The Nature and Incidence of Classroom Behaviour Problems and their Remediation Through Preventive Management

Abstract

Classroom management rates highly as one of the major concerns and problems experienced by techers. Unfortunately, evidence of the extent and nature of management problems, particularly data related to behaviourally and emotionally disturbed children in classrooms is conflicting. The result is that differences in opinion exist as to the complexity and magnitude of the interventions required to deal with such children. This study investigates the proposition that extreme behaviour problems are rare in primary classrooms and that procedures for preventive management are sufficiently powerful to alleviate most classroom behaviour disturbances.

Primary School Teachers’ Perception of Pupils’ Undesirable Behaviours

“…We are not here concerned with the frequency of occurrence of certain categories of undesirable behaviour but rather with the seriousness of these behaviours as perceived by teachers, even though we may agree with Fields (1986) that the great majority of problem behaviours (especially in the primary classroom) are of a relatively mild nature. In the USA, Wickman (1928), in a comparative study of the attitudes of 511 elementary school teachers and 30 mental hygienists towards children's behaviour problems, found that whereas teachers rated misbehaviour in class as the most serious problem, mental hygienists rated personality and emotional problems as the most serious.…”

School Discipline: Is There a Crisis in Our Schools?

“…The most telling statistic from the research, however, was that about 80 percent of teachers reported that discipline problems both inside and outside the classroom were not very serious or not a problem at all. In line with British investigations and the studies by Fields (1986) and Burke et 01 (1994) the problems encountered by most teachers were 'relatively minor' in nature and by and large manageable (Johnson et al 1993, p 300). Johnson and his fellow researchers concluded with the following observation about discipline in Australian schools: [... ] it is reasonable to suggest that the perceptionsof these teachers are more positive than those represented in the popular media and in some academic circles [... ] While teachers report difficulties with some individuals and classes, they do not generalise these problems to the entire school system in ways that the media often does.…”

“…Unfortunately there is a dearth of informatio.n about the situation in secondary schools. Fields (1986) surveyed thirty teachers in a Queensland provincial city. The teachers were asked to identify and describe the student from their class who presented the most difficulty to them in respect of discipline and control.…”

Australian Teachers’ Views of Their Effectiveness in Behaviour Management

“…The fact that Australian teachers judged themselves to be somewhat more effective managers should be considered as tentative, as only two of nine TMS subtests (Lacks Patience and/or Concentration, Impulsive) achieved statistical significance. One possible explanation of this trend, however, is related to Walker and Lamon's (1987) data indicating greater acceptability of negativeself-centered behaviour and the reported low incidence of severely disruptive behaviour in Australian schools (see Fields, 1986). Teachers may believe that they can be more effective managers and are more accepting of problem behaviours if they occur in greater isolation.…”

“…For the few pupils considered "particularly troublesome," behaviours identified were disobedience, idle-slowness and physical aggression. Fields (1986), who asked a small sample of 30 Australian teachers to rate their most difficult child, found that distractible rather than acting-out behaviours were the most frequently cited, and concluded that highly disruptive incidents rarely occurred within primary classrooms.…”