A Multilevel Person-Centered Examination of Teachers' Workplace Experiences: Replication and Extension With Links to Instructional Support and Achievement

In a replication and extension of an earlier study, we relied on person-centered analyses to identify teacher (Level 1) and school (Level 2) profiles based on teachers' experiences of job demands (barriers to professional development, disruptive student behavior), job resources (teacher collaboration, input in decision-making), and personal resources (self-efficacy). We examined data from 5,439 teachers working in 364 schools in Australia and 2,216 teachers working in 149 schools in England. Latent profile analysis revealed six teacher profiles: Low-Demand-Flourisher (11%), Mixed-Demand-Flourisher (17%), Job-Resourced-Average (11%), Balanced-Average (14%), Mixed-Resourced-Struggler (11%), and Low-Resourced-Struggler (36%). Two school profiles were identified: an Unsupportive school profile (43%) and a Supportive school profile (57%). Several significant relations between these profiles and teacher/school characteristics and work-related outcomes were also identified at both levels. Although our results generally replicated prior findings, some differences were also observed, possibly as a results of recent changes in policies regarding in teacher support and accountability. Next, we extended prior work using a subsample of the Australian teachers for whom we had matching student data. This second set of results revealed that schools with a greater proportion of low-SES students were more likely to present an Unsupportive school profile. Moreover, the Supportive school profile was associated with higher levels of student-reported instructional support and school-average achievement in reading, mathematics, and science.

Training in the prevention of emotional stress as a condition of psychological readiness for the profession of a teacher

One of the factors that negatively affect psychological readiness for the profession of a teacher is emotional stress. The article examines the definition and approaches to the description of stress, proves the relevance of the problem of teaching students training to become teachers the methods and ways of preventing and correcting stress, improving stress resistance, and preventing emotional burnout in professional activity, the methods of emotional stress prevention are analyzed. The purpose of the article is to study the method of sound therapy (neuroacoustics) and to analyze the effect of a neuroacoustic program in increasing stress resistance in students – future teachers. To test the hypothesis on the influence of neuroacoustic program on the increase of stress tolerance in students training to become teachers, the authors conduct a study using the Perceived Stress Scale by S. Cohen and G. Williamson at the ascertaining and control stages and deploying the developed neuroacoustic program at the formative stage. The conducted study allows to determine and prove that the mastery of neuroacoustic methods increases stress resistance in students training to become teachers. Constant overload, disruptive student behavior, and increased demands are the causes of emotional stress in teachers. The presented method teaches future specialists to cope with stress factors in professional pedagogical activity, allows them to resist emotional and professional burnout, and thereby creates optimal conditions for psychological readiness for the profession of a teacher. The technique can be used in organizations of secondary and higher education.

Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions of and Use of Classroom Management Strategies and Associations With Student Behavior

Disruptive student behavior in middle school is associated with negative outcomes including poor grades, low achievement scores, dropout, lost teaching time, teacher burnout, and societal expenditures. Classroom Behavior Management (CBM) strategies are effective at reducing disruptive behavior, decreasing teacher stress, and increasing achievement with elementary students, but less is known regarding these strategies for middle school students. The purpose of the current study was to assess (a) the rates of disruptive and on-task student behaviors in middle school classrooms, overall and by academic context including individual seatwork, group/partner work, small group instruction, and whole group instruction; (b) the rates of observed (appropriate and inappropriate commands, labeled and unlabeled praise, opportunities to respond; appropriate response to rule violations) and self-reported (appropriate commands, reprimands for inappropriate behavior, strategic ignoring, if/then contingencies, and send to principal’s office) CBM strategies; and (c) relationships between observed teacher strategy use and rates of disruptive and on-task behaviors. The results indicated that there was wide variability in teachers’ use of CBM strategies, their perceptions of the effectiveness of CBM strategies, and the frequency of disruptive student behavior. In addition, overall, teachers demonstrated low rates of appropriate responses to disruptive behavior. Notably, appropriate responses to disruptive behavior had the strongest association with total rates of disruptive and on-task behaviors. The implications of these findings for teacher training are discussed.

Relationships Between Systematically Observed Movement Integration and Classroom Management in Elementary Schools

Movement integration (MI), which involves incorporating physical activity into regular classroom time, is a research-supported strategy to reduce off-task behavior and support academic performance. However, teachers’ rate of adopting MI has been slow. Teachers are more likely to adopt MI if they perceive it as compatible with their current teaching practices. Accordingly, this study examined relationships between systematically observed MI and other evidence-based classroom management practices in elementary schools. Participants were classroom teachers ( n = 12) and their students ( n = 229). Classroom observations were conducted using the System for Observing Student Movement in Academic Routines and Transitions (SOSMART) and the Brief Classroom Interaction Observation–Revised (BCIO-R). Correlational analyses showed that MI was positively associated with effective instructional management and proactive management strategies, and negatively associated with reactive management strategies and disruptive student behavior. This study demonstrated that MI and other established classroom management practices are co-occurring.

“Stop Doing That!”: Effects of Teacher Reprimands on Student Disruptive Behavior and Engagement

Many teachers resort to using reprimands in attempts to stop disruptive student behavior, particularly by students with emotional or behavioral problems, although this may not be effective. This study examined short-term longitudinal data on teacher reprimands of 149 teachers in 19 different elementary schools across three states, as well as disruptive behavior and classroom engagement of 311 students considered at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. A cross-lag analysis showed that teacher reprimands did not decrease students’ future disruptive behavior or increase their engagement or vice versa. While teacher reprimands may suppress misbehavior momentarily, they do not appear to be effective in decreasing students’ disruptive behavior or increasing their engagement over time. Limitations and implications are discussed.

When disruptive behavior meets outcome-based education

Disruptive behavior is a major concern for most educational systems. Schools often respond to disruptive students with exclusionary and punitive approaches that have limited effect or value. Moreover, recent neoliberal trends with increased focus on student learning outcome change the attitudes towards disruptive student behavior and also narrow down and homogenize the range of what is considered as ?acceptable student behavior?. In this article we discuss the interrelationship between an outcome-based, neoliberal school approach and notions of disruptive behavior. We claim that the outcome-based and neoliberal approach to education basically promotes an un-educational way of thinking about education that also has a huge influence on perceptions of and tolerance towards all kinds of disruptions in schools - whether they come from students, parents, teachers or researchers.