Title

Increasing New Teachers' Specific Praise Using a Within-School Consultation Intervention

Date of Completion

January 2012

Keywords

Education, Administration|Education, Educational Psychology|Education, Special

Degree

Ph.D.

Abstract

This dissertation explored the effects of within-school consultation provided by mentors (i.e., veteran teachers) on new teachers' specific praise rates during teacher-directed instruction. Specific praise is an empirically-supported classroom management strategy associated with increases in desired academic and social student outcomes when implemented appropriately in classrooms. Unfortunately, new teachers often begin their careers without the background knowledge, strategies, or support to implement this strategy effectively and consistently. I investigated the effects of a within-school consultation intervention, which involved self-management, regular structured meetings, and focused performance feedback on new teachers' specific praise rates across three new teachers and their assigned mentors using a concurrent multiple-baseline across participants design. Specific praise rates increased for each new teacher when within-school consultation was implemented, indicating a functional relationship. In addition, students' on-task behavior increased during the intervention phase. Implications for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers are discussed in detail. ^

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