The Use of the Token Economy in ESL Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The token economy is a pivotal notion in educational settings for maintaining good classroom behaviours among learners. Despite the burgeoning number of studies conducted to determine the efficiency of the token economy, most have been primarily interested in the learners’ perspective. With a gap in...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theory and Practice in Language Studies
Main Author: Kasiveloo M.; Tan K.H.; Mohd Said N.E.; Philip B.; Mohd Rashid S.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Academy Publication 2022
Online Access:https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85143269583&doi=10.17507%2ftpls.1212.03&partnerID=40&md5=251bc4bf675cf91e3e63f780af28255b
id 2-s2.0-85143269583
spelling 2-s2.0-85143269583
Kasiveloo M.; Tan K.H.; Mohd Said N.E.; Philip B.; Mohd Rashid S.M.
The Use of the Token Economy in ESL Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic
2022
Theory and Practice in Language Studies
12
12
10.17507/tpls.1212.03
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85143269583&doi=10.17507%2ftpls.1212.03&partnerID=40&md5=251bc4bf675cf91e3e63f780af28255b
The token economy is a pivotal notion in educational settings for maintaining good classroom behaviours among learners. Despite the burgeoning number of studies conducted to determine the efficiency of the token economy, most have been primarily interested in the learners’ perspective. With a gap in the literature to investigate the phenomenon from the educators’ perspectives, the present study surveyed 154 English teachers in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The respondents who taught at government schools were involved in examining the token economy as an approach to behavioural management and learning engagement. The data collection was performed through a self-completed questionnaire survey of Google Form via various online platforms. The study showed that Malaysian English teachers from government schools were in complete agreement that the implementation of the token economy in ESL classrooms is effective in eliciting desired behaviours and reducing disruptive behaviours among learners. Social and physical reinforcement were the most effective forms of the token economy in the classroom as opposed to other types of reinforcement. The implications of the study include the possibility of the token economy becoming a catalyst in the educational landscape for changing behaviour and boosting learning motivation, particularly among young learners who are usually emotionally sensitive. © 2022 ACADEMY PUBLICATION.
Academy Publication
17992591
English
Article
All Open Access; Gold Open Access
author Kasiveloo M.; Tan K.H.; Mohd Said N.E.; Philip B.; Mohd Rashid S.M.
spellingShingle Kasiveloo M.; Tan K.H.; Mohd Said N.E.; Philip B.; Mohd Rashid S.M.
The Use of the Token Economy in ESL Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic
author_facet Kasiveloo M.; Tan K.H.; Mohd Said N.E.; Philip B.; Mohd Rashid S.M.
author_sort Kasiveloo M.; Tan K.H.; Mohd Said N.E.; Philip B.; Mohd Rashid S.M.
title The Use of the Token Economy in ESL Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic
title_short The Use of the Token Economy in ESL Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic
title_full The Use of the Token Economy in ESL Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic
title_fullStr The Use of the Token Economy in ESL Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic
title_full_unstemmed The Use of the Token Economy in ESL Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic
title_sort The Use of the Token Economy in ESL Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic
publishDate 2022
container_title Theory and Practice in Language Studies
container_volume 12
container_issue 12
doi_str_mv 10.17507/tpls.1212.03
url https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85143269583&doi=10.17507%2ftpls.1212.03&partnerID=40&md5=251bc4bf675cf91e3e63f780af28255b
description The token economy is a pivotal notion in educational settings for maintaining good classroom behaviours among learners. Despite the burgeoning number of studies conducted to determine the efficiency of the token economy, most have been primarily interested in the learners’ perspective. With a gap in the literature to investigate the phenomenon from the educators’ perspectives, the present study surveyed 154 English teachers in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The respondents who taught at government schools were involved in examining the token economy as an approach to behavioural management and learning engagement. The data collection was performed through a self-completed questionnaire survey of Google Form via various online platforms. The study showed that Malaysian English teachers from government schools were in complete agreement that the implementation of the token economy in ESL classrooms is effective in eliciting desired behaviours and reducing disruptive behaviours among learners. Social and physical reinforcement were the most effective forms of the token economy in the classroom as opposed to other types of reinforcement. The implications of the study include the possibility of the token economy becoming a catalyst in the educational landscape for changing behaviour and boosting learning motivation, particularly among young learners who are usually emotionally sensitive. © 2022 ACADEMY PUBLICATION.
publisher Academy Publication
issn 17992591
language English
format Article
accesstype All Open Access; Gold Open Access
record_format scopus
collection Scopus
_version_ 1809677890701230080