Use Of Behavior-specific Praise Research Articles

ICoaching Behavior-Specific Praise in a Rural Classroom

The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of iCoaching to increase the use of behavior-specific praise (BSP) by three educators (one teacher, two paraprofessionals) working in a rural center–based classroom for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities using a short, focused professional development and iCoaching. Results of the single-case delayed multiple baseline design study suggest that iCoaching increased BSP delivery by participants. Furthermore, BSP rates were maintained after iCoaching was withdrawn. Implications for using iCoaching with rural educators and future research directions are discussed.

A Comparison of Two Group Contingencies on Teachers’ Use of Behavior-Specific Praise

The present study evaluated the effects of two reinforcement contingencies on teacher use of behavior-specific praise (BSP) in the classroom. An alternating treatments design was used to compare the implementation of both an independent and interdependent contingency to increase frequency of BSP delivery. Four general education elementary school teachers and their students participated. Teachers’ use of BSP and general praise, as well as, behavior-specific and general reprimands were evaluated. Data were also collected on students’ levels of academically engaged and disruptive behaviors. Both the independent and interdependent conditions resulted in higher frequencies of BSP and reduced the use of both general and behavior-specific reprimands. Student levels of academic engagement increased while disruption decreased across both contingencies. Results of the present study are discussed in terms of related literature and implications for applied practice.

Effects of Self-Monitoring on the Praise Rates of Paraprofessionals for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

The limitations and challenges of paraprofessional training are well documented. These issues are magnified by the increasing reliance on paraprofessionals to provide vital support for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Despite evidence supporting self-monitoring for improving teacher and paraprofessional skills, there are limited demonstrations of how paraprofessionals improve their use of evidence-based strategies through self-monitoring. This study examined the effects of self-monitoring on paraprofessionals’ total use of praise and behavior-specific praise. A first exploratory item included the extent to which any increases in praise covaried with paraprofessional use of reprimands. A second exploratory item determined whether any changes in praise covaried with the engagement and disruptive behavior of their students with EBD. Self-monitoring was associated with increased total praise, a moderately increased use of behavior-specific praise, and improvements in student engagement along with decreases in student disruptive behavior. Implications for behavioral interventions for students with EBD are discussed.

Effects of Tactile Prompting and Self-Monitoring on Teachers’ Use of Behavior-Specific Praise

Effectively managing a classroom is crucial in promoting positive student outcomes. Behavior-specific praise is an empirically supported strategy to reinforce desirable student behaviors. Following a review of the literature, we identified tactile prompting and self-monitoring as effective methods to increase teachers’ use of behavior-specific praise while sustaining intervention long enough until teachers contacted natural maintaining contingencies. We created electronic tactile awareness prompting with self-monitoring (eTAPS) by combining two applications on an Apple Watch. Using a multiple-baseline-across-participants design, this study primarily investigated the effects of eTAPS on special education teachers’ use of behavior-specific praise. Secondarily, this study investigated the impact that behavior-specific praise would have on the on-task behaviors of targeted students with disabilities demonstrating frequent off-task behaviors. Results indicated that eTAPS was effective in increasing and maintaining behavior-specific praise rates. Furthermore, significant increases in student on-task behavior occurred. Implications of results and future research are discussed.

The Impact of Coaching on Teacher-Delivered Behavior-Specific Praise in Pre-K–12 Settings: A Systematic Review

In this systematic literature review, we examined the effects of coaching (e.g., written, emailed, visual, video, and self-monitored performance feedback; in vivo bug-in-ear prompting; combinations) teachers and other educators to increase their use of behavior-specific praise, a low-intensity teacher-delivered strategy previously determined to be a potentially evidence-based practice based on Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education. Research has shown that traditional lecture-style short-duration professional development does not typically lead to lasting change in teacher behavior, but follow-up observations with continued support (e.g., school-wide professional development for all, small group support for some, individualized support for a few) are much more likely to produce desired outcomes. As such, we examined the evidence base for coaching educators to increase behavior-specific praise by applying CEC quality indicators and standards, and concluded that coaching educators to increase behavior-specific praise meets CEC guidelines to be considered an evidence-based practice. Educational implications, limitations, and future directions are presented.

Training Teachers to Increase Behavior-Specific Praise: A Meta-Analysis

The purpose of this study was to synthesize the literature in support of training teachers to use behavior-specific praise, which is a strategy used to reduce students’ disruptive and off-task behavior as well as prevent students’ problem behaviors from occurring. The results of 28 single-case studies examining the effectiveness of training teachers to increase their use of behavior-specific praise were synthesized in this meta-analysis. Overall results suggest that praise training produced a strong effect (Tau-U = 0.85) at increasing teachers’ use of behavior-specific praise. Limitations, implications, and future directions of the findings are discussed.

Effects of the Teacher Versus Students Game on Teacher Praise and Student Behavior

The Teacher versus Students Game is a variation of the Good Behavior Game (Barrish et al. in J Appl Behav Anal 2:119–124, 1969. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1969.2-119 ) in which students compete against the teacher to earn points and win the game. Students earn points when they follow rules, whereas the teacher earns points when they do not. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the game decreased students’ off-task behaviors while increasing teachers’ use of behavior-specific praise. Participants were five teachers and fifteen students (some with disabilities and some without) across five fourth and fifth grade elementary school general education classrooms, who were identified by their teachers as engaging in frequent off-task behavior. Results indicated that the game decreased off-task behavior for all students. The game also increased teachers’ use of behavior-specific praise statements, minimally increased general praise statements, and decreased corrective statements for all but one of the teachers.

Increasing Teachers’ Use of Behavior-Specific Praise Using a Multitiered System for Professional Development

Successful instruction is contingent upon effective classroom management. Unfortunately, not all teachers are effective classroom managers and many require in-service professional development (PD) to increase their use of evidence-based classroom management skills. Although PD models have been developed and evaluated, many are resource-intensive. To address this, we developed a multitiered system for PD (MTS-PD) to provide increased levels of support based on need as measured by teacher behavior. We conducted two studies to examine the effect of Tiers 1 and 2 of the MTS-PD model on elementary school teachers’ use of behavior-specific praise (BSP). Study 1 examined the effect of Tier 1, a single 25-min didactic training, and Study 2 examined the effect of Tier 2, which included regular visual performance feedback delivered via email. The results of Study 1 indicated that teachers did not increase their rates of BSP to a priori defined levels of success. Study 2 found that the Tier 2 PD approach increased teachers’ BSP rates, a functional relationship was established, and the rates maintained 3 months after the Tier 2 PD. Study limitations and future directions are discussed.

Evaluation of increasing antecedent specificity in goal statements on adherence to positive behavior-management strategies.

We evaluated the impact of antecedent specificity in goal statements on adherence to positive behavior-management strategies. Teaching staff were recruited from 2 different school settings where there were routine expectations to use behavior-specific praise in the classroom, but adherence was poor. In a concurrent multiple baseline design, the use of behavior-specific praise by 4 participants was found to be unaffected by goal statements that increasingly specified the behavior to be used and the conditions under which the behavior should occur. However, adherence by 3 of the 4 participants did change when goal statements included teacher-specified frequencies with which the behavior should occur. Results were systematically replicated in a second study in which, in a concurrent multiple baseline design, 3 participants showed marked increases in adherence when goal statements specified the target behavior, the conditions under which it should occur, and the frequency with which it should occur.

Using a tactile prompt to increase instructor delivery of behavior-specific praise and token reinforcement and their collateral effects on stereotypic behavior in students with autism spectrum disorders.

this study evaluated the effectiveness of a tactile cue, the gentle reminder™, as a prompt to increase instructor use of behavior-specific praise and token reinforcement. First, instructors were told to deliver reinforcement when a student was engaged in behavior that was incompatible with stereotypy. they were then told they would feel a vibration every 10 minutes to remind them to use reinforcement for these behavior. A tactile prompt was then programmed to vibrate every 10 minutes. it was expected that the teacher’s use of reinforcement would increase and in turn, this would lead to a reduction in the level of student stereotypic behavior. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effects of the tactile prompt on instructor behavior and the collateral effects on student stereotypic behavior. After implementation of the tactile prompt, instructors’ use of reinforcement for behavior incompatible with stereotypy increased systematically across all three instructors. the instructor’s use of reinforcement increased more than once every 10 minutes when the tactile cue was implemented. in addition, there was a decrease observed in the level of the students’ stereotypic behavior after

Providing Performance Feedback for Teachers to Increase Treatment Fidelity

This article reviewed a method for increasing teachers’ use of behavior-specific praise, which is especially important for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. The use of performance feedback has been researched fairly extensively and has yielded positive outcomes when compared with other forms of consultation. This article provides research to support the use of performance feedback as well as a framework for building systems to support implementation.

Increasing Induction-Level Teachers’ Positive-to-Negative Communication Ratio and Use of Behavior-Specific Praise Through E-Mailed Performance Feedback and Its Effect on Students’ Task Engagement

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of e-mailed specific performance feedback that included progress monitoring graphs on induction-level teachers’ ratios of positive-to-negative communication behaviors and their use of behavior-specific praise in classrooms for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, mild intellectual disabilities, and learning disabilities. We also examined the effects of teachers’ communication behavior on students’ academic task engagement. Results indicate that the e-mailed performance-feedback intervention increased teachers’ use of positive communication behaviors and decreased their use of negative communication behaviors. These effects resulted in higher positive-to-negative ratios. Furthermore, the teacher praise became more behavior-specific for academic and social behaviors, and students’ level of task engagement improved and became more stable.

Visual Performance Feedback

This study used a multiple baseline with reversal design to assess whether visual performance feedback (VPF) influenced targeted and nontargeted staffs' use of behavior-specific praise (BSP) in a day-treatment program. This study expands on the typical VPF audience and assesses whether VPF can be effective with noncertified staff in a day-treatment program for young children with behavior disorders, an environment in which it is difficult to maintain high rates of BSP. In previous school-based studies, VPF has been collected by researchers and provided to targeted teaching staff. In the current study, rather than relying on researchers, the authors used staff instructors to collect VPF and assessed how that experience influenced the instructors' use of BSP. Results suggest that VPF provided, on average, a doubling in rates of BSP use by directly targeted staff and more than a 50% increase in rates of BSP in nontargeted instructors who collected BSP data. Furthermore, three of the four participants had substantially higher praise-to-correction ratios during the VPF intervention when compared with baseline and reversal conditions. Implications for improving treatment fidelity and reducing supervision time are discussed.

The Effect of Visual Performance Feedback on Teacher Use of Behavior-Specific Praise

This study evaluated the effects of visual performance feedback (VPF) on teacher use of behavior-specific praise. In addition to receiving individual VPF, teachers participated in group consultation focused on increasing competence in the use of behavior-specific praise. Three general education elementary teachers and six students participated in the study. Classroom peer composite data were also collected. Teacher and student behaviors were monitored across baseline and VPF conditions in a multiple baseline design. The results indicated that VPF resulted in an increase in behavior-specific praise for participating students across all teachers relative to baseline. Additionally, teachers increased their use of behavior-specific praise with classroom peers. The findings highlight the need for direct assessment of intervention implementation and for the collection of peer data to identify collateral intervention effects.

An Experimental Study of Effective Teaching in First-Grade Reading Groups

An Experimental Study of Effective Teaching in First-Grade Reading Groups