Recognition and belonging: high-performing learners’ experiences of teacher praise in South African secondary school classrooms

Background Teacher praise is widely regarded as a positive pedagogical strategy for strengthening learner motivation, engagement, and classroom participation. However, emerging research within South African secondary schools complicates this assumption by suggesting that praise is unevenly distributed and may contribute to differentiated learner experiences. Although these studies provide important insight into the absence of recognition, they remain largely centred on low-performing learners, leaving the experiences of high-performing learners comparatively underexplored. Objective This study examined how high-performing learners, who are typically the primary recipients of praise, experience and interpret teachers’ praise practices within classroom contexts. Methods Guided by Attribution Theory and Self-Determination Theory, the study adopted an interpretive paradigm and a qualitative multiple-case study design. Data were generated through focus group discussions with 12 purposively selected high-performing learners (Grades 10–11) from two secondary schools and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results The findings suggest that the learners experienced praise as a source of competence affirmation, motivation, and recognition. At the same time, some learners associated public and performance-oriented praise with pressure, peer comparison, peer tension, and perceived conditional recognition. Participants further linked praise to feelings of visibility, inclusion, and belonging within classroom contexts. Conclusion By shifting analytical attention from learners who receive limited praise to those who are frequently recognised through it, the study highlights the complex ways in which high-performing learners experience and interpret praise. The findings suggest that praise may be understood not only as a motivational strategy but also as a relational practice associated with recognition, peer relationships, and learners’ sense of belonging within classroom environments.