Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.S.
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
Degree Granting Department
Child and Family Studies
Major Professor
Kimberly Crosland, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Committee Member
Kwang-Sun Cho Blair, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Committee Member
Sarah Bloom, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Keywords
Behavior-Specific Praise, Diverse, Classroom Intervention
Abstract
Teachers often receive minimal training in classroom management strategies, leading to punitive-based teacher-student interactions. Negative interactions (e.g., reprimands) may decrease behaviors momentarily but do not yield lasting behavior change. Behavior-specific praise (BSP) is a low-response effort classroom management strategy that positively impacts students’ behaviors and academic performance. However, training does not guarantee that BSP will be used throughout the academic years or across student cohorts, leading teachers to revert to negative interactions to manage classroom behaviors. Limited research has investigated the components of praise that increase effectiveness and saliency. This study aimed to increase teachers’ use of BSP using tactile prompts and multiple exemplars during training. The study also evaluated teachers’ varied BSP statements and intervened to increase praise variability and specificity, two components of positive interactions, in teacher-student interactions. This study conducted a multiple baseline across participants research design with three exceptional student education (ESE) high school teachers. After training, all three teachers showed increased BSP frequency and variability, which was sustained for two teachers post-intervention. There was no clear effect on teachers’ frequency of reprimands as reprimands remained low throughout the study. The intervention yielded high social validity scores across all three teachers.
Scholar Commons Citation
Pannone, Cecilia, "Increasing Behavior-Specific Praise Use and Variability with Secondary Education Teachers Using Behavioral Skills Training, Tactile Prompts, and Multiple Exemplars" (2025). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10896
