Effects of an audio cueing system on the rate of teacher praise.

Zentall et al. (1975) tested a small box that beeped in teachers’ pockets every few minutes. The beep meant “look for a kid to praise.”

Three classrooms took part. The study used a multiple-baseline design across rooms. Teachers first tried to count their own praise. Then the beeps started.

The beeps tripled teacher praise within days. Praise stayed high as long as the box sounded. Self-recording alone had almost no effect.

Every teacher showed the same jump. No extra training was needed.

Rila et al. (2022) moved the idea forward fifty years. They swapped beeps for visual graphs and added equity checks. Both studies show feedback lifts praise, but Ashley’s work warns we must watch who gets the praise.

Aznar et al. (2005) also used feedback, not beeps, to boost teacher fidelity to full behavior plans. Their results line up: feedback works even when the target is broader than praise.

Lattal (2004) and Lambrechts et al. (2009) echo the same theme—feedback plus praise sharpens adult skills in clinics and simulators. The method travels across settings.

You can copy the 1975 setup tomorrow. Plug a free interval-timer app into a Bluetooth clip. Set it to vibrate every two minutes. Each buzz, scan the room and praise one student. The study shows you can hit three times your baseline rate by Friday with zero extra staff meetings.