Intentions for praising: Differences between pre-primary educational facility and elementary school teachers

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate teachers’ intentions when praising students, and to compare these intentions between teachers in pre-primary educational facilities and in elementary schools. It is important to understand intentions of teachers for praising students because it will help them reflect on and improve their behaviors. A total of 166 teachers in pre-primary educational facilities and 77 teachers in elementary schools answered a questionnaire about intentions for praising students. Factor analysis indicated four factors: modifying students’ attitudes toward activities involves changing students’ cognitions about activities, caring for students’ emotions involves considering their emotions to keep them as positive as possible, delivering information refers to providing students information, and low awareness of intentions for providing praise refers to teachers not recognizing their reasons for giving praise. Cluster analysis using the standard four factor scores identified three groups. Cluster 1 was characterized by unawareness of intentions to praise students. Cluster 2 indicated awareness of intentions for praise was related to delivering information, not caring about students’ emotions. Cluster 3 indicated well-balanced awareness of intentions for praise. A chi-squared test indicated a relationship between clusters and facilities; in Cluster 2, there were more elementary school teachers than pre-primary educational facility teachers.