Sir, – Laura Kennedy writes that it is dangerous to reward children merely for participating in sport ("The dangers of telling kids 'it's the taking part that counts'", Life, July 14th). She uses the example of her friend's four-year-old niece being delighted to receive a medal for participating in a football match.
I agree that medals for merely participating can seem somewhat silly for older people. If rewarding participation, however, motivates people to continue to participate, then is it really regressive?
Older adolescents and young adults (particularly girls) drop out of sports in their droves when it starts to get ultra-competitive (or “meritocratic”).
Your columnist states that kids have a “misunderstanding” that turning up is an achievement. Hundreds and thousands of kids in Ireland find it incredibly difficult to get out of bed in the morning, to make it to a sporting event, to separate from their parents and to then participate in the event itself.
Psychological research into motivating young people shows us that positive reinforcement is a key ingredient to perseverance and improvement. If a medal for a four-year-old child can spark an intrinsic motivation to continue playing that sport and positively reinforce the notion that sport is a good thing to participate in, then surely it is entirely worthwhile.
I agree that playing in and of itself should be its own reward but that is a very complex concept to expect a child to understand. It is okay to simply treat a four-year-old as a child rather than constantly challenging them in relation to their impending adulthood.
As we grow older, we may choose to become more competitive and wish to achieve more than “just” a participation medal, but young people often need every bit of motivation to start and continue in sport. Participation medals for four-year-old children, therefore, seem like a reasonable method to use in attempting to do just that.
The meritocratic aspect of sport is what leads to performance anxiety, discouragement of the “lesser gifted” child and ultimately less motivation for those not challenging for the very top. Whereas the key tenets for motivating young children to play – positive reinforcement, added meaning and enjoyment – all seem to be present for her friend’s niece on the basis of being rewarded for participating.
Finally, there is no evidence to suggest that rewarding all children for participating stunts the motivation of the children who can excel. Rewarding participation does not equate to discouraging success.
It’s not about “sparing feelings”; it’s about building positive ones. – Yours, etc,
Dr CIAN AHERNE,
Clinical Psychologist,
Castleconnell,
Co Limerick.