The purposes of this study were to examine (a) the effect of an observation-feedback intervention on the rate of a teacher's behavior-specific praise of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and (b) the effect of increased rates of a teacher's behavior-specific praise on the on-task behavior of a class of students with EBD. Participants were a special education teacher and nine fifth-grade students in a self-contained classroom for students with EBD. Using an ABAB withdrawal design, the rate of the teacher's behavior-specific praise was increased to a criterion level during each intervention phase. Results indicate that the students' on-task behavior increased when the teacher's behavior-specific praise increased, and they decreased during the brief withdrawal phase. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

This study examines the effect of an increased rate of opportunities to actively respond to academic requests on the classroom behavior of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Nine elementary school students with EBD served as participants. Results suggest that increases in opportunities to respond were associated with increased correct responses and task engagement and decreased disruptive behavior. Implications for research and practice, as well as limitations of the present study, are discussed.

The purpose of this article is to review the literature and examine the effect of increased opportunities to respond to academic requests (OTR) on academic and behavioral outcomes of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). The studies reviewed suggest that increased rates of OTR result in higher task engagement and academic achievement and in lower rates of inappropriate classroom behaviors. However, descriptive research in classrooms for students with EBD suggests that teachers rarely provide adequate OTR. Implications of these findings and future research needs are discussed.

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This study examined the effect of a self-evaluation intervention using audiotaped samples of teachers' instructional behavior on the rates of praise in classrooms for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). It also examined the effect of the intervention on other teaching behaviors and determined whether implementation of the intervention is feasible for teachers of students with EBD.