Changing the Status of Poorly Esteemed Students through Teacher Reinforcement

Abstract

This study investigates the extent to which specific changes in teacher behavior and attitudes influence pupil acceptance by peers. Overt teacher reinforcement three times a day for three weeks was found to result in significant net gains in the sociometric status of experimental students as compared with that of their controls. Pupils who were merely identified to the teachers as "promising" did not, however, improve significantly in sociometric status when compared with controls. Teacher ratings of the children, on the other hand, were not consistently changed by either treatment; the results depended on grade level. These findings indicate that teachers can use overt reinforcement techniques to alter the social position of students.