Increasing participation and improving the quality of discussions in seventh-grade social studies classes.
A simple five-part package—rules, praise, planned questions, grades, and a group reward—reliably lifts both how much and how well middle-schoolers talk in class.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The researchers worked with a seventh-grade social studies class. They wanted more kids to speak up and give better answers.
The team mixed five things: clear rules, teacher praise, planned questions, grades for answers, and a group reward. Everyone earned points toward a class treat when any student gave a good answer.
They used an ABAB design. The package went on, off, on, off to see if it really worked.
What they found
When the package was in place, more hands went up. Answers also got longer and used facts from the book.
Each time the teacher removed the package, talk dropped. Each time she brought it back, talk rose again. That pattern shows the package caused the change.
How this fits with other research
Clair et al. (2018) later used almost the same mix in second grade. They added quick teacher feedback and saw the same jump in engagement. The 1982 study now looks like the first proof that the combo works.
Foster et al. (1979) did an earlier version. They used tokens to calm hyper kids in special-ed rooms. The 1982 paper moves the idea to general-ed and swaps the goal from quiet bodies to active minds.
Mattson et al. (2020) also boosted middle-school work, but with individual picture schedules for kids with disabilities. Their success shows the age group can grow with different tools, not just group rewards.
Why it matters
You can copy this package tomorrow. Post two or three rules, plan open questions, praise each solid answer, and let the whole class earn one reward together. It takes no tech and fits any subject. Try it during your next discussion block and watch the hands rise.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
An experiment was conducted to evaluate procedures to improve classroom discussions in seventh-grade social studies classes. An increased number of students participated in discussions when rules were stated for discussions, students were praised for their contributions, the teacher restated or paraphrased students' contributions aloud or on the blackboard, the teacher planned an outline of discussion questions, student contributions to discussions were recorded and were used to determine part of the students' grades for the class, and discussion grades were publicly posted.The second part of the study focused on procedures designed to improve quality of classroom discussions. Students were taught to participate in discussions by providing reasons for their statements, comparisons between different points, or examples supporting their statements. As each type of contribution was taught, recorded, and counted toward part of the students' classroom grades, each type of contribution increased. Ratings of discussions by outside judges consisting of junior high school teachers, junior high school students, and persons experienced in conducting discussions, indicated that the training increased the overall quality of the discussions. Use of the quality training procedures, however, resulted in decreased levels of overall participation in discussion, a decrease that was reversed by the use of a group contingency for participation. Finally, the discussions after training seemed to be preferred by both the teacher and the students.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1982 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1982.15-97