Final answer:
Mrs. Hill is using performance-contingent rewards to motivate her students to read and must do so in a way that connects the reward to the behavior, ensures rewards are meaningful, and applies them consistently to avoid undermining the intrinsic motivation to read.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mrs. Hill has decided to provide her first-grade students with gold stars as a form of performance-contingent rewards for reading. When using such rewards, it is crucial that she remains vigilant in ensuring that the reinforcement is closely connected to the desired behavior, the rewards are meaningful to the students, and they are granted consistently. This approach is guided by the principles of operant conditioning, which suggest that behaviors can be shaped by consequences such as rewards or punishments.
To prevent the rewards system from backfiring, it is important that Mrs. Hill does not allow the extrinsic motivation of gold stars to overshadow the intrinsic joy and interest in reading itself. If students become too focused on the rewards, they may lose their natural interest in reading for pleasure and personal growth. Therefore, Mrs. Hill must find a balance and possibly combine the gold stars with other methods of encouragement that foster an enduring love for reading.