Should Parents Pay for Good Grades? New Research Unpacks the Debate on Academic Incentives
As Thai students prepare to return to school, parents across the country are quietly debating a familiar question: should children be rewarded with cash or gifts for bringing home top grades? This parenting dilemma, recently discussed in a widely-read Slate article, is now the subject of renewed scientific interest as new studies examine whether financial incentives actually boost academic achievement—or if they undermine learning in the long run.
The question isn’t just hypothetical. In many Thai households, as elsewhere, parents sometimes offer cash, new gadgets, or outings as rewards for school success. A father’s proposal, detailed in the Slate column, to pay his children per grade sparked a debate between him and his wife—she insisted that learning and grades should be their own reward, while he argued that incentives mirror the real-world bonuses adults receive at work. This parental tug-of-war mirrors what many Thai families experience, shaped by Thai cultural norms valuing education, family honor, and academic competition.