This study examined the generalizability and dependability of observational estimates of middle and high school teachers’ use of praise and reprimand. Frequency of behavior-specific praise, general praise, and total reprimand were collected across 67, 20-min observations that took place during class-wide instruction in general education classrooms. Generalizability theory was used to determine the number of observations needed to obtain dependable estimates of teacher behavior. Behavior-specific praise rates were consistently low. General praise rates were slightly higher and reprimand rates were notably higher and slightly more variable. Total reprimands had the strongest generalizability results and general praise had the weakest. Behavior-specific praise reached an acceptable level of dependability after 15 min, whereas general praise required a 35-min observation, and reprimand only required 5 min. Implications and future directions are discussed.

这项研究检验了中学和高中教师对表扬和谴责的使用的观察估计的普遍性和可靠性。在通识教育教室的全班教学中，共进行了67次20分钟的观察，收集了特定于行为的表扬，普遍表扬和总谴责的频率。概化理论用于确定获得可靠的教师行为估计所需的观察次数。特定行为的赞美率一直很低。总体好评率略高，谴责率明显更高，且变化更大。总体谴责的可推广性最强，而普遍的赞誉则最弱。特定行为的赞美在15分钟后达到了可接受的可靠性水平，一般的赞美需要35分钟的观察时间，而训斥只需要5分钟。涵义和未来的方向进行了讨论。