Praise and Language Intervention: Is “Good Job” Helping Us Do a Good Job? A Tutorial

Abstract

Purpose: Speech-language pathologists often use praise during intervention to encourage children and manage behaviors. Praise is often believed to promote improved performance. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that praise leads to improved performance, especially during language intervention provided during therapy sessions. Given the widespread use of praise, it is important for speech-language pathologists to understand the forms and functions of praise, as well as the potential impacts of praise on language learning outcomes. The purpose of this tutorial is to encourage speech-language pathologists to reflect upon and critique their own use of praise in language learning interventions. Method: The forms and functions of praise are reviewed, followed by a discussion of the role of praise in language interventions. Alternatives to praise are discussed. Conclusion: This tutorial provides a comprehensive review of the forms and functions of praise and offers speech-language pathologists alternatives that are more likely to improve language learning outcomes.