Training Students With Behavioral Problems to Recruit Teacher Praise - Beyond Behavior - Vol. 27(1)

Oct 15, 2026

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Students with emotional and behavioral disorders display frequent inappropriate behaviors, and teacher praise—though recognized as beneficial—remains underused. Training students to recruit praise is presented as an intervention that offsets suppressing contingencies while increasing praise rates for targeted classroom behaviors. With minimal planning and instruction, students begin eliciting the attention they seek as teachers deliver praise that supports and sustains appropriate conduct in the classroom.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background: EBD and Coercive Interaction Cycle

Natural contingency that strengthens reprimands

Teacher praise and behavior-specific praise (BSP)

BSP definition and example

Training Students With Behavioral Problems to Recruit Teacher Praise Beyond Behavior 2018, Vol. 27(1) 37–44 © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2017 Reprints and permissions: [sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav](sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav)[ ](sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav)[DOI: 10.1177/1074295617723333](DOI: 10.1177/1074295617723333)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/1074295617723333)[journals.sagepub.com/home/bbx](journals.sagepub.com/home/bbx) Andrew Markelz, MEd 1, Benjamin Riden, MEd 1, and Karen Rizzo, MEd 1 Abstract Students with emotional and behavioral disorders exhibit high levels of inappropriate behaviors. Although many teachers are aware of the benefits of teacher praise, its use in classrooms remains low. Training students to recruit praise is a method to counter suppressing contingencies and increase praise rates for desired classroom behaviors. With minimal planning and training, students can begin recruiting the attention they seek while you begin delivering the praise needed to encourage and maintain appropriate behaviors. Keywords recruiting praise, teaching strategies, education/training Mr. Blackwell is a sixth-grade special educator in a selfcontained classroom for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). For reading intervention, he is using the Read 180® program in which students are divided into three small groups and rotate through stations (independent reading, computer intervention, and teacher-led small group work) . Celia is a female student diagnosed with EBD who was recently placed in Mr. Blackwell’s class. He has noticed that her behaviors are most disruptive when she is supposed to be independently reading. During this time, she often talks with other students, walks around the room, or throws objects at other students to distract them. Mr. Blackwell has assessed her reading level and conducted a functional behavior assessment (FBA) . He concludes that she is not causing disruptions due to insufficient reading skills. Rather, it appears her behavior is being maintained by teacher attention. He did some data collection which revealed Celia is disrupting the class about 10 times per 15-min session of independent reading. Based on Celia’s FBA, Mr. Blackwell has tried to provide positive attention to Celia while she is independently reading, but because he is busy leading the small group he often forgets. Asa result, he reacts to her disruptive behaviors by reprimanding which works for a little while, but a few minutes later, Celia is back to being disruptive. Mr. Blackwell is increasingly frustrated with Celia’s behavior and does not know what to do. Students with EBD exhibit high levels of inappropriate behaviors resulting in academic difficulties and poor social relationships with peers and adults (Kauffman & Landrum, 2012). Due to aggressive, disruptive, and defiant behaviors, students with EBD are often placed in more restrictive environments such as self-contained classrooms. Teachers of students with EBD, therefore, are faced with daily and prolonged contact with students who regularly behave in ways that teachers find aversive (Westling, 2010) . A reciprocal interaction can develop between teacher and students known as Patterson’s “coercive interaction cycle”(Patterson, Reid, & Dishion, 1992), which states that once aversive behaviors are directed at a person, the receiving person responds with behaviors more aversive to the initial person. A cycle of negativity between teacher and student can perpetuate, ensuing an environment not conducive to academic or social growth. A second phenomenon occurring in classrooms that proliferates negativity is the natural contingency that strengthens teacher reprimands (Heward, 2003) . When a student is disrupting the class, the teacher will often reprimand the student resulting in immediate cessation of the disruptive behavior. For example, Celia leaves her seat without permission. Mr. Blackwell forcefully says,“Celia

FAQs

Why is teacher praise considered important in classrooms for students with emotional and behavioral disorders?

Teacher praise is a positive behavior management technique that can increase desired behavior engagement. The document notes that despite known benefits, actual classroom use of praise is often low.

What does “training students to recruit teacher praise” aim to change?

It aims to counter suppressing contingencies and raise praise rates for appropriate behaviors. Students learn to draw the teacher’s attention in ways that support and maintain desired conduct.

How does the document explain why reprimands can worsen behavior over time?

Reprimands typically stop the disruptive behavior immediately, which strengthens the teacher’s tendency to reprimand again. Over the long run, overt reprimands are described as counterproductive and linked to increased off-task and oppositional behavior.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben