The Effects of Written Teacher and Peer Praise Notes on the Inappropriate Behaviors of Elementary Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in a Residential School

Abstract

In this study, the effects of two secondary-tier positive behavioral intervention and support interventions, written teacher praise notes (TPNs) and peer praise notes (PPNs), were investigated using an alternating treatments single-subject design in residential art classroom settings with eight elementary students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) in grades one through five who displayed a variety of inappropriate behaviors. Functional behavioral assessments confirmed that all eight student's inappropriate behaviors were attention-maintained. Duration recording was used to record the percentage of inappropriate behavior during art class. The results suggest that TPNs and PPNs decreased a variety of inappropriate behaviors of students with E/BD in the residential setting; however, there was minimal to no fractionation between the two interventions. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.