dialogue, networking and sharing of experiences between Member States, and
further developing collaborative international research activity with the aim of realizing
lifelong learning for all. This argument posited a strong principles that Ensuring equity and
inclusiveness in access to learning opportunities and motivation and rewards. Every
individual should have the right to access and engage in any form of learning suited to his/
her needs, and have their learning outcomes made visible and valued. Moreover, it
facilitates the development of national references or standards that integrate the outcomes
of non-formal and informal learning, and, based on the national context, establish a national
qualifications framework (NQF).
In addition to recognizing and upholding the development of the learners’ unique
cognitive and other skills that reinforce success in school and at work, the awards also aim
to nurture the formation of the learners’ values and attitudes anchored on the core values of
the Department of Education. Toronto (2008) claimed that positive learning and teaching
environment is essential for student achievement and well-being. This shows a direct link
between students’ success in school and the school environment in which learning takes
place. Students are more motivated to do well and to realize their full potential in schools
that have a positive school climate, where they feel safe, included and supported.
The DepEd Order 36, S. 2016 leads in the implementation to past tracking the
students’ progress and development in school. Be it for academic inclined activities, extra-
curricular, community linkages and social responsibility both elementary and secondary
level. The policy features the importance of guiding teachers in giving awards and
recognition bestowed on learners who have successfully attained standards set by the
school support the efforts and accomplishments of these learners and affirm their latent
potential, abilities, and dispositions. Moreover, as to this time of implementation, the policy
covers only the face-to-face normal classroom instruction in which teachers and students
conducted the normal teaching and learning process in the classroom.
However, this policy needs an urgent review and provisions in response to the new
normal assessment and grading in light of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Let me show you first
the components of this policy and the relevance to the new normal assessment and
grading. This Policy features the rationale that deliberate the over-all schema and purpose.
Second, the classification of awards and recognition that highlights the different awards like
classroom awards, leadership awards, athletics and academic excellence awards. This
includes the criterion and mechanics in every awards and outstanding performances across
learning areas. Moreover, included in the policy is the awards and selection committee
who will oversee and scrutinize the documents with the help of rubrics and criteria for
selection.
Alongside on the policy, are the functions and rules of the awards committee within
the jurisdiction that follows; (1) establish the processes of and timelines in accepting
nominations and determining qualifiers for grade level awards. (2)Formulate rubrics specific
to the grade level awards. (3) Communicate to the school community, parents, and other
stakeholders the processes involved in giving awards. (4) Verify the authenticity of
documents submitted. (5) Deliberate on the qualifications of the candidates for the awards
based on the rubrics and the documents submitted. (6) Recommend to the school head or
principal the result of evaluation for approval Communicate to the school community,
parents, and other stakeholders involved in the results of the evaluation. (7) Recommend to
the school head or principal the resolution on any related issue that may arise from the
results of the awards. (8) Ensure that guidelines stipulated in this policy are followed
(DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2016).
According UNESCO (2008) posited ideas and views that award committee and
members is to develop procedures that identify, document, assess, validate and accredit
learning outcomes, giving due consideration to those students expounding experiential
learning, self-directed learning and other forms of learning outside of formal education and
training institutions. Moreover, it is drawn from the rule of the adviser and subject teacher
that makes use of both formative assessment (which draws more attention to identification,
and documentation of learning progress and gives feedback to learners and summative
assessment (which aims explicitly to validate and recognize learning outcomes, leading to
qualification).
The emergence of this pandemic call for a review of this policy as it is deem
necessary to fit in the situation we are facing. Why do we need to review this policy
guideline in giving awards and recognition to learners? The policy is inconsistent to the
situation and irrelevant in the new learning landscape in the department. Second, there are
some provisions that needs to be included in the policy, third, there should be an interim
policy to be crafted in response to the new learning landscape in light of the pandemic.
These manifestations are based on the needs assessment relevant to the arising
phenomenon.
Actually, the DeEd Order 36, S. 2016 is derived from or a product of a review from
Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment of the K to 12 Basic Education Program
(DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015). The development and variation of the different policy
guidelines on classroom assessment, awards and recognition are evident that there are
frequent review happened parallel in the implementation of the different programs and
curriculum in the department of education. The teaching and learning process, assessment
and grading awards and recognition are seemingly cyclical in nature. These variables are
important to past track students’ achievement and development. To connect the
chronological development of the policy, let me cite the basic anchorage of the policy
frameworks on awards and recognition, that is viewed on the Educating One and All:
Students Performance and Standard-Based Reform of the UNESCO which is the catalyst
in improving educational outcomes and providing awards and recognition. This serves as
the basis for what should be taught, measuring what students should be expected to know,
and determining whether all students have been given equal opportunities. It has been said
, that DepEd order 36, S. 2016 are generally drawn and crafted basically from this agenda
in Educating One and All 2015 parallel in the implementation of the K to 12 Program.
However, talking of the applicability of the policy, it is generally applies to all level and thus
diverse and a mixture of both normal education and students with disabilities.
We access several worldviews on awards and recognition in the international
agenda. It was noted the implications that, awards might in fact adversely affect
performance. In the USA for example, unlike grades, which are typically reported only to
the student, awards or honors are often observable to peers, such as through
announcements in class or at ceremonies, or through the classes that a student takes.
Students revealed to have performed well may then incur social sanctions from peers or
classmates, such as being teased, bullied, made fun of or hated. When faced with the
tradeoff between the future benefits of academic performance and the present social costs,
some students may therefore deliberately choose to reduce effort or performance. An
example of such behavior is the "Acting White" hypothesis in which minorities may face
social sanctions from peers for, among other things, doing well in school. Fordham and
Ogbu (1986) & Austen-Smith and Fryer (2005). Alternatively, environments with awards or
honors may create pressure, or promote competition instead of cooperation, which may
adversely affect some students. This world views and ideas regarding on awards is
similarly, happen in our local settings, most students who perform well in class and Fryer
and Torelli (2010).
Moreover, Csikszentmihalyi et al. (1993) summarize this discussion by pointing out
the differences in immediate gratification and long-term relevance across processes and
domains. Cultivating talent, skills, learned knowledge typically does not bring immediate
acclaim or gratification, but rather is often seen as a necessary follow a certain step to
acquire the knowledge. Fronting the principles and ideas exclaimed on cognitive and
educational psychologists who have been developing and evaluating easy-to-use learning
assessment techniques that could help students achieve their learning goals. Burzstyn
(2010) posited his viewpoints that most academic settings make use of awards or other
forms of recognition for good performance. These include gold stars, certificates, prizes,
honors, honor rolls and selection for advanced track or honors courses and "gifted"
programs. Awards and recognition are generally intended at least in part to encourage
effort and reward good performance.
However, in terms of policy implications, we note that in general, most awards or
recognition will have both a public exposure of performance (and thus scope for peer
sanctions) as well as competition. So even without separately testing these mechanisms,
we feel that a primary contribution of the paper is to show that giving awards or recognition,
which are commonly used throughout academic settings, can have mixed effects, including
worsening overall performance, and particularly that of students most likely to be revealed
to be at the top of the class.
In the local situation, specifically in the school where I am teaching, the policy
guidelines in awards and recognition seemingly important and relevant. It is because it
guides the schools and teachers to make an accurate definition in giving rewards and
recognition to students’ who performed well in class and in school. This policy shows a
relevant construct since it provides guidelines on different awards. However, worldviews
like the USA encountered was insignificant in our settings in the Philippines. Our students,
showing enthusiasm and interest in performing academic endeavors and performing
activities in school because at the end of the quarter they are given several awards and
recognition. It is in contrast to that of other country perceived on giving awards and
recognition. Here in the Philippines students are well motivated in engaging school
activities, academic work and social leadership activities because in return they will be
given recognition and awards. This idea is basically following to the concept on the
motivation to learning. Motivation is important to the development of life-long learners, but
is often hard to see in many classrooms. Many teachers, in both general and special
education have come to rely on rewards and recognition programs in order to manage
behavior and learning. For example, teachers typically describe good students as
hardworking, interested, and motivated (Spaulding, 1992). Hence, the awards and
recognition as an effect of a well-motivated individual.
This notion anchored to the most known theory on the field of behaviorism produced
a theory in the 1950's that heavily influenced the use of awards and recognition in schools.
The theory of operant conditioning, developed by B.F. Skinner, works on the premise that if
a reinforcer is delivered after a certain behavior is performed, then the strength of the
behavior is increased (Cosgrove, 1982). A reinforcer is any stimulus given after a behavior
that increases the chance of the behavior recurring. This policy definitely anchored to this
theory posited ideas that students will perform the activities academically very well because
students knew that after works in school they will be given a certain awards or recognition
of their good performance. So, awards and recognition somehow the reinforce that ignite
the motivation of the students to work hard and perform well in any activities provided to
them. Rewards and recognition have been shown to interfere with the quality of learning
taking place. In fact, Recognition is a great way to keep students motivated. When you give
certificates, medals that can be awarded for different achievements it will inspire your
students to perform hard. This motivation will provide the drive your students need to excel
in their studies. Because students that are positive with their studies are happy.
By recognizing students’ accomplishments, you are inspiring them to continue to work hard
and be productive. When you reward your students you will make them feel appreciated
and happy. When you award good behavior you set the foundation for your classroom and
how your students should act. When students follow the rules of the classroom, you create
a safe learning environment where students can learn without distractions. Award each
outstanding student with a pin that they can show off in the classroom with pride.
To conclude, one of the collective things that views out among students who achieve
is the drive to succeed. While there may be some frustration for students who do not
achieve on the same level as high achievers, neither should be discouraged by educators
or be treated as less valuable. When academic awards are given, there should be
recognition for all students who strive to achieve their personal best as well as exceptional
notation given to the student who achieved the highest achievement. In the education world
today, high achievers are often left unrecognized or under-recognized because educators
and administrators fear they are making other students feel less valued. No matter what
areas and perspective of excellence a student achieve in, there always significant
importance to recognize all student achievers who perform well. These students should
always be encouraged and lauded for their commitment and dedication to scholastic
endeavors. Hence, schools should recognize every individual who perform well on their
respective area of interest and field so that they will be motivated to learn and thus improve
the school performance.
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Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment of the K to 12 Basic Education Program, DepEd Order
No. 8, s. 2015
Policy Guidelines on Awards and Recognition for the K to 12 Basic Education Program
Guidelines on the Selection of Honor Pupils and Students of Grades 1 to 10 of the K to 12 Basic
Education Curriculum, DepEd Order 74, s.2012