Abstract
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) of ELA instruction in 53 classes across 21 schools and coded for total praise, general praise, behavior-specific praise (BSP), classroom conduct praise, and academic praise. In addition, this study explored how teacher education, experience, and age were related to the frequency and type of praise used in the classroom. Results indicated that rates of both total praise and BSP were regularly low. Teachers praised academic work more often than they praised appropriate classroom behavior. Furthermore, there was a significant relation between teacher age and teacher use of BSP and classroom conduct praise. Post-hoc mediation analyses were also conducted. Findings suggest that whereas 2nd-grade teachers provide low levels of total praise, they provided especially low rates of specific, contingent forms of praise that have been proven to promote child behavioral outcomes.
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The research reported in this manuscript was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A17023 and Grant R305B200020. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.
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Garcia-Salas, M., Wood, C., Wanzek, J. et al. Second-Grade Teachers’ Use of Praise during ELA Instruction: Frequency, Types, and Differences. Educ. Treat. Child. 46, 121–134 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43494-023-00101-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43494-023-00101-0