Patrick Frato, EdS
Lecturer in School Psychology
Cleveland State University
Victoria Posey, MS
School Psychology Intern
Cleveland State University
Definition
Positive reinforcement is a behavior modification strategy in which the presentation of a stimulus immediately following a desired behavior increases the likelihood of that behavior in the future (Bernier, Simpson, & Rose, 2012). Examples include verbal praise (i.e., "Great job raising your hand, Johnny!"), nonverbal praise (thumbs up or smile), social attention (lunch with teacher), and tangible items (iPad time). Positive reinforcement is proactive, functioning to prevent problem behaviors before they occur. Negative reinforcement and punishment (strategies that are substantially less effective in reducing problem behaviors) are often considered reactive. Negative reinforcement is the removal of an unpleasant stimulus, such as extra assignments and homework, in response to a behavior (Bernier et al., 2012). Punishment is the infliction of a negative consequence (reprimand or time-out) in response to a behavior.
Research
The No Child Left Behind Act shifted the focus of public education to maximizing student learning outcomes for all ability students (Thompson, Marchant, Anderson, Prater, & Gibb, 2012). For some educators, disruptive behaviors are a seemingly insurmountable barrier to reaching this goal. In addition to decreasing academic engaged time, these issues exact a toll on teachers in the form of stress and emotional exhaustion, which often compound the problem by increasing the utilization of reprimands, siphoning off more time and energy from learning, and decreasing teacher productivity (Haydon & Mutsi-Rao, 2011). Fortunately, evidence-based classroom management techniques can maximize academic engagement, even in challenging environments. One essential classroom management tool is positive reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement is frequently the subject of school personnel training and many educators are familiar with the “magic ratio” of 5:1 (five positive reinforcements/interactions for every punishment/reprimand). The seemingly simple act of positively reinforcing students more than punishing them is a low intensity, feasible, and generalizable preventative strategy that maximizes academic engagement and promotes positive teacher-student relationships (Cook et al., 2017; Haydon & Mutsi-Rao, 2011; Jenkins, Floress, & Reinke, 2015; Moore et al., 2019). Across studies, the implementation of this ratio has shown to increase academic engaged time by upwards of 30 percent and decrease disruptive behaviors to less than three times what was seen at baseline (Cook et al., 2017). What’s more, this ratio appears to work both with students who are at-risk of being diagnosed with an Emotional Disturbance (ED) and those who are already diagnosed ED (Thompson et al., 2012).
Regrettably, educators rarely achieve the “magic ratio” (Cook et al., 2017). Words of praise result in greater compliance, but there is a natural tendency to reprimand negative behavior. Therefore, school personnel must receive training, support, and structure to help them realize the 5:1 ratio. According to Thompson et al. (2012), professional development trainings are inadequate; school personnel must actively practice through self-monitoring or participate in coaching opportunities to attain better success rates.
For the aforementioned reasons, school psychologists - in our roles as behavioral consultants and school leaders - should encourage positive reinforcement and assist all educators in striving for the “magic ratio”. The following tips are a starting point for transitioning to a preventive and proactive positive reinforcement-based behavior modification system.
Strategies for Success
Ignore Negative Behaviors. Use self-regulation or coping strategies (e.g., 3-4-5 breath) to ignore, or respond minimally, to negative behaviors. Lengthy responses perpetuate negative behaviors and escalate punishments (Braithwaite, 2001).
Provide Random Positive Attention. Examples can include subtle cues such as pats on the shoulder, smiles, and eye contact. More obvious reinforcers are encouraging words, checking-in about assignments (and in general), calling on the student to answer questions when they raise their hand, and providing praise for the student’s effort on an assignment or behavior (Carr, Bailey, Ecott, Lucker, & Weil, 1998).
Be Specific and Prompt. Provide specific compliments that the child does not find embarrassing and reinforce immediately after observing the behavior. Children often respond better to detailed and accurate praise that they perceive to be genuine. It should be noted, however, that some students do not care for the peer attention that results from teacher praise- so reinforcements may need to be nonverbal, written, or provided before or after class (Sprick, Borgmeier, & Nolet, 2002).
Establish Goals. Set goals for how often (and when) to positively reinforce. Frequency should be roughly equivalent to the number of times a student seeks attention in a given period. Students should be provided reinforcing attention during the times of day when they typically exhibit attention-seeking behaviors (Wright, 2020).
Monitor Progress. Once a goal has been established for the frequency of positive reinforcements during a given period, educators should regularly tally or otherwise keep count of the number of reinforcements delivered in order to ensure intervention integrity.
Reinforce Implicitly. Work to ensure that students are able to achieve success in the classroom by providing accommodations or modifications to meet their needs. School can be a type of punishment for students who struggle with learning; the opposite is true for high achievers. Also, consider creating lessons that leverage the interests and passions of struggling students (Dunlap & Kern, 1996; Mayer & Ybarra, 2004).
Reinforce Vicariously. Provide descriptive positive feedback to a peer model or friend of the student who frequently exhibits desired behaviors. This technique teaches the student about positive behavior and cues them to use a specific peer as a model (Wright, 2020).
Utilize Token Economy. A token economy classroom management system – in which teachers give tokens for positive behaviors that can be cashed in for prizes after a designated period – can allow teachers to effortlessly provide reinforcement throughout the day and thereby increase the frequency of positive attention (Mather & Goldstein, 2015).
References
Bernier, S., Simpson, C. G., & Rose, C. A. (2012). Positive and negative reinforcement in increasing compliance and decreasing problematic behavior. National Teacher Education Journal, 5(1), 45–51. Retrieved from http://proxy.ulib.csuohio.edu:2066/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=85343800&site=eds-live&scope=site
Braithwaite, R. (2001). Managing aggression. New York, NY: Routledge.
Carr, J.E., Bailey, J.S., Ecott, C.L., Lucker, K.D., & Weil, T.M. (1998). On the effects of noncontingent delivery of differing magnitudes of reinforcement. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 31, 313-321.
Cook, C. R., Grady, E. A., Long, A. C., Renshaw, T., Codding, R. S., Fiat, A., & Larson, M. (2017). Evaluating the impact of increasing general education teachers’ ratio of positive-to-negative interactions on students’ classroom behavior. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2, 67. Retrieved from http://proxy.ulib.csuohio.edu:2066/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsbl&AN=RN610748775&site=eds-live&scope=site
Dunlap, G., & Kern, L. (1996). Modifying instructional activities to promote desirable behavior: A conceptual and practical framework. School Psychology Quarterly, 11, 297-312.
Haydon, T., & Musti-Rao, S. (2011). Effective use of behavior-specific praise: A middle school case study. Beyond Behavior, 2, 31. Retrieved from http://proxy.ulib.csuohio.edu:2066/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.323857653&site=eds-live&scope=site
Jenkins, L. N., Floress, M. T., & Reinke, W. (2015). Rates and types of teacher praise: A review and future directions. Psychology in the Schools, 52(5), 463–476. Retrieved from https://proxy.ulib.csuohio.edu:2096/10.1002/pits.21835
Mather, N., & Goldstein, S. (2015). Learning disabilities and challenging behaviors (3rd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Mayer, G.R., & Ybarra, W. J. (2004). Teaching alternative behaviors schoolwide: A resource guide to prevent discipline problems. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County Office of Education. Retrieved March 19, 2006, from http://www.lacoe.edu/includes/templates/document_frame.cfm?toURL=/DocsFo...
Moore, T. C., Maggin, D. M., Thompson, K. M., Gordon, J. R., Daniels, S., & Lang, L. E. (2019). Evidence review for teacher praise to improve students’ classroom behavior. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 1, 3. Retrieved from http://proxy.ulib.csuohio.edu:2066/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsbl&AN=RN618466590&site=eds-live&scope=site
Thompson, M. T., Marchant, M., Anderson, D., Prater, M.A., & Gibb, G. (2012). Effects of tiered training on general educators’ use of specific praise. Education and Treatment of Children, 35(4), 521. Retrieved from http://proxy.ulib.csuohio.edu:2066/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.42900174&site=eds-live&scope=site
Sprick, R. S., Borgmeier, C., & Nolet, V. (2002). Prevention and management of behavior problems in secondary schools. In M. Shinn, H. Walker & G. Stoner (Eds.), Interventions for academic and behavior problems II: Preventive and remedial approaches (pp.373-401). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
Wright, J. School-wide strategies for managing defiance/noncompliance. Retrieved January 2, 2020 from https://www.interventioncentral.org/behavioral-interventions/challenging-students/school-wide-strategies-managing-defiance-non-complianc