Classroom Management Through Praise and Its Effect on Achievement Carol Luongo Literature Review Presentation December 3, 2011

Personal Significance of Topic

Poor Classroom Management Reduces amount of instructional time Decreases overall class focus Creates less-than- desirable learning environment

Classroom management becomes the gatekeeper to student learning by either supporting a consistent and predictable classroom or allowing a disruptive, chaotic, and random learning environment to occur (Freiberg, Huzinec, & Templeton, 2009, p. 79).

Praise is a commonly used method of positive reinforcement to maintain classroom management.

Supporters and Non-Supporters of Praise Those who support it claim that praise provides encouragement to students, helps build self esteem, and helps build a close student-teacher relationship. Those with the opposing view, however, contend that learning is intrinsically rewarding and learners should not be bribed or coerced to learn (Crespo, 2002, p. 742).

For praise and positive reinforcement to be effective… Consistent use Specificity of message

Examples of Praise and Positive Reinforcement Programs Tickets or tokens Sticker charts Prizes Other incentives These programs should be implemented in a consistent fashion on the level they are utilized if change in student behavior and effort are to be recognized as being linked to them.

Supportive Research Findings Porlier et al. (as cited in Burnett, 2002, p. 5) assert that research studies have emphasized the influence of significant adults (teachers and parents) on students’ development and the importance of significant others’ verbal statements when directed at the children.

Consistency Management & Cooperative Discipline Program

Griffith (as cited in Trusty et al., 2008, p. 415) found that positive student-teacher relationships and safe and orderly school environments were associated with higher student-reported grades.

Unsupportive Research Findings Borman and Overman (as cited in Trusty et al., 2008, p. 414) discovered in their national data study that school resources (e.g. class size, availability of instructional supplies) and effective schools variables (e.g. percentage of time devoted to academic instruction, strong principal leadership, and monitoring of student progress) had little influence on academic resilience.

In Burnett’s 2002 study, he noted that some teachers may avoid praise if they perceive that students will develop dependence rather than the ability to think for themselves (p. 7).

In conclusion, consider the following: Thorp et al. (1994) cited research indicating that students spend approximately 15,000 hours in the classroom environment during primary and secondary schooling.

With all of that time together… It is therefore important for students to have good experiences at school. Positive classroom environments have been associated with academic achievement, improved schooling for children at risk, teacher personality type, and positive effects on students’ motivation and interpersonal behaviors (Burnett, 2002, p. 8).

References Auld, R.G., Belfiore, P.J., & Scheeler, M.C. (2010). Increasing pre-service teachers’ use of differential reinforcement: Effects of performance feedback on consequences for student behavior. Journal of Behavioral Education, 19, doi: /s Burnett, P.C. (2002). Teacher praise and feedback and students’ perceptions of the classroom environment. Educational Psychology, 22(1), doi: / Crespo, S. (2002). Praising and correcting: Prospective teachers investigate their teacherly talk. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, Filcheck, H.A., McNeil, C.B., & Herschell, A.D. (2001) Types of verbal feedback that affect compliance and general behavior in disruptive and typical children. Child Study Journal, 31 (4), Freiberg, H.J., Huzinec, C.A., & Templeton, S.M. (2009). Classroom management—a pathway to student achievement: A study of fourteen inner-city schools. The Elementary School Journal, 110(10), Georgiou, S.N. (2008). Beliefs of experienced and novice teachers about achievement. Educational Psychology, 28(2), doi: / Kitsantas, A., Steen, S., & Huie, F. (2009). The role of self-regulated strategies and goal orientation in predicting achievement of elementary school children. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 2(1),

LaRocque, M. (2008). Assessing perceptions of the environment in elementary classrooms: The link with achievement. Educational Psychology in Practice, 24(4), doi: / Reinke, W.M., Lewis-Palmer, T., & Martin, E. (2007). The effect of visual performance feedback on teacher use of behavior-specific praise. Behavior Modification, 31(3), doi: / Sigler, E.A. & Aamidor, S. (2005). From positive reinforcement to positive behaviors: An everyday guide for the practitioner. Early Childhood Education Journal, 32(4), doi: / s Sink, C. (2008). Elementary school counselors and teachers: Collaborators for higher student achievement. The Elementary School Journal, 108(5), Trusty, J., Mellin, E.A., & Herbert, J.T. (2008). Closing achievement gaps: Roles and tasks of elementary school counselors. The Elementary School Journal, 108(5), Wheatley, R.K., West, R.P., Charlton, C.T., Sanders, R.B., Smith, T.G., & Taylor, M.J. (2009). Improving behavior through differential reinforcement: A praise note system for elementary school students. Education and Treatment of Children, 32(4),