Middle and high school praise: A systematic review of the literature.

Abstract

Despite the existing research and evidence for teacher praise, this strategy has been studied less frequently in secondary school settings. To better understand and support teacher praise across all school settings, it is important to understand gaps in the literature, especially related to middle and high school settings. In this review, we examined middle and high school praise research by screening a total of 523 unique abstracts and identified, reviewed, and coded 32 empirical studies. A study was included if (a) praise was the focus (i.e., identified as either an independent or dependent variable), (b) the study was empirical and peer-reviewed, (c) at least 51% of the sample included middle or high school students, (d) praise involved teachers praising students (rather than student-to-student praise), and (e) the study took place in a school/classroom setting. Descriptive methods were used to identify and code praise themes. We found most studies (71%) examined the effects of teacher praise on student behavior or the effects of teacher training on teachers' use of praise. Few studies examined praise preferences at the secondary level. We also summarized the methodological characteristics and findings from 32 studies and provide recommendations for future research and practice. Impact and ImplicationsMost middle and high school praise research has focused on the efficacy of praise and praise training. Few studies have focused on praise preference at the secondary level. Additional research on praise preference may increase acceptability and use of this strategy among secondary teachers.