Assessing Verbal Positive Reinforcement of Teachers during School from Home in the Covid-19 Pandemic Era

Abstract

During school from home, students need positive reinforcement both from parents and teachers to improve or trigger their positive behavior. This study aimed to identify the intensity of verbal positive reinforcement given by teachers to students during school from home. It was a mix-method study by involving 310 elementary school teachers as respondents (41.29 % males, 58.71% females). The intensity of positive reinforcement was measured using an instrument developed from the basic theory of positive reinforcement by Skinner (1953) and Schakel & Lyon (1984) and information collected from interviews with teachers. The instrument consisted of 7 kinds of verbal positive reinforcement that can be given by teachers during school from home. The findings indicated that during school from home, teachers tended to give less verbal positive reinforcement to students. Teachers' lack of understanding about the importance to give positive reinforcement during school from home was the main factor leading to the condition. Besides that, teachers did not understand that the verbal positive reinforcement can be delivered both in oral and written forms. Another finding shows that female teachers more often gave positive reinforcement than males. The kind of positive reinforcement given by these two different genders was also different.

Teachers’ language politeness, students’ academic motivation and self-efficacy during school from home

“…Nevertheless, some teachers were still able to carry out positive communication practices by applying language politeness. This is in line with the results of other studies, showing that some teachers were more likely to provide students with verbal positive reinforcement based on the language politeness theory despite online learning (Mantasiah et al, 2021).…”

“…It is likely that the low use of language politeness for communication is a result of the low intensity of direct communication between teachers and students. Mantasiah, Yusri, Sinring and Aryani. (2021) found that during online learning, teachers used WhatsApp more frequently as the main media to deliver the lessons.…”

“…Social support from both teachers and parents can help students relieve their stress and increase comfort during online learning. During school from home, teachers can give social support to students by providing reinforcement based on the theory of language politeness during the learning process (Mantasiah et al, 2021). Mantasiah and Yusri (2017) found that the use of language politeness in the learning process can positively affect students' academic motivation.…”

Problems with the Policy Implementation of Learning Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia: A Retrospective Analysis for Post-Pandemic Policy

“…The second study conducted by Mantasiah (2021), published in the International Journal of Instruction (IJI) (Scopus Q2), focused on teachers. This study concludes that during home learning:…”

Pengaruh Penguatan Positif Terhadap Sikap Perhatian Murid Kelas Satu Sekolah Dasar

“…Ada enam prinsip yang mesti diperhatikan guru saat memberikan penguatan positif yaitu tulus, antusias, meaningfulness, hindari respon negatif, segera berikan, dan berikan secara beragam (Mantasiah, et al, 2021). Tulus berarti penguatan positif diberikan berdasar apa yang dirasakan atau dipikirkan guru, tidak berpura-pura.…”