Training teachers to give effective commands: Effects on student compliance and academic behavior.

Matheson and Shriver examined the effect of training teachers to provide effective commands and praise on compliance and academic achievement with three students in three different classrooms. The teachers were provided with two training sessions.Data was taken in the form of curriculum based measurements, percentage of compliance, percentage of time on-task, competing behaviors exhibited and teacher behavior through videotaped sessions using a multiple baseline across behaviors design. It was concluded that with the increase of effective commands, compliance and academic behaviors increased. The teachers expressed that after the trainings they felt comfortable in using effective strategies, but only two of the three teachers felt comfortable using effective commands with verbal praise. Two limitations to this study were that the authors did not separate out baseline data for effective commands and effective commands with verbal praise. And they should have alternated treatments with one starting with effective commands and another subject starting with effective commands with verbal praise.

Matheson, A. S. & Shriver, M.D. (2005).Training teachers to give effective commands: Effects on student compliance and academic behavior. School Psychology Review 34(2), 202, 202-219.