The effects of teacher attention on following instructions in a kindergarten class.

Researchers watched a kindergarten class during regular lessons. They tracked how often kids followed the teacher’s directions.

Next, the teacher gave quick praise only when kids obeyed right away. They flipped this on and off to be sure praise was the key.

When praise followed compliance, instruction-following jumped from about 60% to about 80%. The gain vanished when praise stopped and returned when praise came back.

Joyce et al. (1988) watched preschool rooms without any treatment. They saw kids obey more when the setting helped, no matter how the teacher phrased the request. Lovitt et al. (1970) went further and proved teacher praise itself can push compliance up.

Hranchuk et al. (2019) also worked with neurotypical preschoolers, but they looked at skill learning, not obedience. Both teams used tight single-case designs, showing ABA tools work for different preschool goals.

Holmes (1990) showed moms use praise and correction loops at home. Lovitt et al. (1970) matched this pattern in school, proving adult attention is powerful reinforcement across settings.

You don’t need tokens or treasure boxes. A quick “nice job listening” right after a child complies can lift class-wide obedience by twenty points. Pinpoint the exact follow-through you want, deliver warm praise the second it happens, and watch the room tighten up.