By differentially reinforcing questionnaire statements that favored teachers' behavior-specific praise in a multiple-baseline design across participants, we altered the verbal behavior of general education teachers. Our target was a written verbalization favoring the delivery of specific rather than general praise. We then assessed the effects on…

Background: Strong classroom management skills are necessary for students' academic and behavioral success (e.g., Korpershoek et al., 2016), and group contingencies are an effective strategy teachers can use to help improve classroom behaviors (Little et al., 2015; Maggin et al., 2012). CW-FIT is one group contingency intervention that helps…

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…

The success of teachers is tied to their effectiveness in managing student behavior. In this meta-analysis, we identified 49 single-case-design studies that evaluated the effectiveness of teacher training on their implementation of behavioral support strategies. Training was most often provided in a one-on-one format (n = 18) and included ongoing…

This exploratory study extends the literature on teachers' stress and self-efficacy in relation to behavior management. Sixty-six middle and high school teachers' use of praise and reprimand during a 20-min observation, in the general education setting, were examined. Following the observation, teachers completed stress and self-efficacy scales,…

To address instructional challenges and poor academic outcomes of youth in juvenile correctional facilities (JCFs), we must understand how and why some teachers are effective and why students are responsive to instruction in these settings. We observed and coded teacher--student instructional interactions from 733 fifteen-minute classroom reading…

This study aimed to describe 2nd-grade teachers' use of different forms of praise during English Language Arts (ELA) instruction and examine if teacher characteristics were associated with differences in the use of different types of praise. Investigators recorded 2nd-grade teachers' language use during randomly selected, 15-min excerpts (n = 912)…

This study aimed to describe 2nd-grade teachers' use of different forms of praise during English Language Arts (ELA) instruction and examine if teacher characteristics were associated with differences in the use of different types of praise. Investigators recorded 2nd-grade teachers' language use during randomly selected, 15-min excerpts (n = 912)…

Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a classroom management system using a group contingency involving direct teaching of classroom rules/skills, differential reinforcement of appropriate behaviors, and minimized social attention to inappropriate behaviors. We investigated elementary school teachers' implementation of CW-FIT…

A traditional tootling procedure was implemented along with a public posting component to determine the effects on academically engaged, disruptive, and passive off-task behaviors in four general education high school classrooms. Students in the traditional tootling phase were instructed to report on their peers' positive, prosocial behaviors. At…

Middle school is a cornerstone for success in high school. However, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement of adolescents often decline as they transition from elementary to middle school, resulting in lower school grades and more challenging behaviors, especially for adolescents with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders…

The Caught Being Good Game (CBGG) is an evidence-based practice used in classrooms to reduce disruptive classroom behavior. This approach to classwide intervention has been implemented and its effectiveness demonstrated across grade levels and types of disruptive behavior. Teachers report that the CBGG is an easy classroom management strategy to…

Background/purpose. The scientific basis for positive reinforcement is clear: when a behaviour is accompanied by a desirable outcome, such as attention, a tangible reward, or a sensory experience, the probability of that behaviour being repeated in the future is heightened. Praise is a motivating strategy to cultivate a robust relationship between…

Praise, defined as public or private expression of approval for behavior, is recognized as a critical component in many classroom behavior interventions. Historically, praise has been viewed from the perspective of educators in terms of both increasing educator-preferred behaviors and in terms of educators' perspectives. Little is known about…

This study examined the generalizability and dependability of observational estimates of middle and high school teachers' use of praise and reprimands. Frequency of behavior-specific praise, general praise, and total reprimands were collected across 67, 20-min observations that took place during class-wide instruction in general education…