The effects of behavior‐specific praise and public posting in secondary classrooms

Abstract

Behavior‐specific praise (BSP) and other forms of positive feedback and public acknowledgment are underutilized in secondary classrooms. Surprisingly, few studies have evaluated the independent effects of BSP in these settings. Using a multiple baseline design with an embedded A/B/B + C condition sequence, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of BSP and BSP combined with public posting on the appropriately engaged and disruptive behaviors across 4 secondary classrooms. Results supported a functional relation between BSP alone and improvements in students' appropriately engaged and disruptive behaviors. Combining BSP with public posting, which involved writing students' names on the classroom whiteboard, further increased students' appropriately engaged behaviors but had mixed effects on students' disruptive behaviors. Practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Increasing teachers' use of behavior specific praise via Apple Watch prompting

“…The prompting procedure utilized in the current study resulted in observed praise rates that are similar to those of Markelz et al (2019), who used an automated tactile prompt via Apple Watch to cue delivery and self‐monitoring of BSP. The results of the current study suggest that the prompting procedure evaluated in the current study, which relied on widely available resources, may result in notable increases in BSP use in classrooms while avoiding the requirement for less commonly available resources (e.g., MotivAider; O'Handley et al, 2020).…”

The Effects of Different Rates of Behavior-Specific Praise in Secondary Classrooms

“…Across studies, teachers viewed BSP as socially valid (e.g., acceptable, effective, and quickly effective). In addition, although teacher reprimands were not measured in Blaze et al’s (2014) study, teachers in O’Handley et al’s (2020) and Haydon and Musti-Rao’s (2011) study naturally used fewer reprimands as BSP increased. The natural reduction of reprimands is noteworthy because reprimands are often disproportionately distributed to ethnic minority students (Scott et al, 2019).…”

“…Blaze, Olmi, Mercer, Dufrene, and Tingstrom (2014) compared public and private BSP in four secondary classrooms, finding both types of BSP to equally improve classwide appropriately engaged behavior (AEB) and reduce DB. Similarly, O’Handley, Olmi, Dufrene, Tingstrom, and Whipple (2020) tested the effects of BSP alone and combined it with a public posting feature in four secondary classrooms. Teachers wrote students’ names on the classroom whiteboard after praising their behavior, providing an additional source of public acknowledgment.…”

“…The natural reduction of reprimands is noteworthy because reprimands are often disproportionately distributed to ethnic minority students (Scott et al, 2019). Moreover, these findings may suggest that consultants who train secondary teachers can focus on increasing BSP to improve classwide behavior without simultaneously focusing on reducing reprimands (O’Handley et al, 2020).…”

“…More research is needed studying the effects of BSP in secondary classrooms as, to date, Blaze et al’s study (2014) and O’Handley et al’s study (2020) are the only studies to demonstrate a functional relation between BSP and classwide behavior. Simultaneously, research is needed that enables a better understanding of the mechanisms by which BSP functions as a reinforcer with older students.…”