Encouraging students to compete among themselves in the classroom can have the following consequences. Which of these would you perceive to be harmful to a child's growth? (i) It creates 'winners' and 'losers' within a classroom (ii) It increases the stress and anxiety level of students hampering their cognitive growth (iii) It can create 'star' students within a classroom whose achievement can be a source of pride for schools (iv) It can prepare students to fit into competitive, market-based economics.

Encouraging students to compete among themselves in the classroom can have the following consequences. Which of these would you perceive to be harmful to a child's growth? (i) It creates 'winners' and 'losers' within a classroom (ii) It increases the stress and anxiety level of students hampering their cognitive growth (iii) It can create 'star' students within a classroom whose achievement can be a source of pride for schools (iv) It can prepare students to fit into competitive, market-based economics. Correct Answer (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

Competition is an element of Individual Learning. Research shows that competition encourages students to work hard, study further, and in the process, boosts their confidence.

• There are many different forms of competition that can take place and it has both positive and negative results.

Key PointsCompetition in class can be associated with the following consequences:

• Competition can easily lead to stress and anxiety, especially if it promotes academic competition between individual students, which hampers their cognitive level.
• Classroom competition stress can force students to push back other interests and extracurricular activities, leading to an unbalanced life.
• A less-than-perfect result may affect your student’s emotions or hurt their confidence.
• It creates 'winners' and 'losers' within a classroom which leads to low-self esteem and anxiety in low-performing learners.
• If competition does not provide students with a goal that is attainable for everyone, the activity becomes unbalanced, with some jumping ahead and others ending up left in the dust.
• Unhealthy competition prepares students to fit into competitive, market-based economics. This is the kind of competition that will lead to anxiety and a diminished desire to participate in related activities.
• It can create 'star' students within a classroom whose achievement can be a source of pride for schools but at the same time, it can hinder the learning of low-performing students by creating a shameful situation for them.

Thus, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) are correct in the context of the question.