Badges, Patches, and Intrinsic Motivation

When I was a Brownie (before Daisies existed), there were no Brownie badges or journeys. We got together every week, learned to live the promise and law and had fun doing whatever we were doing. We looked forward to earning badges as Juniors, but we were pretty content with just learning stuff.

I received about two patches a year - one from thinking day and one from a local camporee. No patch from our field trip to McDonald's or train trip to Santa Barbara - although I still remember those as highlights of my Brownie experience. No patch for each craft I did or song I learned. No patch for showing up at meetings or being the leader's daughter. I'm pretty sure there were patches for high cookie sales, but I didn't sell enough to get one.

I follow a number of Girl Scout groups on Facebook and here are some common questions I see regarding badges and patches:

1. "My troop did <an activity> last week. Is there a badge for this?"
2. "How can I earn <name of badge> quickly?"
3. "How do I handle a girl missing the meeting where we completed a badge activity?"
4. "My Brownie has more patches than will fit on the back of her vest. What should I do with them?"

I cringe at these questions and rarely respond. These questions do have straightforward answers but are symptomatic of ills in our society that scouts can sometimes exacerbate. We tend to overly value material, public recognition for accomplishments as opposed to intrinsic motivation and joy. I fear that some Girl Scout leaders may be passing this mindset on to girls without realizing the consequences.

If the question is “Do rewards motivate students?”, the answer is, “Absolutely: they motivate students to get rewards.” Unfortunately, that sort of motivation often comes at the expense of interest in, and excellence at, whatever they are doing. Alfie Kohn

Studies show that receiving rewards for activities can reduce interest in those activities. This is more pronounced if the activity is something they are less interested in to begin with and more pronounced once they know they are doing it for a reward. The response is also stronger for younger children.

Does this mean we should never give any badges or patches? Not at all. Rewards can be an important motivational tool to attract girls to activities that they otherwise are not interested in. In studies of pay-for-performance systems, some individuals can be motivated by rewards that they perceive as recognition of good work. But constantly providing a badge or patch for most activities can quickly teach young girls that the patch itself was the goal, not the experience.

Patches and badges do have their place:

Badges and other similar awards should be planned out and earned consciously. Earned badges help girls show that they have accomplished something worthwhile and are an important part of girl scout program, but earning a badge isn't just about completing the activities. The full leadership experience requires considering what you want to learn, picking a badge to earn, and making a plan to earn it. When someone hands you the badge after the fact and you didn't even know you were earning it, you've missed all of the organizational and leadership skills involved. Applying rigor to the requirements also insures that girls recognize that their skill-building is the goal, not the physical badge itself. The badge recognizes accomplishment, so it should not be given lightly and certainly not just because a girl wants a badge.

Patches are useful mementos of important experiences. Especially for special Girl Scout gatherings of multiple troops - like camporees, thinking day, conventions, etc. Avoid providing patches for every minor activity the troop participates in. A trainer I know uses this rule of thumb: If you did the same activity with your family, would you be getting your children a patch or similar memento? Encourage the girls to enjoy the experience, and to have pictures or some other souvenir as their memento.

Be especially wary when your girls start to ask, "Do we get a patch for this?" They should be happy to do activities even if the answer is no. If that's not true then they probably receive too many patches too often and their intrinsic interest is suffering. Also be concerned when the number of badges or patches becomes a contest. Remember the badge is merely a sign of a girl's knowledge. Girls who get too competitive about this are valuing the scrap of fabric over the experience.

It is important that girls learn to find happiness just by living and without dependency on receiving rewards or outside praise for their accomplishments. Their self-worth will then come from within instead of relying on others to validate them.

I also encourage having girls sew their own patches on their uniforms--at least Juniors and up. Sewing is a great skill and you can use a meeting to have a sewing party. Girls may think harder about how many patches they want and which are most important to them when they do the sewing themselves.

Answers to the questions:

1. "My troop did <an activity> last week. Is there a badge for this?"
   No. If you didn't do the activity with a badge in mind, you shouldn't go badge shopping afterwards. Just enjoy the experience.
2. "How can I earn <name of badge> quickly?"
   Don't. Earn recognitions as rigorously as possible within the written requirements. That will build courage, confidence, and character.
3. "How do I handle a girl missing the meeting where we completed a badge activity?"
   She didn't meet the requirement. She doesn't get the badge unless she finishes the requirement on her own.
4. "My Girl Scout has more patches than will fit on the back of her vest. What should I do with them?"
   Have her choose which patches she wants to sew onto the vest. She can organize the others in a memory book or sew them onto a memory blanket.