What is Behavior-Specific Praise (BSP)?
One simple and naturalistic strategy shown to have positive effects on both academic and behavioral outcomes is teachers’ use of praise statements (Sutherland, Wehby, & Copeland, 2000). Praise statements can be broadly categorized as general praise and behavior-specific praise (BSP). In a general praise statement, a teacher delivers verbal praise without describing the behavior for which the students are praised (Conroy, Sutherland, Snyder, Al-Hendawi, & Vo, 2009). Statements such as ‘‘good job’’ or ‘‘nice work’’ are examples of general praise statements. In a BSP statement, a teacher approves (rewards) a specific academic or social behavior with a verbal comment, the praise statement (i.e., ‘‘Joe, I like the way you solved the division problem’’). BSP is effective when it is delivered contingently: immediately following the desired behavior (Conroy et al, 2009; Sutherland et al., 2000).