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Effects of Brief Training Plus Electronic Feedback on Increasing Quantity and Intonation of Behavior Specific Praise Among Preschool Teachers

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Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a brief training plus e-mail-specific performance feedback (ESPF) on increasing preschool teacher’s use of behavior-specific praise (BSP) statements. Quantity of BSP was measured using a frequency count, while voice intonation of BSP statements was measured using a voice recording system. A multiple probe design across four preschool teachers who taught in inclusive preschool classrooms was used to evaluate the effectiveness of ESPF on BSP delivery. As an outcome measure, researchers examined whether changes to the teacher’s BSP affected children’s task engagement during class activities. Results indicated a functional relation between ESPF and an increase in the quantity of BSP statements. Voice intonation of BSP statements increased for three participants following ESPF; however, a clear functional relation was not present in the data. Results also indicated that increased quantity and intonation of BSP statements resulted in a tendency for increased mean task engagement across all children; this finding may warrant further investigation. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Early Childhood, Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling, University of Kentucky, 229 Taylor Education Building, Lexington, KY, 40506-0001, USA

    Kathryn Gorton, R. Allan Allday, Justin D. Lane & Melinda J. Ault

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  1. Kathryn Gorton
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  2. R. Allan Allday
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  3. Justin D. Lane
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  4. Melinda J. Ault
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Correspondence to R. Allan Allday.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to report for work associated with this article.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. All procedures outlined in this article were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional review board of the authors’ home institution and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Gorton, K., Allday, R.A., Lane, J.D. et al. Effects of Brief Training Plus Electronic Feedback on Increasing Quantity and Intonation of Behavior Specific Praise Among Preschool Teachers. J Behav Educ 31, 731–750 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-020-09427-w

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