Teachers’ Strategies for Helping Shy Students: Findings from a National Survey in Norway

Figures & data

Table 1. Student, teacher, and school characteristics (n = 275).

Characteristic		n (%)
Students identified by teachers as shy	Female	203 (74 ^a)
	Male	72 (26 ^a)
Shy students per grade	1^st	25 (9.1)
	2^nd	36 (13.1)
	3^rd	39 (14.2)
	4^th	45 (16.4)
	5^th	37 (13.5)
	6^th	37 (13.5)
	7th	56 (20.4)
Teachers reporting experience with a shy student	Female	223 (81.1)
	Male	52 (18.9)
Years worked as a teacher	< 5 years	53 (19.3)
	5–10 years	51 (18.5)
	> 10 years	171 (62.2)
School and Class Size	Sample (SD)	Norway
Number of elementary schools	230	15%
Mean school size	297 (173.5)	225
Mean class size^b	23 (10.4)	25

Note. ^a= gender distribution similar to the national percentage of elementary teachers in Norwegian elementary schools.

^b = Class size ≤ 15 is defined as a small class in Norway (The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, 2021).

Table 2. Frequencies of reported use and rated means, SD and ‘Don’t know- responses’ of usefulness of ORAL strategies (n = 275).

Strategies		Ratings of Usefulness
	Frequency of Use (%)	M	SD	DK (%)
1. Use non-verbal signs to encourage the shy student to raise hands to answer aloud (e.g., small hints, comments, touches on the shoulder)	251 (91.3)	1.8	.95	6 (2.2)
2. Allow the shy student to present orally together with peers/other students	239 (86.9)	2.0	.95	21 (12.0)
3. Give the student a prepared question and ask the student to respond aloud to this	207 (75.3)	2.0	.97	30 (10.9)
4. Allocate defined roles/ tasks during groupwork that involves the shy student.	205 (74.5)	2.2	.85	48 (17.5)
5. Organize loud reading activities in class according to a specific and predictable order (e.g., the students read in a predictable order).	190 (69.1)	1.9	1.1	53 (19.3)
6. Give the shy student the text to be read in advance	185 (67.3)	2.0	1.1	50 (18.2)
7. Practice with the shy student in one-on-one setting to present oral/read aloud in class	154 (56.0)	2.1	.99	59 (21.5)
8. Ask social competent students to support the shy student during group activities.	70 (25.5)	2.0	.95	46 (16.7)

Note: Response options: 0 = not useful; 1 = kind of useful; 2 = quite useful; 3 = very useful.

DK = Don’t know.

Table 3. Frequencies of reported use and rated means, SD and ‘Don’t know- responses’ of usefulness of SOCIAL Strategies (n = 275).

Strategies		Ratings of Usefulness
	Frequency of Use (%)	M	SD	DK (%)
1. Focus on improving the shy student's social skills	243 (88.4)	2.1	.86	22 (8)
2. Make peers aware of the shy student's strengths / resources	218 (79.3)	2.2	.87	32 (11.6)
3. Make plans for the recess/break times together with the shy student (e.g., activities, whoever he/she should be with)	171 (62.2)	1.9	1.1	62 (22.5)
4. Establish social activity groups (e.g., kitchen groups) based on the shy student's needs	166 (60.4)	2.2	.85	72 (26.2)
5. Organize conversation groups (e.g., girls’ groups) based on shy student needs	159 (57.8)	2.0	.87	36 (13.1)
6. Give responsibility to some of the shy student's peers to follow up him/her during recess	138 (50.2)	1.4	1.0	80 (29.1)
7. Make sure that the shy student has a specific role/task during the break time/recess	106 (38.5)	1.5	1.0	112 (40.7)

Note: Response options: 0 = not useful; 1 = kind of useful; 2 = quite useful; 3 = very useful.

DK = Don’t know.

Table 4. Frequencies of Reported Use and Rated Means, SD and ‘Don’t know- responses’ of Usefulness of Helping with Anxiety (n = 275).

Strategies		Ratings of Usefulness
	Frequency of Use (%)	M	SD	DK (%)
1. Assess the child’s needs when making seating arrangements and ensure that he/she has a safe place to sit (e.g., next to a friend).	263 (95.6)	2.6	.7	6 (2.2)
2. Talk with the child about his/her feelings, thoughts and behavior in different situations.	254 (92.4)	2.2	.9	10 (3.6)
3. Make it clear for the child that I am available to him/her during the school day.	251 (91.3)	2.3	.9	18 (6.5)
4. Have contact that is more frequent with the child’s parents than with parents to the classmates.	234 (85.1)	2.2	.8	25 (9.1)
5. Allow the child staying alone/allow him/her to be quiet during discussions in class.	215 (78.2)	1.6	1.0	30 (10.9)
6. Ask other adults during recess to follow up with the child.	200 (72.7)	2.0	1.0	36 (13.1)
7. Talk with the child about his/her feelings about/experiences from recess.	177 (64.4)	1.9	.9	53 (19.3)
8. Arrange subtle adjustments for the child (e.g., give him/her their own written assignments; give the work plan on the desk).	153 (55.6)	1.9	1.0	75 (27.3)
9. Meet the child outside the classroom in advance of class to prepare/remind him/her what is going to happen.	143 (52.0)	1.8	1.0	76 (27.6)
10. Allow the child not being verbally active during group work.	135 (49.1)	.8	.9	47 (17.1)
11. Give the child the opportunity to write a log/personal message to me as a teacher.	109 (39.6)	1.8	1.1	115 (41.8)
12. Allow the child stay inside during recess.	84 (30.5)	.4	.7	58 (21.1)
13. Have an arrangement with the child that an adult meets him/her at the school entrance before the school day begins.	76 (27.6)	1.6	1.2	128 (46.5)

Note: Response options: 0 = not useful; 1 = kind of useful; 2 = quite useful; 3 = very useful.

DK = Don’t know.

Table 5. Frequencies of reported use and rated means, SD and ‘Don’t know- responses’ of usefulness of whole class strategies (n = 275).

Strategies		Ratings of Usefulness
	Frequency of Use (%)	M	SD	DK (%)
1. Be clear about which expectations/rules apply to social behavior in class	271 (98.5)	2.6	.67	1 (0.4)
2. Prioritize to move around in class to observe what is happening and maintain contact with pupils	267 (97.1)	2.6	.65	5 (1.8)
3. Teach social skills in class	267 (97.1)	2.6	.70	4 (1.5)
4. Have conversations with the class about time spent in recess	265 (96.4)	2.5	.68	7 (2.5)
5. Talk openly about (the teachers) personal experiences to normalize difficult feelings and thoughts	226 (82.2)	2.3	.79	30 (10.9)
6. Usually use more interactive teaching methods and group work than full-class blackboard teaching	210 (76.4)	2.0	.93	45 (16.4)
7. Accentuate individual achievements at school in class	149 (54.2)	1.4	1.1	66 (24.0)

Note: Response options: 0 = not useful; 1 = kind of useful; 2 = quite useful; 3 = very useful.

DK = Don’t know.

Table 6. Frequencies and Chi-Square results for class size, grade level and teachers experience on use of strategies with the domains.

Domain	Strategies (abbreviated)	Class Size		χ^2 (1, n = 267)		phi
		≤ 15 students (%)	≥16 students (%)
Whole Class	Accentuate individual achievements	31.4	59.3	11.82*		.220
		Grade Level		χ^2 (1, n = 275)		phi
		Grades 1–4 (%)	Grades 5–7 (%)
Social	Make plans for the recess	74.5	48.5	18.645*		-.268
		Teacher Experience
		< 5 years (%)	5–10 years (%)	> 10 years (%)	χ^2(2, n = 275)	Cramer’s V
Oral	Give prepared question	58.5	72.5	81.3	11.546**	.205
	Practice in one-on-one setting	45.3	39.2	64.3	13.114**	.218
	Give text to be read in advance	50.9	56.9	75.4	14.108**	.227

*p ≤ .007 using Bonferroni correction. **p ≤ .006 using Bonferroni correction.

Table 7. Independent-samples t-tests for class size and grade level, and ANOVA for teacher experience means of usefulness of strategies.

Domain	Strategy (abbreviated)
		Class Size
		≤ 15 students	≥16 students	t (df)		p	η^2
		M (SD)	M (SD)
Whole Class	Accentuate individual achievements	.82 (.91)	1.49 (1.04)	3.468 (201)		< .001*	.06
		Grade Level
		Grades 1–4	Grades 5–7
		M (SD)	M (SD)
Social	Make plans for the recess	2.13 (.999)	1.65 (1.12)	3.287 (188)		< .001*	.05
Anxiety	Adult meets student at the entrance	1.82 (1.11)	1.22 (1.84)	3.147 (145)		< .001***	.06
		Teacher Experience			F (df)	p	η^2
		< 5 years	5–10 years	> 10 years
		M (SD)	M (SD)	M (SD)
Oral	Organize loud reading activities	1.36 (1.1)	1.74 (1.04)	2.05 (1.03)	7.48 (2, 219)	< .001**	.06
	Defined roles/tasks during group work	1.84 (.92)	1.87 (.83)	2.31 (.80)	8.001 (2, 224)	< .001**	.07
Anxiety	More frequent contact with parents	2.23 (.83)	1.87 (.89)	2.34 (.72)	6.601 (2, 247)	.002***	.05

*p ≤ .007 using Bonferroni correction. **p ≤ .006 using Bonferroni correction. ***p ≤ .004 using Bonferroni correction

The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. (2021). Fakta om grunnskolen 2021-22 [Facts about Norwegian Education]. Retrieved May 2, 2022 from https://www.udir.no/tall-og-forskning/statistikk/statistikk-grunnskole/analyser/fakta-om-grunnskolen/larertetthet/

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