SCHOOL OF EDUCATION: Classroom Management

With that classroom come new responsibilities: learn the curriculum, create instructional units, obtain materials, learn policies and procedures, set goals, and establish classroom rules. Incorporate Positive Reinforcement As you refine your classroom management system, think about the reason schools have rules: to teach acceptable behavior.

Externalizing behavior is a significant concern among teachers. Teachers could benefit from incorporating proactive strategies to prevent problem behaviors and promote academic engagement as students transition into the classroom learning environment. The purpose of this study was to conduct an experimental investigation of the Positive Greetings at the Door (PGD) strategy to improve middle school students’ classroom behavior. Teachers were nominated by their principals for participation and then randomly assigned to the PGD or attention control condition.

Identifying effective instructional approaches that stimulate students' critical thinking (CT) has been the focus of a large body of empirical research. However, there is little agreement on the instructional principles and procedures that are theoretically sound and empirically valid to developing both domain-specific and domain-general CT skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of systematically designed subject matter instruction in stimulating the development of domain-specific and domain-general CT skills, and to investigate the relationship between the two.

Teacher self-efficacy for classroom management is an important component of teachers' identity with implications for their teaching quality. Theoretically, it has been described that contextual variables play an important role for self-efficacy development and its consequences. However, little is known about the interrelationships of job resources and demands with teacher self-efficacy, and consequences for teachers' professional behaviors. We extend teacher self-efficacy research by drawing on the Job Demands-Resources model in examining contextual influences on developmental dynamics between classroom management self-efficacy and teacher-reported classroom management, from prior to qualifying as a teacher until mid-career.

Teachers’ social support and classroom management are related to secondary students’ achievement, domain-specific interest, and self-concept. However, little is known about whether social support and classroom management shape secondary students’ general school adjustment beyond these domain-specific outcomes. To investigate this question, we drew on data from a large longitudinal research project (N = 5,607 secondary students, N = 227 classes). We applied student and teacher ratings of social support and classroom management to investigate their perspective-specific validities for predicting student outcomes. To measure students’ school adjustment, we assessed achievement as a domain-specific indicator and school satisfaction, truancy, and self-esteem as more general aspects.

The first years on the job are very challenging for teachers (e.g., Fives, Hamman, & Olivarez, 2007; Goddard, O’Brien, & Goddard, 2006). Two of the main challenges are to learn to regulate the highly complex classroom situations (Jones, 2006) and to regulate their own emotional resources (Chang, 2009). Accordingly, in the present study, we investigated changes in teacher candidates’ classroom management knowledge as well as emotional exhaustion at the beginning of their teaching careers. We applied latent change models to a sample of 746 teacher candidates who were assessed twice during the German induction phase (the Referendariat). We found evidence for a significant increase in teacher candidates’ classroom management knowledge during the induction phase.

This group randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the efficacy of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program (IY TCM) on student social behavioral and academic outcomes among a large diverse sample of students within an urban context. Participants included 105 teachers and 1817 students in kindergarten to third grade. Three-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) were conducted to examine the overall treatment effects on teacher-reported student behavior and academic outcomes.

Classroom management is an important topic in teacher education, as it has a strong impact on students’ engagement. However, untangling the concepts influencing teachers’ classroom management practices is a question that needs further investigation. Using data from a survey of 154 vocational teachers participating in teacher education, this study examined associations between classroom management practices, teaching experience, and teachers’ beliefs (general pedagogical beliefs, beliefs about student motivation, and self-efficacy beliefs). Results highlighted associations between the different types of beliefs, and between teachers’ beliefs and practices.