Write an essay on advantages and disadvantages of competition in

learning.

The question of whether competition in learning brings about advantages or

disadvantages is the topic of numerous studies. Some people assert that it
helps the students to develop; others argue that it ruins people’s relationship.
This essay will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of competition in learning.

One of the main advantages of competition in learning is that it can create an

environment where students push each other to exceed their normal limits,
which can result in increased performance, both at an individual level and
among the entire classroom as a whole. As individual performances increase,
so do those of the entire students in the classroom who seek to outdo one
another. Competition can be rewarded with bonuses or various types of
rewards. Another way in which competition can be an advantage for students
is that it can spur a commitment to self-improvement. While financial
incentives and bonuses are always a plus to get the competition going, those
who see the bigger picture may take the competition as an opportunity to
better themselves in the process of winning the competition. Self-
improvement may include actions like changing study habits to be more
organized, using visualization to attain goals. Moreover, not all competition
necessarily has to take place at the individual level. Competition can incite a
sense of teamwork in the classroom when students are placed in groups and
asked to compete with one another, which can have a number of positive
results that come from students cooperating with each other.

Competition in learning can also, unfortunately, contain some potential

problems, albeit bringing bountiful advantages. The first drawback that one
may take notice of is that competition may, in some ways, create the
boundaries between individuals, or, if concerned, groups in class. The fact
that some students more enthusiastically hanker after the first place in every
competition held in different classes than others begets the unpleasant
learning environment in which the vigour takes over the friendliness and
calmness. Those students simply want to perform better than the rest, to
show that they are very assiduous or ardent. Their only goal is to be the best,
regardless of whether their classmates can catch up with them or not; and to
get the highest scores or to win the first place indulges them in a particular
way, like the feeling a scientist who discovers something utterly
extraordinary may feel. Therefore, the friendliness atmosphere where
students study with each other can be destroyed. The possibility of
protracting the gaps between students at different levels may be concerned
as another problem in competition in learning. The reason for it is that there
are some students who do not want to take part in the activities, because of
whether the indifference or their being afraid, aside from the exuberant ones.
It elicits the fact that, while others achieve the advantages from competition,
these students hardly improve their knowledge, as well as the experience
they may need in the future (speaking in public, critical thinking, etc.) and all
the fun they may have.

To draw a conclusion, whether competition in learning is a positive way to

boost learners’ knowledge and skills or not depends on how well and
adequately it is organised. One will harvest many things if he takes part in an
appropriately constructed competition. Also, he should not always aim at the
reward, neglecting his friends, but encourage them to join in and develop
altogether, so far as the maintenance of friendliness among classmates is
concerned.