Entity vs Incremental Theory
In the article, it is highlighted that children subscribe to either an entity theorist approach or an incremental theorist approach. Entity theorists are individuals who prefer to stay within their comfort zone to continue receiving positive judgements of their competence. They strive to perform well and tend to avoid situations / challenges which can or will put them in a poor light. They show little persistence in the face of failure. Incremental theorists, in contrast, demonstrate a high level of persistence and seek to increase their competence through overcoming challenges. They believe that intelligence can be improved by effort and will.
However, it is highly unlikely that a child is an extreme entity theorist or extreme incremental theorist in all learning situations. It's more likely that the child may simultaneously demonstrate traits of both theories in different learning situations or for different subject matters e.g. an incremental theorist in science and an entity theorists in mathematics.
Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation
I found another reading on a similar theory - extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. In the reading, it states that an extrinsically motivated child looks to positive reward such as praise, high grades, etc as motivation to learn (entity theorist) whilst an intrinsically motivated child do so without any rewards, thereby demonstrating a better appreciation of the value of learning (incremental theorist).
Both articles seems to suggest that a child should learn to appreciate the value of learning and be motivated by the sheer knowledge that the activity will enhance his intelligence and competence (intrinsic motivation / incremental theorist). That form of attitude encourages self directed learning, and if I could add, towards a lifelong learning attitude, which is probably the goal of most parents and daycare teachers as it is a skill which will serve them well throughout their lives.
Role of A Daycare Teacher
Both articles also highlighted the key role a daycare teacher plays in a child’s learning. The way a child learns and his attitude towards learning is largely dependent on what he is exposed to on a day to day basis.
A daycare teacher can inculcate a more intrinsic learning attitude by leveraging on the child’s need to develop his problem solving skills and providing interesting and challenging but age appropriate problems for the child to solve, recognising the child’s achievement and attributing it to an internal attribute such as the child’s effort or intelligence, helping the child believe in himself by offering praises and encouragement of a job well done, refraining from grouping children with similar abilities together and promoting co-operative/ collaborative rather than competitive learning as competitive learning seems to steer towards the development of an extrinsically motivated child.
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