The Effects of Temporal Timing of Performance Feedback on Novice Teachers’ Use of Behavior-Specific Praise

Classroom management can be a significant challenge for teachers, especially novice teachers who report classroom management as their highest need for professional development. School districts are often left with the burden of providing such professional development but typically need more time and resources to provide extensive coaching. There is a research-to-practice gap with regard to evidence-based classroom management practices. Behavior-specific praise (BSP) is an evidence-based classroom management practice that has been shown to positively affect student outcomes. Using evidence-based practices such as BSP, behavior skills training, and performance feedback, two studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of alternating performance feedback before and after a teaching opportunity on novice teacher’s use of BSP. In the first study, novice teachers were provided alternating feedback before and after their small group instruction to increase their BSP statements, and it was found that most teachers had higher rates of BSP when receiving feedback before their teaching opportunity. The second study included a measurement of students’ on-task behavior and found that, overall, as the teacher’s rate of BSP increased, the student’s on-task behavior also increased. In addition, in both studies, teachers preferred the before feedback condition. Study limitations and future directions are discussed.