Teacher Praise-to-Reprimand Ratios - Behavioral Response of Students at Risk for EBD Compared with Typically Developing Peers

Oct 15, 2026

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often experience low levels of teacher praise and frequent teacher reprimands, with evidence suggesting different reactions than typically developing peers. Teacher praise-to-reprimand ratios (PRRs) relate to increased engagement, yet more research is needed to clarify how PRRs shape behavior for students with, or at risk for, EBD. In a study of 540 students and 149 teachers, higher PRRs increased engagement among at-risk students, including an approximate 9:1 threshold, while no effects emerged for disruption rates.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Abstract

Praise-to-Reprimand Ratios

Study Purpose

Teacher Praise-to-Reprimand Ratios:BehavioralResponse of Students at Risk for EBD Comparedwith Typically Developing Peers Paul CaldarellaRoss A.A.LarsenLeslie WilliamsBrigham Young UniversityHoward P.WillsUniversity of KansasJoseph H.WehbyVanderbilt University # Abstract Students with emotional and behavioral disorders(EBD)often receive lowrates of teacher praise and high rates of teacher reprimands,though theymay respond more positively to praise and more negatively to reprimandsthan their typically developing peers.Teacher praise-to-reprimand ratios(PRRs)are associated with increased student engagement,but more researchis necessary to further explore how these ratios affect student behavior,par-ticularly for students with or at risk for EBD.Commonly 3:1 or 4:1 is recom-mended as a desirable PRR,but students with EBD may need higher ratios toimprove their classroom behavior.In our study of 540 students and 149teachers,we found that as teacher PRR increased the engagement of at-riskstudents increased,though engagement for typically developing peers didnot.A PRR of approximately 9:1 was needed for students at risk for EBD to approximate the engagement levels of their typically developing peers.Noeffect of PRR on disruption rates was found for either student category. Keywords:praise,reprimands,ratio,elementary school,emotional and be-havioral disorders Schlleges that nolude sngnicantoyalodieo ersepPBoDns of schooeclimate and significantly higher rates of mental health problemsand peer victimization than students without EBD (Salle,George,McCoach,Polk,&Evanovich,2018).These students also show highrates of antisocial behaviors,internalizing symptoms,and attentionalproblems(Conley,Marchant,&Caldarella,2014).They are more likelythan their peers to experience major deficits in academic achieve-ment across content areas(Nelson,Benner,Lane,&Smith,2004;Wag-ner,Kutash,Duchnowski,Epstein,&Sumi,2005),including writingand underlying reading performance significantly below their peers(Gage,Wilson,&MacSuga-Gage,2014). The negative academic outcomes for students with EBD may berelated to teachers'struggles to manage these students’classroombehavior.For example,for boys with EBD the quality of teachers'classroom management in the first few years of school positively cor-related with scores on standardized measures of third grade read-ing achievement(Garwood,Vernon-Feagans,&Family Life ProjectKey Investigators,2017).Although students with EBD appear to be-come more engaged and less disruptive when they receive frequentteacher praise and infrequent reprimands(Downs et al.,2018),thesestudents usually receive low rates of teacher praise and high rates ofreprimands(Rathel,Drasgow,Brown,&Marshall,2014;Sutherland &Wehby,2001).The powerful impact of teacher praise on students withEBD may be explained,in part,by the limited amount of praise theyreceive from teachers(Rathel et al.,2014),making the praise they doreceive particularly salient and effective(Downs et al.,2018).Teach-ers who deliver high rates of positive feedback compared to negativefeedback may be particularly effective with students with EBD whenthey also provide multiple teaching and learning opportunities thatenhance students'engagement(Rathel et al.,2014). # Praise-to-Reprimand Ratios Of increasing interest for promoting school success for studentswith EBD is the study of teachers'praise-to-reprimand ratios(PRRs).Higher proportions of praise to reprimands have been associated with lower levels of student noncompliance and higher levels of studententhusiasm and focus(Leff et al.,2011).In addition,students experi-encing high PRRs have improved in their prosocial behavior,whilestudents experiencing low PRRs have tended to decrease in theiremotional regulation and concentration and to exhibit more disrup-tive behaviors(Reinke,Herman,&Newcomer,2016).Unfortunately,reprimand rates in classrooms are commonly higher than praise rates(Reinke,Herman,&Stormont,2013),as teachers of

FAQs

Why are teacher praise-to-reprimand ratios (PRRs) important for students with EBD?

The text explains that students with EBD are more likely to receive low praise and high reprimands, and PRRs are associated with increased student engagement and prosocial outcomes.

What did the study find about engagement as PRR increased?

As teacher PRR increased, engagement increased for students at risk for EBD, while engagement for typically developing peers did not.

Was there an observed effect of PRR on disruption rates?

No effect of PRR on disruption rates was found for either student category.

Oct 15, 2026

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