Quote:
Originally Posted by livi
IMO children's and adolescents motivation rarely breeds from punishment.
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I dunno. In my opinion, the issue is that people rarely associate the punishment with their actions, so the impression is "you're a jerk" rather than "I screwed up." I see that even with adults, and I recall a study that said over half the time someone's fired, they've got no idea why. Usually it was an ongoing problem but from their perspective they boss blew up over once incident.
Which is a long way of saying that you have to be as clear about your expectations as you are about your punishment, and both parties have to agree the expectations are reasonable and achievable. Saying "I want As" means nothing if they don't have the tools and support to get As, and being bright doesn't mean good study habits.
One thing I remember about growing up is that, while we were punished, it never seemed arbitrary, or like they were pissed. We talked thru how whatever it was happened, what actions I took or didn't take that lead to where we were.
I think the OP is on the right track.