IS
COMPETITION GOOD FOR CHILDREN?
Competition is defined as a contest for
some prize, honor or advantage. Competition comes out when teachers want to
motivate students. Also, parents create a competitive environment for their
children by comparing them with others. Even though the perception of
competition makes children motivate in the short-term, it has many harmful
effects on children in the long-term. Because a competition which is seen as a
good thing prevents personal development, creates a feeling of insignificance
and makes life difficult, it should not be used neither by parents nor by
teachers.
Firstly, because competition prevents
children’s personal developments, it is not good and it should not be used to
enhance success. According to one research on children, children are presented
games with different degrees of difficulty and they are wanted to choose one of
them which they want. Most of the children choose games which are one or two
upper units in terms of difficulty level of their skill. As you can see, a child
can determine his/her development standard. However, when a child is involved
in a competition, this development standard is determined by the most
hardworking students, so a child is taken with a feeling of despair.
Secondly, because competition creates a
sense of insignificance, it is not good and it should not be used to enhance
success. Since the value of a child is determined according to his/her success
and other children in a competitive environment, it makes a child have a
feeling of insignificance. Nevertheless, the value of a child should be
determined considering his/her own values and identity. In a competitive
environment, while the same children always become successful, the others
always feel insignificant. As a result of this, children who are always
successful become stressful to keep their statue.
Finally, because competition makes life
difficult to live, it is not good and it should not be used to enhance success.
Any child who is a competitive environment sees the others as a rival, so
she/he has a difficulty to build trust based relationship and perceives life as
an unreliable environment. Because a child gives attention to what she/he will
gain, she/ he cannot learn the things which benefit for the future. A child
cannot live life freely for fear of losing the success or with effort of
capturing success in a competitive environment. Because a child wants to be
remembered with his/her success due to a competition, this child cannot spare
time for social activities.
In sum, a competition which is preferred to
enhance success among children is not a good thing and it should not be used.
As I mentioned above, competition prevents children’s personal development,
engenders a sense of insignificance in children and makes life difficult for
them. Therefore, ıf parents and teachers want children to be accomplished and
prosperous, they should apply to competition. However, ıf they want children to
be happy and also successful, they should not compare them with others. They
should accept them as they are.
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