Authors of articles and various texts need to be careful and thorough in proving their arguments. In a report presented by NewsRx Science (2020), the central argument is that praise motivates children at school more than punishment. The study cited by the author significantly supports the idea with the results of a practical experiment. Moreover, the scale of the study affected many children – 2,536 students in 151 classes and 19 schools (NewsRx Science, 2020). These facts give reason to talk about the research, which helps the argument. However, counterarguments are also important, and in the studied article, they are not sufficiently proved.
The article contains only one fact close to the counterargument to the beneficial influence of praise. In the end, the author mentions that in addition to praise, instructional techniques and other strategies used in classes are also necessary for students to study effectively (NewsRx Science, 2020). However, no evidence or additional information is provided for this statement. Moreover, this fact broadens the argument but is not opposed to it. It is necessary to present the opposite point of view and challenge it to prove the argument’s strength to make the central idea more influential.
A significant counterargument would be evidence of the possibility of negative consequences of praise or of punishment benefit. For example, Underwood (2020) found several studies that confirm that incorrect or excessive praise can harm children. At the same time, proper punishment can be valuable and instructive when balanced with other educational methods (Pietrangelo, 2020). These facts are simultaneously opposed to the positive influence of praise and expand the topic of discussion. Thus, the studied text can be improved by extending the counterargument. This measure will balance the central argument and make it more meaningful as it will demonstrate that the author has considered various perspectives of the problem.
References
NewsRx Science. (2020). Praise, rather than punish, to see up to 30% greater focus in the classroom. Vertical News. Web.
Pietrangelo, A. (2020). What is positive punishment? Health Line. Web.
Underwood, P. L. (2020). Are you overpraising your child? The New York Times. Web.