Earned vs Gifted: What Do Teenagers Choose?

Earned vs Gifted: What Do Teenagers Choose?

Imagine: a 12-14 year old has two sums of money — one that he received as a gift and one that he earned through his own efforts. Which money will he spend faster? Our experiment at a business and leadership school for children and teenagers, where we implemented the ChallengeME app, showed an interesting pattern: students were more willing to spend the money they earned, while they carefully saved the money they received as a gift. Why does this happen?

When a reward system meets reality

The course consisted of 12 sessions, and from the beginning we observed how the teenagers felt about rewards. Despite the opportunity to earn points for attendance, activity and homework completion, not all of the students made it a priority. Many continued to participate as usual without thinking about the reward system.

The moment of realization

After the third session, we decided to hold an additional meeting to remind the children about the app and explain how they could benefit from it. This step had a tangible effect: the teachers noticed that the teenagers became more involved, participated more actively in discussions and took more responsibility for their homework. The link between effort and reward became clear and motivating to them.

The link between effort and reward became a real tool, rather than an abstract concept.

An experiment with two types of money

When the course was over, we did a little research. We compared the students’ attitude to the money earned through the app with their attitude to the money donated. The result was revealing.

Teenagers were ready to spend the money they earned without hesitation — on entertainment, gadgets, whatever they wanted. Gift money, on the other hand, provoked a completely different reaction: they wanted to save it, to put it aside «for something important».

The reason is simple: when you know the value of your efforts, money is perceived as an honestly earned reward, which you can dispose of freely.

A choice that says it all

The next level of learning was the final test of our hypothesis. We offered the students two options: to continue without additional motivation or to receive a monetary reward, but on condition of completing double the amount of homework with more rigorous testing.

The result exceeded expectations: the absolute majority chose the option with motivation. Teenagers consciously agreed to a heavy workload for the opportunity to earn money.

An insight that changes everything

This experiment showed a fundamental truth: realising the value of one’s own efforts fundamentally changes attitudes towards work, study and money. ChallengeMe doesn’t just motivate — it creates healthy financial habits and work ethics.

We don’t stop at creating an app. We research, test, and study the real mechanisms of motivation. Each experiment brings us closer to understanding how to make learning and working truly fun.

Ready to implement a system of conscious motivation in your school or organization? Contact us — we can help build a process that turns responsibilities into exciting challenges.