Effect of Varying Rates of Behavior-Specific Praise on the On-Task Behavior of Students with EBD

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to examine (a) the effect of an observation-feedback intervention on the rate of a teacher's behavior-specific praise of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and (b) the effect of increased rates of a teacher's behavior-specific praise on the on-task behavior of a class of students with EBD. Participants were a special education teacher and nine fifth-grade students in a self-contained classroom for students with EBD. Using an ABAB withdrawal design, the rate of the teacher's behavior-specific praise was increased to a criterion level during each intervention phase. Results indicate that the students' on-task behavior increased when the teacher's behavior-specific praise increased, and they decreased during the brief withdrawal phase. Implications for research and practice are discussed.