Perceptions of Education Majors and Experienced Teachers Regarding Factors that Contribute to Successful Classroom Management.

Education majors and experienced teachers identified factors that they believed contributed to a successfully managed classroom and reported a percentage for the perceived influence of each factor. The participants also identified components (and their values) perceived to comprise the teacher's influence. The education majors attributed 41% of the influence for a successfully managed classroom to the teacher, whereas the teachers attributed 49% of the influence to themselves. Overall, the education majors and teachers attributed the greatest amount of a teacher's influence to the way in which the teacher presented information and interacted with students.

If you were to define a successfully managed classroom as one in which students achieve academic competencies, exhibit desirable social skills, develop increased self-respect, and move toward greater independence, (1) what factors would you list as contributing to such a classroom and (2) what percentage of influence would you attribute to each factor? Any factor you list, and the amount of influence you attribute to it, will probably emerge from your past experiences and the beliefs that you have formed from those experiences. For example, if you have had success as a teacher, you might list the teacher as a principle factor. You might also rank high on what researchers (e.g., Ashton & Webb, 1986; Dembo & Gibson, 1985) refer to as personal teaching efficacy, which reflects your beliefs about your own ability to affect student learning, and/or on general teaching efficacy, which reflects your beliefs about any teacher's ability to affect change. On the other hand, someone who has been unsuccessful in classroom management might be more inclined to list the teacher as having minimal influence. Indeed, research suggests that teachers who have a low sense of efficacy place more responsibilities for learning outcomes on students and other nonschool factors (Hall, Hines, Bacon, & Koulianos, 1992: Weber and Omotani, 1994).

Anyone's list obviously could consist of numerous factors with varying weights. Nonetheless, if teacher educators are to be effective in working with teachers and prospective teachers--whether the goal is to help them reflect upon their role, debunk erroneous beliefs, or increase their own sense of efficacy--a logical starting point would be to assess what perceptions they do hold. Other researchers, of course, have previously sought to identify the elements that teachers and prospective teachers perceive as accounting for student successes and failures. One approach has been the use of written descriptions of actual teaching events. Placek and Dodds (1988), for example, used critical incident descriptions to discover the elements that preservice teachers saw as contributing to successful and unsuccessful teaching, and Killen (1994) used journal entries of practicing teachers to identify the themes related to successful and unsuccessful teaching experiences as well as the reasons for successes and failures. Hall and his colleagues (1992) used an attribution rating scale in which teachers indicated on a 6-point scale the importance of given elements in explaining why certain students performed successfully and why others had poor performances; the ratings were then correlated with different dimensions of efficacy.

The present study was quite limited in scope, seeking to identify factors contributing to successful classroom management (a more global approach than reference to specific teaching events or specific outcomes with targeted students) through the use of an open ended question. The study or a variation of it could easily be conducted in a teacher educator's own classroom as a means of facilitating discussion and pinpointing the current thinking of students. More specifically, the study sought to identify (a) the factors perceived by teacher trainees and experienced teachers as contributing to successful classroom management as well as the percentage of influence each factor was believed to carry and (b) the components perceived to comprise what a teacher brings to the classroom (i.e., the components of the teacher factor) and each components' percentage of influence.

Method

Setting and Participants

The study was conducted at a southeastern university enrolling approximately 12,500 students. One hundred ninety-six education majors enrolled in seven psychology classes and 44 experienced teachers enrolled in a weekend workshop served as participants. The average age of the students was 21; most were sophomores (33%) or juniors (43%); 137 were female, and 59 were male. The largest group of students (61) were elementary education majors; 51 were secondary majors; and 48 were seeking certification in specialties that spanned both elementary and secondary areas (e.g., special education, music, art). The teachers participating in the study had an average of 12 years of teaching experience; 38 were female; 6 were male. Most of the teachers (24) worked in elementary settings.

Materials

Each participant responded to two open-ended questions on a classroom management survey. First, the participants were asked to list every factor (e.g., the teacher, students, parents) that they believed contributed to a successfully managed classroom. For each factor listed, the participants were also asked to provide the percentage of influence they thought each factor had on the overall management of a classroom. The total percentage of the judgments of each participant was to equal 100%. In developing their lists, the students and teachers were told to consider a successfully managed classroom as one in which students achieve academic competencies, exhibit desirable social skills, develop increased self-respect, and move toward greater independence. Second, after listing the factors perceived to influence successful classroom management, the participants were asked to provide a list of the specific components (e.g., optimism, knowledge of subject) that comprised their teacher factor. Again, the participants were to list the percentage of influence for each component of their teacher factor, and the total of each participant was to equal 100%.

Results

As can be seen in Table 1, neither the prospective teachers (by any level) nor the experienced teachers attributed even half of the influence for a successfully managed classroom to the teacher. The trainees, as a group, attributed 41% of the influence to the teacher, with the K-12 grouping (specialty area majors such as special education, music, art) perceiving the teacher as having the most influence (47%) and the secondary majors attributing the least influence (39%) to the teacher. Although the teacher was perceived as being the single greatest influence, the trainees indicated that all other factors were accounting for most of the outcomes in the classroom; the elementary education majors, for example, attributed 61% of the influence to factors such as the students (22%), the parents (13%), materials used (6%), and the administration (5%), with a variety of other factors receiving the remainder of the influence (15%).

Table 1

Top Five Response Categories by Group (with average percentage of perceived influence) for Factors Influencing Classroom Management)

Variable                                                    Percent

                    Prospective Teachers (N=196)
Birth-K
Teacher                                                      42
Students                                                     27
Parents                                                       9
Classroom Environment (e.g., size, decor, time of classes)    7
Subject/Grade Level                                           7

Elementary Education
Teacher                                                      39
Students                                                     22
Parents                                                      13
Materials                                                     6
Administration                                                5

Secondary
Teacher                                                      39
Students                                                     26
Parents                                                      12
Classroom Environment                                         7
Administration                                                6

K-12 Special Subjects (e.g., Special Ed.,
 Music, Art, P. E.)
Teacher                                                      47
Students                                                     22
Parents                                                      11
Classroom Environment                                         6
Materials                                                     4

                     Experienced Teachers (N=44)
Teacher                                                      49
Parents                                                      13
Students                                                     12
Administration                                               11.5
Community                                                     4
Materials                                                     4

Although the experienced teachers saw the teacher as being more influential than did the trainees, they still attributed 51% of the influence for a successfully managed to other factors. As a group, the teachers attributed about equal influence to the parents and students (13% and 12%, respectively), but perceived the students as having considerably less impact on classroom management than did the perspective teachers.

Regarding perceptions about what teachers personally brought to the classroom (see Table 2), the education majors as a group indicated that the teacher's presentational style (e.g., variation in lessons, flexibility, creativity) had the greatest influence (21% of the teacher factor) on classroom management. Also, making the list of top five teacher influences for all the groups of perspective teachers were: being enthusiastic and having a good personality (which included references to such things as patience, kindness, and an understanding attitude). All of the groups of prospective teachers, with the exception of the birth through kindergarten group, saw knowledge of subject matter as being a major teacher component of successful classroom management. Also, teacher experience was not among the top five factors for the elementary majors. In their responses, many of the experienced teachers made reference to how lessons and activities were organized, whereas organization did not make the list of top teacher factors for any of the prospective teacher groups.

Table 2

Top Five Response Categories by Groups (with average percentage of perceived influence) for Variables Comprising the Teacher Factor

Variable                                                  Percent

                Prospective Teachers

Birth-K
Presentation Style/Flexibility/Creativity                    19
Approachable/Positive/Good Interactions with Students        18
Enthusiasm                                                   17
Experience/Teaching Ability                                  16
Personality                                                  12

Elementary Education
Personality                                                  24
Enthusiasm                                                   19
Presentation Style/Flexibility/Creativity                    14
Knowledge of Subject                                          9
Approachable/Positive/Good Interactions with Students         8

Secondary
Presentation Style/Flexibility/Creativity                    24
Enthusiasm                                                   21
Personality                                                  14
Knowledge of Subject                                         13
Experience/Teaching Ability                                  10

K-12 Special Subjects (e.g., special Ed., Music, Art, P. E.)
Presentation Style/Flexibility/Creativity                    29
Personality                                                  17
Knowledge of Subject                                         15
Enthusiasm                                                   13
Experience/Teaching Ability                                  11

                 Experience Teachers

Presentation Style/Flexibility/Creativity                    26
Personality                                                  24
Experience/Teaching Ability                                  12
Organization                                                 11
Enthusiasm                                                   10
Knowledge of Subject                                          8

Discussion

A great deal of time can be expended in discussions about whether parents, teachers, or others are the major determinants of what is currently happening in today's classrooms. Certainly, there is room for a divergence of opinions. But a task of teacher educators is to help teachers define their role and to take responsibility for whatever influence they can exert rather than simply ascribing blame for failures or taking credit for favorable outcomes. Perhaps the best place to begin is to ascertain exactly how much influence teachers and prospective teachers believe that teachers have in producing a successfully managed classroom. Efforts can then be made to provide teachers with the skills to become effective change agents.

The responses that one obtains when asking about teaching-related issues may well depend upon the concerns of the participants or their level of understanding of what is really important. Killen (1994), for example, suggested that the practice teachers in his study seemed more concerned about issues of survival and control and establishing rapport than in student achievement per se. Similarly, in describing a successful teaching incident, the participants in Placek and Dodds' study (1988) seemed to be concerned about getting students involved and having fun and emphasized these factors more often than the learning of students. The fact that prospective teachers in the present study saw the teachers as having less influence than did the practitioners may also have been a matter of too much concern with the wrong element, that is, concern over the influence of others rather than their own degree of accountability.

The participants in the present study may have made their responses based on their beliefs about the ability of teachers in general to influence student behaviors (i.e., their general teacher efficacy), their beliefs about their own ability (i.e., their personal teacher efficacy), or both. (For a discussion of the dimensions of teacher efficacy see Ashton & Webb, 1986, or Berman & McLaughlin, 1977.) Hall et al. (1992), for example, found that teachers who were rated higher in general teaching efficacy placed more importance on the role of the teacher and instructional programs in explaining student success than teachers rated lower in teaching efficacy; those rated lower in general teaching efficacy also placed more importance on the role of the home in influencing student successes than did teachers rated higher in general teaching efficacy. Additionally, Hall and his colleagues found that teachers who were rated higher on the dimension of personal teaching efficacy attributed greater influence to the ability of the teacher to affect performances of successful students than did their lower personal teaching efficacy counterparts.

Although the present study sheds some light on the degree of influence that a select group of teachers and prospective teachers saw the teacher as having, the reasons for such perceptions remain unanswered. Additionally, why certain teacher characteristics were viewed as being important components of the teacher factor requires examination that was not addressed in the present study. Teacher educators, of course, might wish to conduct a study within their own classroom in which students are asked to: identify factors influencing classroom management, provide the amount of influence for each factor, and give a reason for listing each factor and its percentage of influence. There is a striking difference, for example, between attributing substantial influence to the behaviors of students and assuming that teachers can do little to influence them than there is in allocating influence to students because they are viewed as valued partners with whom teachers can work to affect change. Teacher educators might also wish to determine what components of the teacher factor their students view as most important. Such efforts could lead to discussions on the teacher's role in affecting learning outcomes and to discussions of teacher characteristics that are most important in heightening student interest in learning. Once it is established what is believed and why, one can then move toward providing whatever training and support may be needed to produce successful classroom outcomes.

References

Ashton, P. T., & Webb, R. B. (1986). Making a difference: Teacher's sense of efficacy and student achievement. New York: Longman.

Berman, P., & McLaughlin, M. W. (1977). Federal programs supporting educational change: Vol 7. Factors affecting implementation and continuation, Santa Monica, CA: The Rand Corporation.

Dembo, M. H., & Gibson, S. (1985). Teachers' sense of efficacy: An important factor in school improvement. The Elementary School Journal, 86(2), 173-184.

Hall, B. W., Hines, C. V., Bacon, T. P., Koulianos, G. M. (1992). Attributions that teachers hold to account for student success and failure and their relationship to teaching level and teacher efficacy beliefs. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, April 1992.

Killen, R. (1994). Student teachers' perceptions of successful and unsuccessful events during practice teaching. Paper presented at the Conference of the Australian Teacher Education Association, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, July 1994.

Placek, J. H., & Dodds, P. (1988). A critical incident study of preservice teachers' beliefs about teaching success and nonsuccess. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 59(4), 351-358.

Weber, B. J., & Omotani, L. M. (1994). The power of believing. The Executive Educator, 16(9), 35-38.

J.D. Long, J.C. Biggs and J.T. Hinson, Department of Psychology, Appalachian State University.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dr. James D. Long, Department of Psychology, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina 28608.