Promoting Equity in Teachers’ Use of Behavior-Specific Praise With Self- Monitoring and Performance Feedback
Ashley Elizabeth Knochel, MS, BCBA1, Kwang-Sun Cho Blair, PhD, BCBA-D1 , Donald Kincaid, EdD, BCBA-D1, and Anna Randazzo, MS, BCBA2
Abstract
This study examined the impact of teacher training interventions on establishing equity in teacher implementation of a common positive behavior classroom support strategy, behavior-specific praise (BSP), in four elementary classrooms. Teacher self-monitoring and written performance feedback were used to support teachers in improving classroom practices by establishing proportionate praise and discipline practices across racially diverse students. A multiple-baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the impact of self-monitoring and written performance feedback with and without equity-focused procedures on teacher delivery of BSP and reprimands and their perception of student classroom behavior. Results indicated that the typical self-monitoring and written performance feedback were effective in increasing the participating teachers’ overall rates of delivering BSP and reducing reprimands; however, substantial disparities in praise delivery were observed among student racial groups across teachers. Additional feedback regarding equity was necessary for reducing disparities in teacher behavior. The results also indicated that teacher perception of student classroom behavior improved, as a result of the teacher training intervention.
Major Findings and Implications
The results indicated that teacher self-monitoring and written performance feedback were effective in increasing BSP and decreasing reprimands across all teachers; the data patterns (level, immediacy of effect, and overlap) between baseline and Phase 1 clearly demonstrated treatment effects on both BSP and reprimands. However, disparities in the target outcomes were observed. During Phase 1 of intervention, students from Black and Latinx backgrounds consistently received lower rates of BSP and higher rates of reprimands when compared with students from White or Other backgrounds. Upon implementation of equity-focused performance feedback in Phase 2, reductions in disparities were observed across all participants. These data provide an impetus for further investigations into examining the role of implicit bias in positive classroom behavior support and the impact of equity-focused teacher training and coaching (Bal, 2015, 2018).
The results of the study support that self-monitoring combined with performance feedback is an effective way to impact the delivery of BSP and reprimands in classroom settings. However, the results suggest that typical self-monitoring and performance procedures alone may not be an effective way to promote equitable delivery of praise and reprimands to all racial groups of students. Adding the additional equity-focused written feedback on the teachers’ use of equitable praise and reprimands delivery was necessary for establishing proportionate classroom practices across racially diverse students. The results also indicate that, as consistent with previous literature (Martin et al., 2017; Perle, 2018), all teachers perceived increased academic engagement and respectful behaviors and decreased disruptive behaviors in their students when their positive classroom practices were promoted.
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