The effects of principal-implemented techniques on the behavior of pupils.
A principal’s ten-second praise can lift attendance and math scores in an inner-city school.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three experiments in one inner-city elementary school. The principal gave quick praise and public shout-outs when kids came on time or finished math sheets.
Each test used a multiple baseline across students. The principal spent only minutes per day. No extra staff, no money, no new curriculum.
What they found
Attendance rose the very week praise started. Math scores climbed too. Gains held as long as the principal kept noticing.
When praise stopped, both attendance and math dropped. When it came back, the numbers rose again. Three different groups showed the same pattern.
How this fits with other research
Nangle et al. (1993) got similar math gains, but the kids watched their own work instead of waiting for the boss. The two studies show you can boost performance from the top down or from the student up.
Born et al. (1974) also found better scores without extra study time, using a whole new teaching system. Mulvaney et al. (1974) proves a single sentence from the principal can do the same job with zero class overhaul.
Murdoch et al. (2024) worked on whole-school reading fixes. Their big MTSS cycle and this tiny praise trick both help kids, showing scale can be huge or minute.
Why it matters
You do not need a grant to change behavior. Walk in, catch a child doing the right thing, say it out loud. Attendance and math can jump that same week. Try it during your next classroom visit.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Three investigations were conducted on the effects of various procedures initiated by a principal on the behavior of elementary school children. Seventy nine children including kindergarten, first, third, and fifth graders served as subjects. In Experiment I, when three chronically absent children attended school, the principal entered their classrooms and praised them for being present. In Experiment II, three low-achieving subjects were sent to the principal's office to receive praise contingent on meeting predetermined criteria in word-recognition and addition tutoring sessions. Experiment III assessed the effects that a procedure implemented by a principal had on the academic functioning of 74 third graders. Twice weekly in two classrooms the principal recognized both improving students and the highest performing students for their work on addition study sheets. In all three experiments, the target behaviors increased when the principal applied the treatment contingencies. The application of multiple baseline designs revealed a functional relationship between the children's behavior and the procedures implemented by the principal. Since the study was carried out in an overcrowded innercity public school, it was suggested that the treatment procedures might be widely applicable.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1974 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1974.7-77