Competition for high grades seriously limits the quality of learning at all levels of education

Competition for high grades is one of the main approaches educators use to encourage students toward studying more. Such an approach has been established among all the nations, thus it has its own benefits. However, it is not without its detractors. The statement above recognizes the competition for grades as the method negatively affecting the quality of education. In what follows, Competition for high grades will analyzed from two points. First, the grading system itself, and then, the competitive attitude toward getting high grades.

To begin with, when we assign a reward for doing a task, the task itself seems boring; when we tell the students to study and their reward would be high scores, the students lose interest in the study. It would not be a surprise that they view the task of studying as a chore. Furthermore, in such an approach, the students seek the easiest way to get the scores. They might cheat to get the grades without any compunction. Adding competition, in some respects things get worse. Students might develop ill will attitude to their peer rivals.

However, both the grading system and the competition are needed to be used. First, because students, especially in the primary schools, are hardly motivated. They do not have the comprehensive insight toward their future, and they are playful. Despite the shortcomings of the grading system, yet there is no better substitute method to be equally persuasive. The grades and the scare of falling back from the others, mostly comes in handy to push a student toward learning. Moreover, what is the education for? Undeniably, one goal is to prepare the students for the society they will have jobs to fulfill. Whether we like it or not, in the real world, competition exists. Students learning the mores of competition in the school are more prepared for the serious competition in the adults’ world.

Finally, competition can be mixed with the cooperation to ameliorate its negative impacts. A class can be separated into several teams that competition is set among those teams rather than individuals. This instills both cooperation and competition spirits in the youths, and ameliorates the negative aspects of competition; students have to work for the success of themselves and their group. In doing this, they are responsible for the group members’ advancements and effectively they help each other. Being jealous, they do not help each other. This is where the competition comes with its negative aspects, when the goal is not the advancement of self, but it is the failure of the competitors.

In short, using competition for higher grades is not a one-way path toward defecting the quality of education. Of course it has its own drawbacks, as it is discussed, yet its advantages outshine the negative effects of it.