The Effects of Increasing Teacher Praise on Student Behavior Maintained by Attention

     The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using teacher praise to reduce the physical and verbal aggression of two elementary school students enrolled in general education classrooms. In Irwin’s case, a class-wide DRA procedure successfully reduced the attention-maintained problem behavior exhibited during teacher instruction. In Victor’s case, two additional intervention phases were implemented. For Victor, increased amounts of teacher praise across the intervention phases resulted in marked decreases in physical and verbal aggression and increases in on-task behavior. The interventions with both students were preceded by functional behavioral assessments. Classroom teachers were instructed to deliver specific contingent praise in lieu of verbal reprimands. They were also encouraged to use an electronic device providing a timed prompt. The study extends previous research supporting the use of differential reinforcement to improve the quality of student-teacher interactions.