A lot of the time, awards given out in school reflect academic achievement - marks and grades are quantifiable, and it's easy to determine which students are the top academic performers. But does this create too much pressure on those students who compete for those accolades? And where does it leave the students who excel in other, less quantifiable areas? Today's Mind Full guest, Dr. Linda Iwenofu, suggests a restructuring of our reward systems, from primary school to post-secondary institutions. Schools need to rethink graduation awards, child psychologists say: https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/article/child-psychologists-say-school-awards-should-recognize-more-than-just-top-marks/ For information about Dr. Iwenofu's research and teaching: www.powerinyouthlab.com and https://discover.research.utoronto.ca/32066-linda-iwenofu Dr. Iwenofu's clinical private practice: www.powerinyouthpsychology.com For further reading on what leading psychologists have to say about re-imagining awards and similar recognition systems : -Kohn, A. (2018). Punished by rewards: Punished By Rewards: Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-36591-000 -Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Ballantine Books. https://adrvantage.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Mindset-The-New-Psychology-of-Success-Dweck.pdf -Robinson, C. D., Gallus, J., Lee, M. G., Rogers, T. (2019). The demotivating effect (and unintended message) of awards. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. doi: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2019.03.006. https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/todd_rogers/files/the_demotivating_effect_and_unintended_message_of_awards_vf.pdf See my dad's Grade 11 chemistry medal from Rivers high school in Manitoba: https://bsky.app/profile/ericbollman.bsky.social/post/3lul6l3jaws2f