An Investigation of Classroom and Behaviour Management Pedagogy in Australian Initial Teacher Education

EVE Clucas

Classroom and behaviour management is a cause for concern for experienced, novice and pre-service teachers. Difficulty managing students and their behaviours places significant strain on teachers across all career phases. Teachers regularly cite challenges associated with managing students’ behaviours as influential in their decisions to leave the profession. These insights emphasise the need to better prepare future teachers for managing learning environments. Classroom and behaviour management is a complex umbrella term, encompassing a multitude of concepts, perspectives, and priorities across a range of fields of study. This aspect of teachers’ work extends beyond children’s behaviour in the classroom to incorporate knowledge of childhood and human development (typical and diverse); trauma-informed practice; human relationships; instructional practice; student engagement; and educational achievement. Central to contemporary classroom management practice is a focus on student-centred and preventative pedagogies. This study explored the practices and perspectives of Australian teacher educators about classroom behaviour management. Through a qualitative case-study approach, nine teacher educators were recruited from six universities across four Australian states and territories. Participants engaged in a semi-structured interview to share their perspectives, priorities, and approaches to developing and delivering classroom and behaviour management. Analysis was conducted using deductive and inductive coding to highlight corresponding and diverging knowledge and practice across universities. Conflicting data highlighted the complex nature of initial teacher education and the differing contexts in which these programs are delivered. Corresponding data illustrated shared perspectives held by teacher educators and the impact of their personal experiences on practice. Participants spoke about and provided access to teaching materials associated with their work of preparing pre-service teachers. As experienced educators, they explained this work as complex and multi-faceted. Because of this, they explained how they contextualised their offerings within the structures of their universities and in response to local priorities and perspectives. This included teacher educators’ awareness of accreditation requirements and the need to prepare teaching graduates to meet the requirements of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Importantly, the participants’ priorities for teaching classroom and behaviour management strongly reflected their areas of expertise. Equally, their personal experiences of teaching and of managing learners and learning environments were prominent in how they explained their preparation of future teachers. Participants recognised the need for evidence-based practice but presented alternate perspectives and priorities, reflective of individual circumstances and their diverse teaching contexts. The participants’ insights illustrate opportunities to strengthen classroom and behaviour management pedagogy, content and practice within Australian initial teacher education and also highlight opportunities for further research within the Australian context. Keywords: Accredited initial teacher education programs, Australian professional standards for teachers, Australian teacher preparation courses, case-study research, classroom and behaviour management, evidence-based practices, initial teacher education, pedagogical practices, pre-service teachers, qualitative research, student behaviour, teacher attrition, teacher burnout, teacher educators, teacher stress.

An Investigation of Classroom and Behaviour Management Pedagogy in Australian Initial Teacher Education

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