Pupils’ perceptions on token economy in ESL classroom
List of Authors
  • Mathura Kasiveloo , Tan Kim Hua

Keyword
  • token economy, speaking, pupils’ perspective

Abstract
  • The token economy is a behaviour modification technique which is originated by the principles of operant conditioning found by B.F. Skinner (1938). This case study is done to study pupils’ perspective towards token economy in an ESL classroom. The researcher who is a teacher who are currently teaching in a Malaysian government school selected her pupils as the respondents for this research. The token economy approach that is emphasised in this research is used to solve the issues during speaking lessons in an ESL classroom. This is a quantitative study where the data collected through this survey is analysed and studied using descriptive statistics. The results showed that token economy system able to get pupils motivated to learn and use the target language. The most common form of token economy is the physical reinforcers which is believed to be the most effective form of reinforcement for learning engagement in Malaysian ESL classroom.

Reference
  • 1. Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Pearson Education.

    2. Gagne, R. (1985). The Conditions of Learning (4th ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

    3. Kazdin, A. E. (1977). The token economy: A review and evaluation. New York: Plenum Press.

    4. MacIntyre, P. D. & Charos, C. (1996). Personality, attitudes, and affect as predictors of second language communication. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 15, 3-26.

    5. MacIntyre, P. D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z. & Noels, K.A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. Modern Language Journal, 82, IV, 545-562.

    6. Malott, R. & Trojan-Suarez. (2006). Principles of Behaviour. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

    7. Matson, J. L., & Boisjoli, J. A. (2009). The Token Economy for Children with Intellectual Disability and/or Autism: A Review. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30, 240-248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2008.04.001

    8. McClelland, D. C. (1987). Human Motivation. UK: Cambridge University Press.

    9. Mcleod, S. A. (2007). Skinner – Operant Conditioning. Retrieved from http://www.simply psychology.org/operant-conditioning.html

    10. Miltenberger, R. (2008). Behavior Modification. California: Wadsworth Publishing

    11. Nevid, J. (2013). Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Belmont, CA: Wadworth.

    12. Reeve, J. (2015). Understanding motivation and emotion (6th ed.) Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    13. Skinner, B. F. (1938). The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis. New York: Appleton-Century. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1988.50-277

    14. Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and Human Behavior. New York: The Free Press. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1901/jeab.2003.80-313

    15. Tan, K. H. & Chee, K. M. (2021). Exploring the Motivation of Pupils towards the Implementation of QR Codes in Pronunciation Learning. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies 10(1), 204-213. https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2021-0018