How teachers of young children respond to problem Behaviour in the Classroom

Abstract

The strategies that teachers of young children use to deal with problem behaviour in their classrooms were investigated. Teachers of Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 classes in a sample of schools in western Sydney completed a questionnaire that provided information on teacher, class, school and community characteristics as well as their frequency of use of a range of strategies. Teachers reported use of a wide range of strategies with a preference for positive approaches. There was no relationship between the strategies teachers reported using and most teacher, class, school and community variables. The implications of these findings for inservicing and support to teachers are discussed.