Teacher Praise: A Functional Analysis

TLDR

Teacher praise functions are shaped by the congruence of verbal and nonverbal cues, contextual factors, and attribution theory, indicating that infrequent but strategically effective praise is preferable. The authors suggest that teacher praise should remain infrequent yet be made more effective through strategic implementation. Classroom data reveal that teachers’ verbal praise is infrequent, lacks contingency, specificity, or credibility, is often not intended as reinforcement, and is driven more by teachers’ perceptions of student needs than by student performance.

Abstract

Classroom-process data indicate that teachers’ verbal praise cannot be equated with reinforcement. Typically, such praise is used infrequently, without contingency, specificity, or credibility. Often it is not even intended as reinforcement, and even when it is, it frequently has some other function. The meanings and functions of behaviors typically included under the category of teacher praise are determined by the degree of congruence between verbal and nonverbal components and by the context in which the interaction occurs. Much teacher praise is determined more by teachers’ perceptions of student needs than by the quality of student conduct or performance. Considerations of classroom feasibility and probable student response to teachers’ attempts at social reinforcement suggest that teacher praise should remain infrequent, but that it could be made much more effective. Attribution theory is an important supplement to social learning/reinforcement theory for suggesting guidelines for praising effectively.