Teachers’ and learners’ perspectives on praise as a classroom management strategy in special schools

Praise is regarded as an effective strategy for motivating learners and promoting positive classroom behaviour. However, praise that encourages one learner may create pressure, social comparison, or feelings of exclusion for another. Despite this paradox, little is known about how praise is understood and experienced in special school classrooms. A qualitative case study design was adopted. Data were generated in 2026 through semi-structured interviews with four teachers and a focus group discussion with five Grade 12 learners, typically aged 17–18 years and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings revealed that praise extends beyond behaviour management. Participants described it as a relational, motivational, and symbolic practice that affirmed learner worth, encouraged effort and persistence, strengthened teacher–learner relationships, and shaped learners’ sense of belonging. However, its influence was not uniform. Others associated it with pressure, social comparison, favouritism, or expectations to maintain performance. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of praise depends not only on how teachers deliver it but also on how learners interpret and assign meaning to it. The study extends discussions of praise beyond behavioural reinforcement and demonstrates how praise operates simultaneously as a social and motivational process. The study offers a nuanced understanding of how praise shapes learners’ experiences of competence, relatedness, and autonomy in special school classrooms, highlighting the need for contextually responsive, learner-centred praise practices that support positive classroom behaviour and learner well-being.