Twenty dollars for an A? Ten dollars for a B? Some might view paying kids for good grades as an incentive. Others might see it as a bribe.

But the reality is that paying for good grades may not be the most effective way to motivate your children to do well in school, according to Jared Durtschi, a Kansas State University family studies and human services professor.

While monetary compensation for grades may be effective in some cases, parents should know the practice could actually backfire and decrease their child's motivation to perform well in school. How? Cash for grades can cause students' motivation to work hard in school to shift from an internal motivation -- that is, being motivated by how it will make them feel -- to an external one that is driven by the reward they will receive.

In some cases, paying for good grades can be an effective method to motivate students who don't feel driven to succeed on their own. But above all, it's important to let your child know you believe he or she is capable of achieving highly. (CompuServe)

Parents, what do you think?

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