4 Why is Precorrection Effective?

There are many reasons why precorrection is an effective low-intensity strategy. For one, precorrection is proactive. Rather than waiting until problems arise, use of precorrection involves anticipating activities, settings, or times of day that could potentially result in challenging behavior. Once these situations are identified, teachers manipulate these antecedents (i.e., what comes immediately before a challenging behavior) to try and reduce the likelihood of the challenging behavior occurring in the first place. This stands in contrast to traditional corrective feedback, which is a consequence strategy used after a challenging behavior has already occurred. Also, when students receive corrective feedback, attention is drawn to what they did incorrectly. In contrast, precorrection focuses on making sure students understand what they should do rather than what they should not do. Finally, because precorrection is designed to head off challenging behavior before it occurs, it reduces the potential for escalating behavior patterns and allows more time for positive student-teacher interactions (Colvin et al, 1993).