Recently, the so-called "one award per student" culture of handing out certificates to every student in elementary school has been spreading. In addition to the homeroom teacher's evaluation, each student's award is decided through a class vote. At some schools, students even choose the name of the award they want to receive.
Among elementary school teachers, some say it is a positive change that can ease excessive, grade-centered competition, but others say the meaning of awards has faded under pressure from parents' complaints.
◇ "growth instead of grades"… encouragement-centered award culture spreads
According to the education community on the 1st, elementary schools that give one award per student create certificates that reflect each student's characteristics and present them at graduation or closing ceremonies. For example, by using wordplay, "music appreciation" goes to a student who enjoys listening to songs or recommends music to friends.
It differs from ordinary certificates that assess academic performance in that it reflects individual attitudes and personalities in daily life instead of grades or rankings. In schools, this one-award-per-student approach has already been used for years to encourage and motivate students.
In some cases, students decide for themselves which award they will receive. In Dec. last year, an elementary school in Nowon District, Seoul, presented one certificate to every student at its graduation ceremony. In advance, students chose the award they wanted and submitted it to the homeroom teacher. According to teachers at the school, some students discussed it at home with their parents, decided on the award they wanted, and then turned it in.
Some schools run the one-award-per-student program by reflecting the curriculum. An elementary school teacher operating the International Baccalaureate, an international certification program focused on writing and inquiry, said, "We produce certificates that reflect children's traits and the International Baccalaureate's 10 criteria," adding that it is meaningful to have students reflect on their own growth process.
Education experts gave it positive reviews. Kim Ju-hyeong, a professor in the department of education at Gyeongin National University of Education, said, "The aim of public education is customized, individual support tailored to each person's aptitude, interests, and pace of growth," adding, "Whether a student progresses quickly or slowly, recognizing and encouraging everyone aligns with educational goals."
◇ In some cases, excellence awards for performance are given separately
On the other hand, some teachers said the recent one-award-per-student practice is effectively due to parents' complaints. The idea is that as complaints poured in saying giving awards to only certain students created a sense of alienation or discrimination, schools changed their award systems.
A teacher at an elementary school in North Chungcheong Province, a person surnamed Kim (29), said she struggled in Jan. this year to distribute awards to all graduating students ahead of graduation. She had to match students' characteristics to fixed categories such as academic, service, and athletics awards to allocate them. The athletics award went to relatively active students, but because the number of recipients was set for each certificate, some students received awards that did not match their traits.
Kim said, "There were cases where a student wondered, 'Why am I getting the athletics award?,'" adding, "As one award per student has become taken for granted because of parents' complaints, it feels like the meaning of awards is fading, which is disappointing."
In fact, complaints are sometimes filed that awarding only some top-performing students encourages excessive competition or creates a sense of alienation. An elementary school teacher who is a YouTuber said in a video, "Every time there was a competition or event, calls kept coming in taking issue with comparisons to other kids," adding, "As we tried to reduce potentially contentious areas, the types of certificates were minimized."
A parent who recently went to school after being called in by the homeroom teacher out of concern said the child received a fine art competition excellence certificate and a trophy. The parent said, "The teacher originally wanted to give it directly to the child, but called us separately out of consideration for other students."
Some also point out that one award per student does not give students a sense of efficacy. A former elementary school teacher, identified as A, said, "Lower graders generally like certificates, but upper graders tended to see them as a kind of participation award and were not very excited."
◇ To see results from one award per student, "start with goal-setting"
Aside from one award per student, certificates themselves are said to be hard to find in elementary schools. For attendance awards already, the record is entered only in the student life record, and separate certificates are no longer typically presented. At sports days or athletic meets, points are tallied but more cases end with joint awards in the final results.
A teacher at an elementary school in Gyeonggi Province, a person surnamed Lee (32), said, "When everyone received awards, there were students who felt deflated, saying 'there's no point to the competition,'" adding, "But we were worried about backlash from parents, so it was hard to choose anything other than joint awards."
Kim Bong-seok, a professor of elementary education at Korea National University of Education, said the process leading up to receiving an award is important to achieve the educational effects expected from one award per student. Kim said, "Certificates have an aspect of providing a sense of accomplishment through a degree of scarcity and competition," adding, "If you set goals from the start of the semester, keep motivating students to achieve them, and then give certificates, the educational effect can be maintained."