The use of rewards to enhance the experiences of academic self-efficacy and motivation of foundation phase learners in a special-needs school/Die gebruik van belonings om grondslagfaseleer-ders in spesiale skole se akademiese selfdoeltref-fendheid en motivering te verhoog

Throughout a person's life, characteristics such as creativity, adaptability and perseverance are needed. Research has shown that these characteristics can be cultivated through a combination of high self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. Self-efficacy, or the belief one has about one's own ability, has a direct influence on how motivated one is to participate in a specific task or activity. An interrelationship therefore exists between the two, and can be influenced by an overall mindset regarding ability or intellect. Teachers often use rewards in the classroom to motivate learners to reach high performance standards; however, heavy debates about the influence of rewards on learners' self-efficacy and motivation are ongoing among academics. These debates are often due to different views or points of departure concerning motivation, such as the behaviouristic and cognitive approaches. The behaviouristic approach to motivation focuses mainly on three components, namely a driving force, learned motives, and incentives to "push" someone into participating in a task or activity. As opposed to the behaviouristic approach, the cognitive approach focuses on cognition, a personal, social, and cultural incentive that "pulls" a person towards participating in a given task or activity. According to the cognitive approach, motivation depends largely on the task or activity, on how interesting it is or what its perceived value is, on a person's abilities (or perceived abilities), and on the reason for success or failure in similar activities in the past. Past experiences are of crucial importance when people judge their own abilities (self-efficacy). Other criteria used to evaluate one's own abilities include social comparisons, verbal feedback, and physiological reactions. Research has shown that learners in special-needs schools often have low self-efficacy beliefs about their academic ability due to repeated experiences of failure. A study to investigate the role of rewards on these learners' self-efficacy was therefore imperative. Teachers could use the findings to inform their decisions on how to use rewards in the classroom. Deci and Ryan's (1985) self-determination theory (SDT) was used as theoretical framework for this study. This theory strives to develop learners' self-efficacy beliefs through fulfilling three basic human needs for optimal functioning, constructive social development, and personal wellbeing. These needs are identified as 1) the need to feel