Mothers’ declarations about ways to praise young children
The content of praise given to children co-determines their effectiveness. Certain ways of praising may not only be ineffective, but may even be harmful to children. The aim of the study was to determine which praise methods, categorized by content, are most often used by mothers of young children and whether their frequency is related to the age and gender of their children. 465 mothers of children aged 1–7 were examined using the Questionnaire of Ways of Praise (Kwestionariusza Sposobów Chwalenia). Participants reported most often praising the effect of children’s activity, then the way the child performed the activity. They described what they considered praiseworthy, formulated passing praise, and emphasized the importance of the child’s behavior for other people slightly less often. They rarely declared praise by comparing the child with other children. Older children were more often asked what they think when being praised, were more often compared with other children, and put as an example. Younger children were more often praised in person. The gender and age of the children were important for the use of praise regardless of the child’s behavior.