The Disaggregated Effects of Visual Performance Feedback on Teachers' Use of Behavior Specific-Praise and Reprimands.
A quick bar chart after class lifts teacher praise and cuts reprimands, yet disaggregated data is still needed to move the needle on equity.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Rila et al. (2022) gave middle- and high-school teachers a simple bar chart after each class. The chart showed how much behavior-specific praise and how many reprimands they used.
First the chart showed totals. Later it split the numbers by student race and sex. The team wanted to see if the visual feedback would lift praise, cut reprimands, and do so fairly for every group.
What they found
Total praise went up and reprimands went down once teachers saw the graphs. Academic engagement also rose and no office referrals were needed.
When the bars were split by race and sex, the gains were uneven. Some teachers still gave more praise to certain groups. Visual feedback helped overall, but it did not lock in equity by itself.
How this fits with other research
Aznar et al. (2005) already showed that quick feedback every two weeks can double teacher fidelity to behavior plans. Ashley adds easy-to-read charts and checks for bias, moving the idea from special-ed rooms to general classes.
Zentall et al. (1975) tripled teacher praise with random beeps. The new study swaps beeps for bar charts and also cuts reprimands, showing the cue can be silent yet still work.
Lambrechts et al. (2009) paired graphic feedback with praise to give pilots near-perfect checklist accuracy. Ashley uses the same pair—graphs plus praise—to shape teacher talk instead of cockpit drills.
Why it matters
You can boost teacher praise and slash reprimands tomorrow by emailing a simple bar chart after class. If you want fair praise across race and sex, add disaggregated bars, but keep coaching because graphs alone may not erase bias. One extra step: review the split chart with the teacher and set a small daily goal for the least-praised group.
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Join Free →Email each teacher a one-page bar chart of yesterday’s praise and reprimands; add a second chart split by student race and sex, then ask the teacher to pick one under-praised group to target today.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Behavior-specific praise (BSP) is one of the simplest classroom management strategies to implement and considered an evidence-based practice. Unfortunately, teachers underuse BSP and deliver more reprimands to students in their classrooms. Secondary students receive the highest rates of reprimands and exclusionary discipline (i.e., office discipline referral [ODR], suspension, expulsion) with students of color receiving disproportionate rates compared to their White peers. Performance feedback is a commonly used strategy to change teacher practices however, little is known about the impact of performance feedback on the equitable delivery of BSP and reprimands to students by race and sex. The purpose of this multiple baseline design study was to examine the effects of a visual performance feedback (VPF) intervention with secondary teachers on their equitable delivery of BSP and reprimands and the collateral impacts on student outcomes. In the first phase of intervention, teachers received VPF on their total BSP and reprimands. In the second phase, teachers received disaggregated VPF on their rates of BSP and reprimands delivered to students by race and sex. Results indicate a functional relation between VPF and total BSP and an overall reduction in total reprimands. Mixed results were found between VPF and the equitable delivery of BSP and reprimands rates delivered to students by race and sex. Student outcomes indicated an increase in average class-wide academic engagement and no impact on ODRs as no teacher delivered a single ODR. Key findings, limitations, and future research are discussed.
Journal of behavioral education, 2022 · doi:10.1177/0896920514560444