ABSTRACT
Using competition as a motivator doesn’t work for everyone; it can demotivate as many as it motivates. Placing pupils in rank order can also be problematic for motivation. Although many aspects of life are competitive, there is no imperative for schools to mirror life in this way. Sometimes competition can get in the way of collaboration; collaboration produces the most inclusive societies. Boys and girls enjoy competition equally, but they sometimes compete differently. Fear of failure affects nearly every pupil. We can better support both boys and girls by talking about it and exposing the fear of failure as a false fear which, ironically, often leads to failure and underperformance.
