The 'praise balance': Uncovering the optimal recipe for mastery motivation in preschoolers

This study examined the relationship between parental praise and children's mastery motivation. The parents of 126 children aged 4-6 completed online questionnaires. Process-to-Person Praise Ratio (PPR) was calculated by subtracting the ratio of person praise from the ratio of process praise. The results revealed an inverted U-shaped relationship between PPR and children's objective persistence, as well as their social persistence with adults and children. Excessive process praise and person praise reduced objective and social persistence, but when process praise slightly outweighed person praise, both objective persistence and social persistence were at their highest levels. Additionally, the relationship between PPR and gross motor persistence and mastery pleasure also fol-lowed an inverted U-shape. As PPR increased, so did both variables until they peaked, and then showed a slight decline. These findings suggest that maintaining a balance between process praise and person praise is crucial for fostering optimal mastery motivation in preschool children.