Praise Part 1: Praising how?

The subject of praise in teaching or parenting, that is how and even whether to praise students (or in the context of parenting, children generally), is more controversial than might be expected. I've been exploring (through reading) some different perspectives on the subject, and am sharing some of what I've found over a few posts rather than one long, overwhelming one.

Perhaps the first thing to lay out is that some of the discussion seems to be about vocabulary. Some use "praise" broadly and then try to parse out all sorts of subcategories which are either effective or ineffective. Others prefer to discard the idea of praise altogether in favor of such concepts as encouragement and acknowledgement, since for them the motivations (manipulation and control vs. celebration and appreciation) of the person giving the praise/encouragement are what are essential. I'll approach the later in a future post, but will start by looking at what seems to work when it comes to such tricky subjects as the effects of praise on motivation and confidence.


Many people have noticed that praise (or at least some types of praise) can have negative effects, and much study has gone into unravelling how it all works. For example, various studies since the 1960's have noted that praise can lower motivation, particularly when it replaces the intrinsic rewards of an activity with the desire to please someone else. This has led to various efforts to separate and identify different types of praise and their effects on the child/student. The following is from the Wiki.Ed entry on praise. Try reading each point 1, then each point 2, etc.

Effective Praise:1. is delivered contingently 2. specifies the particulars of the accomplishment 3. shows spontaneity, variety and other signs of credibility that suggest clear attention to the student's accomplishment 4. rewards attainment of specified performance criteria (which can include effort however) 5. provides information to students about their competence or the value of their accomplishments 6. orients students toward better appreciation of their own task-related behavior and thinking about problem solving 7. uses students' own prior accomplishments as the context for describing present accomplishments 8. is given in recognition of noteworthy effort or success at difficult (for this student) tasks 9. attributes success to effort and ability, implying that similar successes can be expected in the future 10. fosters endogenous attributions (students believe that they expend effort on the task because they enjoy the task and/or want to develop task-relevant skills) 11. focuses students' attention on their own task-relevant behavior fosters appreciation of, and desirable attributions about, task-relevant behavior after the process is completed.Ineffective Praise:1. is delivered randomly or unsystematically 2. is restricted to global positive reactions 3. shows a bland uniformity that suggests a conditioned response made with minimal attention 4. rewards mere participation, without consideration of performance processes or outcomes 5. provides no information at all or gives students information about their status 6. orients students toward comparing themselves with others and thinking about competing 7. uses the accomplishments of peers as the context for describing a student's present accomplishments 8. is given without regard to the effort expended or the meaning of the accomplishment (for this student) 9. attributes success to ability alone or to external factors such as luck or (easy) task difficulty 10. fosters exogenous attributions (students believe that they expend effort on the task for external reasons - to please the teacher, win a competition or reward, etc.) 11. focuses students' attention on the teacher as an external authority figure who is manipulating them 12. intrudes into the ongoing process, distracting attention from task-relevant behavior.



I'll admit that it isn't the most practically helpful thing you've ever read, but it is certainly indicative of the amount of study that has been applied to the subject, and that only brings us up to 1981!


This article, by Dr. Tom McIntyre is a nice conversational discussion of effective/ineffective praise. McIntyre describes various kinds of praise that have negative effects, and discusses the preferred method which involves not labeling the person, but rather describing the action that deserves positive recognition. An example he gives: 


"You're a wonderful writer." Becomes "This piece is so colorful and captivating. The passages bring vivid images to mind. That's because now you're adding a wide variety of adverbs and adjectives. One other thing; let me compliment you on creating some very imaginative situations."


Besides what is being labeled or described (the work, not the person), the specificity of the 'praise' is significant. It is not vague or ambiguous. General praise can be positive only if you are sure that the student knows exactly what you are talking about because of the situation. For more on specific praise from a cognitive science perspective, check out this brief article about the work of Carol Dweck, and don't miss comments 3 and 10 below the article.


I'll pick up with Dr. Dweck's important and influential work in the next related post. For now, I'll just re-state what I feel are the two most important points to start with if you are working on your own communication as a parent or teacher. First: describe the work rather than labeling the person. Second: be specific.