Praise
From WikEd
[edit] Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of
Praise is defined in the Webster's Dictionary (2000) as "the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation." Praise statements indicate that an adult's preferences have been followed and often begin with the phrase "I like..." (Marshall, 2001, 39). Teachers use praise to foster a students' sense of "self-esteem, autonomy, self-reliance, achievement and motivation for learning." Praise is often given at the conclusion of a task for work that is considered "well done" (Hitz).
Praise needs to be considered in the context of two other terms, encourage and acknowledge. The dictionary definition of encourage is "to inspire with courage, spirit or confidence." Acknowledge is defined as "to admit to be real or true; recognize the existence, truth or fact of."
[edit] Application in classrooms and similar settings
Effective and Ineffective Praise
J. E. Brophy in "Teacher Praise: A Functional Analysis" published in the Spring 1981 issue of Review of Educational Reseach included the following distinctions between effective and ineffective praise. This recap is from the article "Effective Praise" at the Austega Web Site.
Effective Praise:
1. is delivered contingently 2. specifies the particulars of the accomplishment 3. shows spontaneity, variety and other signs of credibility that suggest clear attention to the student's accomplishment 4. rewards attainment of specified performance criteria (which can include effort however) 5. provides information to students about their competence or the value of their accomplishments 6. orients students toward better appreciation of their own task-related behavior and thinking about problem solving 7. uses students' own prior accomplishments as the context for describing present accomplishments 8. is given in recognition of noteworthy effort or success at difficult (for this student) tasks 9. attributes success to effort and ability, implying that similar successes can be expected in the future 10. fosters endogenous attributions (students believe that they expend effort on the task because they enjoy the task and/or want to develop task-relevant skills) 11. focuses students' attention on their own task-relevant behavior fosters appreciation of, and desirable attributions about, task-relevant behavior after the process is completed.
Ineffective Praise:
1. is delivered randomly or unsystematically 2. is restricted to global positive reactions 3. shows a bland uniformity that suggests a conditioned response made with minimal attention 4. rewards mere participation, without consideration of performance processes or outcomes 5. provides no information at all or gives students information about their status 6. orients students toward comparing themselves with others and thinking about competing 7. uses the accomplishments of peers as the context for describing a student's present accomplishments 8. is given without regard to the effort expended or the meaning of the accomplishment (for this student) 9. attributes success to ability alone or to external factors such as luck or (easy) task difficulty 10. fosters exogenous attributions (students believe that they expend effort on the task for external reasons - to please the teacher, win a competition or reward, etc.) 11. focuses students' attention on the teacher as an external authority figure who is manipulating them 12. intrudes into the ongoing process, distracting attention from task-relevant behavior.
Examples of Praise and Encouragement Statements
Wolfgang (2001) offers contrasting statements of praise and encouragement (128).
Praise Statements
- "I (teacher) like what you have done."
- "Great job! What a smart person!"
- "You get a star (token, free time) for doing that."
- "I'm going to tell everyone how proud I am of you."
Encouragement Statements
- "You're trying harder."
- "You must be happy with...."
- "It must be a good feeling to know you're doing well."
- "You have every reason to be proud."
[edit] Evidence of effectiveness
Hitz and Driscoll (1989) in their article "Praise in the Classroom" cite studies that indicate negative effects as a result of praise.
- Kounin (1970) found that praise did not serve as an effective classroom management technique.
- Rowe (1974) found that praise lowered students' confidence in their answers and reduced thier class participation.
- Green and Lepper (1974) noted tat when students were already motivated, praise served to decrease that motivation.
- Meyer (1979) in a series of six studies noted that the use of praise led students to have low expectations of success in difficult tasks.
- Brophy (1981) notes the difficulties of using praise as a systematic reinforcer in the classroom.
- Martin (1977), Stringer and Hurt (1981) found that praise decreases motivation and increases reliance on rewards.
- Esler (1983) discovered minimal to negative correlations between a teacher's praise and learning gains.
Wolfgang (2001) cites Dreikurs and Grey's 1968 research and notes a "fundemental difference between the act of reward and the act of encouragement." Wolfgang continues that praise or other rewards "heighten a child's anxiety always to have to 'measure up'" (127-28).
Bowen, Jenson and Clark (2004) note that students in middle and secondary levels may find it embarrassing when teachers praise them in front of their peers. It may be more effective to communicate positive comments to these students quietly or individually, either during or after class. With older students, praise can be less explicit and more casual than with younger students.
[edit] Critics and their rationale
Hitz and Driscoll (1989) differentiate between praise and encouragement. Encouragement is a "positive acknowledgement response that focuses in student efforts or specific attributes of work completed." Unlike praise, encouragement does not place judgement or confer status. Encouragement offers
- specific feedback,
- is teacher initiated and private,
- focuses on improvement and efforts,
- is conveyed in a sincere, direct tone of voice,
- doesn't set students up for failure,
- aids students in appreciating their achievements,
- avoids comparisons to other students, and
- works towards a student's satisfaction from a task.
Marshall (2001) offers that the affirmation that results from acknowledgement serves as a means to encourage and motivate (39-40). He asserts that it is more effective than praise (45). Acknowledgement "fosters feelings of being worthwhile, without relying on the approval of others" (239). It "identifies ownership and responsibility" for an accomplishment (245).
Kohn (2001) argues that praise is detrimental to students because it manipulates children, creates praise junkies, steals the child’s pleasure, causes loses of interest, and reduces student achievement.
[edit] Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations
Hitz and Driscoll (1989) indicate that differing effects can result from praise depending on a student's background and experiences. They note that factors such as socioeconomic class, ability level and gender may impact the way praise is perceived.
As stated above, culture has a big impact on how praise is received. In an individualistic society such as ours, recognition is the ultimate desire. Look at our commercials; all sorts of ways to be recognized by buying a specific product. In a collective culture, though, recognition is not always good. When I was in China this summer I was amazed by how much everyone tried to AVOID sticking out, for good or bad reasons! In fact, we were told NOT to tip...it was an insult, because it meant that we had expected to be treated less well than they did. Same thing with saying thank you. An interesting difference between our cultures. --Emily Cox
[edit] Signed ‿life experiences‿, testimonies and stories
I had a chance to observe a perfect example of positive reinforcement while working at the junior high last week. The teacher constantly and consistently praised the students, ignored small infractions and was encouraging no matter what answer he got. One student was totally off track with his answer and the teacher's response was "no, but you are thinking and I enjoy... seeing you think. Listen to others and try again." Every minute or two he was saying somthing positive; he did have consequences for behavior that disrupted the class (3 red slips and you are out.) He handed out thank you notes that the students filled out, so there was a visual also. The most amazing thing was seeing these students in other classes, they did not behave and interaction was minimal. I observed a few in three different classes. Proof positive that if you can do it. Positive reinforcement out weighs negative. Teresa Hibler
Praise is extremely important in a classroom becuase it fosters self-confidence and encouragement. However, I feel that praise must be used carefully. As a teacher it is very easy to praise students with comments like, "good job" or "nice work" but these general statements lose their effectiveness after a while. To avoid this I try and be specific, for example, "I really like the way you raised your hand to politely, thank you" or "Your handwriting is wonderful, I like the shape of your "a" very much". I feel that studetns respond well to this and it is very important. -N.R.
While I think that praise from a teacher is extrememly important to a students' confidence and dependence in the classroom, I feel that praise from their peers is just as important. Whenever we share projects or writing peices in class, I always give the students time to take two responses, or compliments, from their classmates. You can tell how great it makes them fell that another student listened and enjoyed their work. So much of learning happens peer to peer as opposed to teacher to student and I always try to remember that with praise and other areas of learning. --Annie Craig, 2nd Grade Teacher
Over the past several years, I have used praise in the library for students who are on task and well behaved. I explain to the elementary students that I am not going to catch them being bad, I am going to catch them being good. I have added reinforcers in some instances. For example, if I catch a student placing a book on the shelf in the correct manner and place, I may give him/her a bookmark. This has greatly benefitted the behavior of the elementary students. I also use praise with the jr. high and high school students, without the added reinforcers. Everyone enjoys a pat on the back now and then. M. Youngblood
A couple of years ago, we had a district-wide speaker talk about student behavior and how to get the best out of your students. One of the things he spoke about was not letting the poor behaving students control your classroom. A key thing in doing this is making a point of calling attention to the good behaviors rather than the bad ones. I honestly do both. There are times when it is difficult to stay positive when students can be very mean to each other and me. Recently I had to leave my class to another teacher so I could pick up my sick son. When the students found that I was leaving, they were split between wanting to help me and trying to cause problems so I couldn't get out of there. I made a point of individually thanking the students who offered help the following day and again when the entire class was present. This actually seemed to have an impact on the students who did not deserve the praise and thanks. Chris Snodgrass
The students in my kindergarten classroom thrive on praise. They not only see it as an accomplishment of something they have done but also something that is appreciated by the teacher. “Appreciative praise‿ (a term used by Haim Ginott) is the type of praise a teacher should use – it is used as a response to an effort or improvement. This is praise in which the teacher shows appreciation for what the student has done; it is used without evaluation of the child’s character. Thus, it can be used not only for good work, etc. but also to foster appropriate behavior. Usually it takes only one statement such as “I like how Suzy got in line quietly and is waiting with respectful hands‿ to get the remainder of group doing the same thing. Connie Early
I have an 8th grade student who is not very well-liked by some of the teachers because of his continual behavior disruptions and sneakiness. I was interested to find at the beginning of this year that he was quite talented in math, although his abilities and work ethic in his other classes were more average. I was able to capitalize on this ability, and he agreed to spend extra time; before school and in the evening as part of a small group preparing for advanced honors placement in high school math. He did in fact test into this class after many hours spent preparing. I did not make a big issue about his success to the class, but acknowledged to him privately his gift and work ethic in math, in the form of praise. His behavior in my class has been exemplary. He not only earns an A+, but is more than willing to help other students while working in groups, master difficult concepts. He is clearly proud of his knowledge and achievement, and it has helped his behavior by focusing on the positive rather than the negative. Pat Reed
Promoting Positive Behavior: To encourage cooperative behavior in the classroom, I send home “Good Notes‿ each week. These are simple check-off notes that I print on brightly colored paper. Parents expect this communication, so if they don’t receive a note, they want to know why. Often our interchange helps nip the undesirable behavior in the bud. - Shared by Nancy Prince-Cohen, California educator “Ideas to go…‿ www.kdp.org
Praise can be a very effective agent for change. It is such a multipurpose tool that can be adapted to all ages. It works well for students as well as teachers and administrators. I have found praise serves me well when attempting to place my students in a gen ed class. It also gets me a prime space in the building and sometimes even a mailbox (praise the secretary!) R. Hall
Praise can be a positive or a negative thing. The first time I realized that false praise was worse than no praise was in the spring of my first year of teaching. I was trying to win over the group I was working with by trying to keep things positive and praising them when I could. We got to a week before the spring concert, and I was getting upset because they were not focusing and doing the job. When I reprimanded the group, one of the students shouted out, "What's the Point? You'll just tell us we did fine anyway." That was the first time that I realized that false praise can do more harm than good. S. Luxbacher
Praise is a very positive agent that needs to happen daily. Many kids don't hear enough praise when they are doing something right, especially the struggling kids or kids that don't have a positive family life. These children especially need to know that they are on the right track and someone is noticing. K. Flaherty
Praise is one of the most powerful tools a teacher or a coach for that matter. Countless times I have seen performance elevated when priase is given to a player or a student. When a player finally does something right and he hears the praise from his coach it affrims that what he did was right and he is going to want to do that again. This is such a powerful tool it would be stupid not to use it. J. Simmons
Praise is very important in building a child's self esteem. Where I teach we use PBIS and give out praise notes to students who are being respectful, ready and responsible. The students love getting these and often will take them home to their parents. Often students don't receive much praise outside of school, so this it is even more important for teachers to be constantly praising students. E. Kilroy
[edit] References and other links of interest
References
Bowen, J. M., Jenson, W. R., & Clark, E. (2004). School-based Interventions for Students with Behavior Problems. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
Effective Praise. Austega. Accessed 8 April 2005 http://www.austega.com/education/articles/effectivepraise.htm.
Hitz, R. & Driscoll, A. (1989) "Praise in the Classroom." Eric Digests. Accessed 8 March 2005 http"//www.ericdigests.org/pre-9213/praise.htm
Marshall, M. (2001). Discipline Without Stress Punishments or Rewards. Los Alamitos, CA: Piper Press.
Wolfgang, C. (2001). Solving Discipline and Classroom Management Problems. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Kohn, A. (2001) "Five Reasons to Stop Saying 'Good Job'" http://www.alfiekohn.org/parenting/gj.htm. Retreived April 19, 2005.
Other Links of Interest
