The new teacher and discipline factors

Abstract

Discipline is closely linked to the teaching profession. The article focuses on factors affecting discipline in teaching while also specifying the terminology for the concept of discipline in new teachers and defining teacher expectations in achieving discipline in a methodological classification according to research conducted using the Q-methodology. The aim of this paper is to specify the factors that influence discipline in the lessons of new teachers and also to analyse the extent to which teachers are aware of these factors. Since new teachers do not have so much experience in their jobs, they occasionally make mistakes that have a major impact on the perceived importance of discipline. These errors include, for example, dealing with the unruly behaviour of pupils in lessons. Discipline is the order that is necessary for students to learn effectively. Using the outcomes from the Q-methodology survey, we answer current concepts of discipline among new teachers, which involved 46 individuals who used statements to define their own thoughts on discipline relevant to their work. The topic of teacher authority is covered extensively in the academic literature, including a number of books providing good practical information and tips; however, there is a lack of professional publications on factors influencing discipline in education, as these factors have not been explored in detail. The findings of the research investigation are the output of Q-sorting and correlations for the construction of interpretations of discipline in the professional preparation of new teachers.

Keywords:

• discipline
• Q-methodology
• new teacher
• factor analysis
• influencing discipline in the educational process

1. Introduction

Discipline is nowadays a very often discussed phenomenon. We meet this phenomenon not only in the family background or at work, but most often at schools. It is clear that not only teachers but also pupils or family members come across this term. It is a common problem that a teacher cannot establish and maintain discipline in the classroom or school. This issue mainly concerns the beginning teachers who do not have much experience. Their colleagues, who are already experienced, have many years of practice and are experts in their field, might help beginning teachers with this problem. However, this is not always the case. It is true that even an expert teacher may have difficulty establishing and maintaining discipline in the classroom, but this situation is rare because the expert teacher, as opposed to a beginning teacher, already knows how to proceed in developing and maintaining discipline in the classroom. If we talk about the procedures, principles and various recommendations concerning discipline, its construction and maintenance, there is a number of publications dealing with these topics. However, no one has yet addressed the detailed causes of this undisciplined behaviour of the pupils. Results of the research conducted between 2019–2020 (Buchtová, 2020) shows that there are specific factors that affect discipline in the classroom and at school, however, these factors are not further worked on. It is quite obvious that future teachers, i.e. students of faculties of education, lack the practical part of teaching in most cases and the teaching is rather theoretical. It would be more than effective and desirable for future teachers to be able to work with the identified factors that affect teaching discipline, thus avoiding some of the problems for beginning teachers, who sometimes find it really difficult to build and maintain discipline in the classroom when they do not know effective strategies. In the text below, we will focus on the beginning teachers and their subjective perception of discipline. This subjective idea is the result of a research survey in 2020, when we worked with previously researched factors that affect discipline in teaching.

2. The concept of discipline

In the educational process, the teacher should have the necessary knowledge to direct and manage their activities. The teacher is expected to have the necessary knowledge and awareness of the means of achieving discipline to ensure a functional educational process. This group includes planning and maintaining and controlling classroom discipline. Discipline is an important prerequisite not only for the functioning of the school classroom, but also for the functioning of society as a whole. This area is very challenging for both teachers with many years of experience and, especially, for new teachers or student teachers, i.e. future teachers. However, new teachers do not deal expressly with this topic, only when a specific problem arises. Czech-Slovak experts who have dealt with discipline include UHER (1924), Kolář (1999), and Bendl (2004), and Chudý and Neumeister (2014). Of the foreign authors writing on this subject, the one who is most cited in the Czech Republic is Kyriacou (1996).

One of the oldest definitions of discipline, according to UHER (1924, p. 23), defines the issue of discipline in terms of general social functionality as: “Discipline is either voluntary or forced submission to an individual or to a particular society, to a particular authority, to a particular order, either freely chosen or externally imposed.” Using this definition and with a sociological overlap within the teacher’s perception, Uher defines discipline as manifested not only in the school classroom, but also in the sociological concept of criminal elements, e.g., Uher metaphorically refers to discipline and its effects on a supposed “band of robbers” or in the behaviour of a moral person.

Compared to another author who discusses discipline, Rotterová (1973, p. 47), who provides a definition of discipline as follows, we find some indication of discipline to direct the process, where the activity stems from the teacher’s effort to prevent the spread of the emerging source of a problem: “Old-school discipline is usually defined by efforts to suppress and break the student’s will, ordering, restraining, and punishing the individual.”

Following the transformation of educational-psychological approaches after 2000, we find the most prominent definition of discipline to be that of Bendl (2004, p. 23), who refers to discipline as “[…] conscious adherence to specified norms of behaviour.” This static definition means conscious respect for rules, regulations, or provisions, as well as conscious submission to social norms. According to Bendl (2004, p. 23), we include the word “[…] conscious” on the list because it is important that one is aware of the norms, that one knows them and knows what behaviour is required of oneself. Bendl’s (2011, p. 35) perception of school discipline speaks of “[…] conscious adherence to school rules and guidelines set by teachers.” Even though there are many definitions of discipline from different authors, we consider the list of definitions selected above to be of key importance to this article.

3. Interpretation of discipline

In most schools, distinctions are made between insubordination, which can escalate into bullying. Insubordination in this case means insolence, vulgarity and also the uncooperative behaviour of pupils. Procedurally, disciplining is merely a transfer of power on the part of the teacher and the subject of education, i.e. the learner or participant in the educational interaction. Bendl (2011, p. 37) defines the means of the educational process as follows: “In contrast to the earlier concept of discipline as a means of restricting the child’s freedom, discipline is now understood as a means of controlling oneself. Discipline acquires its interpretation by connotations in context, such as the concepts of authority, order, prohibition, regime, and duty.” This author also provides an interpretation of discipline in his publication. In order to further understand what we can imagine by the term discipline, the following broad definition according to Bendl (2011), which relates to different areas, will serve us:

• The function of discipline — encompassing the sense of protecting not only students but also teachers. There is a re-interpretation here, in the sense that discipline is not only the basis for effective learning, but also a condition for learning to take place at all. It also guarantees the safety of pupils and teachers at school.

• The content of discipline — we include obedience and internal discipline. We also distinguish between passive and active discipline. By passive discipline, we can imagine, for example, a student who follows the rules, is disciplined, and fulfils their duties, but does not stand up for a friend when a problem arises. By active discipline, we imagine a student who also follows the rules and the school code and is obedient, but also helps a friend who has a problem and thus helps to build discipline and decency in the school or classroom.

• Responsibility for the discipline of pupils — the educational function of the school, where we abandon the view that the school teaches and the family raises. Many teachers believe that it is their job to teach students equations and rules and to prepare them for entrance exams, not to teach them decency, order, and discipline. In this case, some parents even think that the school and teachers are there to make decent people out of the students.

• The goal of discipline — here we include self-discipline. The list is not exhaustive and self-discipline has a long-term overlap in lifelong learning. There is a shift from the values of earlier times (1968–2000) in the emphasis on self-control, self-discipline, self-education and responsibility for one’s behaviour, one’s life and one’s own destiny. This shift lies in the impossibility of transferring responsibility for one’s life to someone else, i.e. that one must learn to take care of oneself.

• Establishment of standards of discipline — this means the participation of pupils in the school rules. Whereas in the past the school principal would set school rules, today pupils and legal representatives can also participate in some way through democratically elected bodies. This pupil participation in school rules occurs through the institution of student government, which contributes liberally to more satisfactory outcomes in the participatory process, with the assumption being that if students make the rules themselves, they will be better able to follow them, which, after all, is the main point of legislation.

• Methods and didactic approaches in the process of discipline — the given methods and didactic approaches contribute to student discipline. We can include here project-based learning, drama education, cooperative learning, etc. In addition to rewards and punishments, prohibitions, orders and threats, precisely those teaching methods and organisational forms that lead to discipline, tolerance and obedience are used.

• Discipline and its influence on the development of the individual — it can be stated that education leads to discipline through a long-term process. Building healthy discipline is essentially a “long haul” — a never-ending process.

With this reinterpretation of discipline, the reader can imagine what discipline means to us terminologically, in what areas discipline develops and what its meaning is.

4. Beginner teacher

In the classroom, the cornerstones are not only the pupils, but also the teacher himself/herself. In order for pupils to adhere to discipline, not only their right attitudes are necessary, but also a teacher who will try to establish discipline and rules for pupils. It is necessary to point out that the teacher is one of the factors that affects the education. We state that all the changes that lead to the correction of the classroom lie in the role of the teacher, his/her willingness, the approach to the pupils, the teacher’s personality and also the working methods that the teacher uses. Furthermore, these reforms depend on the skills of the teacher and on his/her education (Šimoník, 1995).

Under the term teacher, we can imagine a person who teaches pupils. Furthermore, we can imagine a person who represents the authority of pupils and directs their teaching. According to the pedagogical dictionary (2013, p. 326), we can define teachers as follows: “In general, a person who encourages and directs the learning of other people, an educator. One of the main actors in the educational process, a professionally qualified pedagogical worker who carries out the teaching profession.” It is clear that a beginning teacher differs from a teacher — professional. According to Šimoník (1995, p. 9), we can define a beginning teacher as follows: “A teacher in the first school year of his/her pedagogical activity can be described as a beginning teacher. The first year of school is a year of confrontation of the young teacher’s ideas and ideals with often challenging facts, a year of confrontation of his/her training with the actual performance of the profession, confrontation between theory and practice.” Next definition by Podlahová (2004, p. 14) says that: “Young, inexperienced, immature, not yet mastering all working techniques and procedures. Or as promising, enthusiastic, hopeful. Basically, a beginning teacher is someone who has the relevant university education and pedagogical qualifications, but he/she lacks pedagogical experience, he/she is at the beginning of his/her career.” CHUDÝ and Neumeister (2014) says that the beginning teacher usually has a problem with pupils’ discipline. He/she also usually cannot estimate what he/she can or cannot afford. Chudý and Neumeister (2014) discusses that a beginning teacher cannot work with rewards and punishments at all, not only towards students, but also towards himself/herself. CHUDÝ and Neumeister (2014) also talks about the beginning teacher in a way that the beginning teacher can be defined as a professional who has a qualification in educational activities, but does not fulfil his/her ideas about the educational reality. He further defines a beginning teacher as a person who has basic pedagogical qualities.

CHUDÝ and Neumeister (2014) in his publication illustrates the model of the stages of professional growth, that of the DREYFUS and DREYFUS (1986) brothers. Just the Dreyfus brothers compiled probably the most comprehensive classification of the teacher’s career path. The Dreyfus brothers model consists of five stages. These stages include the following:

• Beginning teacher—they refer to him as a novice teacher, that is a complete beginner.

• An experienced beginner—they refer to him as an advanced beginning teacher a teacher who has already gathered some experience.

• Competent teacher—a competent teacher, the teacher is at the beginning of his career, but has at least 3 years of experience.

• Expert—proficient teacher, the teacher is an expert in his profession and has approximately 5 years of experience and more.

• Expert—expert teacher—this is a teacher, who is an expert in his field, who has more like 10 years of experience.

Since many authors differentiate the length of experience for a beginning teacher, the authors of this article work with the term beginning teacher, who has been in their first job for the first 5 years.

5. A beginning teacher at the start of the career

The teacher’s career path is evolving under the influence of certain phases. In short, a beginner teacher does not immediately become a professional teacher. We will now focus on some of the beginning teacher’s problems he or she may face. It is really clear that today there is a big discrepancy between school preparation and reality, i.e. the practice that the teacher enters. High demands are placed not only on professional teachers, but also on beginning teachers.

Today, beginning teachers have a rather special place among engineers, lawyers and other university graduates. “This specificity is given by the fact that the beginning teacher is required to perform all the duties that belong to the teacher from the first day of school. While in other professions the complexity of tasks increases gradually, the teacher experiences a ‘professional hit’ and has to deal immediately, with a number of more or less complicated educational situations. This is one of the reasons, why the activities of beginning teachers are accompanied by a number of mistakes” (ŠIMONÍK, 1995, p. 8). Šimoník talks about the fact that there should be greater effort of all those who participate in the training of future teachers and cooperate with beginning teachers. Nowadays, we can often hear the opinion that the teacher has everything simple and easier than other experts in their field. However, this view is superficial, simplistic and incompetent.

Beginning teachers have a number of problems, they are also disappointed in their expectations and have many comments on training at the faculties that prepare future teachers. At work, beginning teachers are aware of the shortcomings they face. It’s a myriad of problems. However, to solve these problems is more challenging for them than for their colleagues who are older and more experienced, already have some proven techniques and can anticipate some problems and prepare for them. More experienced fellow beginning teachers are also more agile. It is also quite clear that beginning teachers have to make a much bigger effort and need more time than an experienced teacher. ŠIMONÍK (1995, p. 11) speaks as follows: “The professional shortcomings and difficulties of beginning teachers cannot be overlooked or overestimated. Even in teaching, the young person, as in other fields, ‘completes’ only in practice, continues to search, test, discover, refine and develop professionally.” However, according to JESENSKÁ (1986) to overcome the difficulties that a beginning teacher has, his/her active commitment, effort and creation of the necessary professional conditions are needed. ŠIMONÍK (1995) also talks about the fact that, on the contrary, not all beginning teachers have problems at the beginning of their career. These teachers, who are considered exceptions, have the premise, meaning and extraordinary sense of teaching. Furthermore, everything depends on the character of the teacher and the level of intelligence. (MACIASZEK, 1974-1975, p. 303).

We have to state that there is a change of roles for a beginning teacher. In this case, it is in such a way that the listener, i.e. the pupil, becomes a teacher who is to lead others responsibly, systematically develop the pupils and evaluate them. It is also a matter of course, that sometimes a beginning teacher has behaviours that draw him to his/her peers, that is, to his pupils than to the older members of the teaching staff. “He/she finds himself/herself in a situation, where he/she is forced to correct his or her views on dress, behaviour and expression to a greater or lesser extent, because the standard by which teachers are judged in society is much stricter than in other professions and disrespecting this has negative consequences not only for teachers, but also for the whole school.” (ŠIMONÍK, 1995, p. 15). It is also common knowledge that a beginning teacher cannot identify with the teaching staff of which he or she has become a member immediately upon arrival at work. Many new things are expected from a beginning teacher, such as new non-traditional approaches, methods, elements and a kind of “enrichment”. However, not every beginning teacher can meet this expectation from society.

6. Factors influencing discipline

Factors are assigned to a certain phenomenon in the educational process. It is central to a narrower definition to incorporate the results of an earlier investigation carried out in the Czech Republic in 2018–2019 and further followed up in 2019–2020 in an international research study, in which a comparison of the outputs provided answers to the lack of a fundamental factor terminology transferable for the needs of inclusion into the professional preparation of future teachers in faculties of education.

The research, which focused on factors affecting discipline, was developed further. A questionnaire survey conducted in 2019 aimed to answer and clarify the existence of specific factors that influence discipline in teaching. The research produced statistically processed data that responded to the fact that when dealing with discipline teachers select, for example, the need to teach with regularity and consistency in the transmission of information and ensuring discipline. Ideas about discipline are procedurally embedded in teachers’ activities. It should be noted here that the research sample used for the factor selection was new teachers with up to five years of experience (CHUDÝ & Neumeister, 2014). Considering the results obtained from the reliability analysis of each scale of the questionnaire, which was the research instrument for the above research in 2018–2019, critical factors were identified. These factors have been named as follows below and will be treated in the following sections of this paper as key to our interpretations of discipline in the research investigation of the propositional set used for the Q-methodology.

The new critical factors were then defined in greater detail in the ongoing research and served as the basis for the Q-typology of a new research survey in 2021. We present the results of the Q-sorting in more detail in the following paper. The respondents were asked to selectively sort statements compiled on the basis of the factors and express their subjective impressions of the aforementioned perceptions of discipline in new teachers in their professional training (on the basis of accredited education at universities). During their professional training, future teachers are systematically prepared for a career as a teacher, which begins after entering teaching practice for five years in employment. The meta-output of the given formulated idea of the instrument that was constructed was 60 categorical statements, which were used in software with distribution among new teachers in primary schools in the Olomouc Region. By means of the above research investigation, a typology was defined and subsequent analysis yielded a step-by-step anchoring of discipline and related construction processes in teaching from the experience of new teachers.

7. Methodology

The methodological procedure was anchored using a modified Q-methodology. Statements play an important role and are then sorted by individuals into a customised Q-matrix. Our modified Q-matrix was atypical in that we decided to experimentally extend the matrix to a six-scaled mirror-horizontal scale of six positive and negative values for better targeting and to prevent fragmentation and possible generalised outcomes. Neutrality was marked by a zero-centred coefficient that arbitrarily broke the position of the positive and negative axes of the Q-matrix. The neutrality of statements incorporated into the midpoint was considered less significant at the expense of subjectively defined statements for scale variables within the two-axis span.

The Q-methodology was used to conduct a survey of new teachers from primary schools in the Olomouc Region known to cooperate with the Faculty of Education at Palacký University in Olomouc, but which do not necessarily meet the criteria for a faculty school. The respondents who took part in the research are beginning teachers who work in their first job and their experience does not exceed 5 years. They teach at primary school—International Standard Classification of Education level 1 (30%), these teachers are generally approbated and at lower secondary school—International Standard Classification of Education level 2 (70%) these teachers are specified approbated (e.g., mathematics subjects, physics subjects, science subjects, grammar subjects etc.). The individuals were presented with a set of 60 statements concerning discipline and other terms related to discipline. The highlighted statements in the defined matrix categorically anchor the factors necessary for Q-sorting. The Q-sorting process is correctly performed only if the formulated statements are properly sorted in each column according to the distributed matrix in the research survey. The standard is −4 and +4 or −5 and +5 matrix typology, but it is not binding and dogmatic. The criterion for evaluating the factor analysis that emerged from our Q-investigation refers to the methodological approach of COOGAN and HERRINGTON (2011). The respondents were asked to rank these statements according to the importance of their subjective understanding in a prepared matrix (Figure 1).

Figure 1. The matrix concept of Q-methodology of respondents

By rating these statements, the respondents expressed their opinion on the importance of the awareness of factors that have an impact on discipline in the classroom. The individual positions of the Q-types (ibid consensus values) from left to right were assigned a score. The position of a statement on the left means that the statement is not vitally important to the respondent. If the respondent placed their statement on the far right, they considered the statement most important, while the middle column of statements indicates a neutral attitude towards the statement on the part of the respondent. As we proceeded, we gained information about how new teachers view and evaluate the statements presented on each Q-type (CHRÁSKA, 2007). Because of pandemic measures, electronic distribution of the modified matrix was used for efficient processing of the research; individual teachers had access according to an active link that was generated. After closure, the sorting was analysed using the software utility KADE (BANASICK, 2019), which is based on the PQMethod kernel (SCHMOLCK, 2014–2021). In this way, we obtained the data presented below.

8. Results

The findings in the area of new teachers’ subjective perceptions of the importance of discipline were surprising. The factor of discipline and the process of discipline that impacts on the effectiveness of the learning process is underlined by many other sub-factors that correlate together and the single output of Q-sorting cannot be regarded as central. First and foremost, there is the importance of the institutional setting of the norm within the discipline. The teacher also works with the assumption that discipline is the expected behaviour of the student within the norm that is given. Here, however, this view is slightly skewed by the naivety of the teacher, who calculates the prediction of reasoning in the immature individual against their teaching and personal experiences as an adult, where, from a position of authority, the teacher has a more dominant position in the educational process.

Hypotheses on the importance of discipline related to the prediction of authoritative significance in the work of the teacher were more precisely achieved using centroid factor extraction; see, THURSTONE (1947), GORSUCH (2014), and SCHMOLCK (2014–2021). Varimax rotation helped to simplify the resulting data analysis and provided answers in the areas of establishing discipline and the predictive behaviour of the new teacher and their performance, while also shedding light on the relationship of the authoritative focus of discipline in teaching.

Reliability for the factor of dichotomous correlation in terms of Q-sorting of individual statements for the sample under study yielded an above-average value for F₁: 0.992 and 0.981 for F_2; therefore the individual factors undoubtedly meet the condition for incorporating further advanced processing (table 1).

Table 1. Factor composite reliability

Factor Characteristics
	Factor 1	Factor 2
No. of Defining Variables	31	13
Avg. Rel. Coef.	0.8	0.8
Composite Reliability	0.992	0.981
S.E. of Factor Z-scores	0.089	0.138

The output of the statement typology was defined by the new teachers according to their preferences in individual classifications; here we attempted to define a typology which, when compared with the factor analysis of individual decisions, yielded a typology of perceptions of discipline as:

1. Liberals—they do not have defined rules, they do not deal with the observance of discipline,

2. Institutionalists—organize the whole class, make sure rules are followed, are friendly, often discipline verbally,

3. Authoritarians—they have clearly defined rules, an emphasis on discipline and strict enforcement of rules,

4. Methodologists—they try to create new rules and make sure they are followed,

5. Voice regulators and methodologists—verbally discipline students to maintain discipline in the classroom, create new rules,

6. Disciplinarians focused on the resulting efficiency of the transmission—they focus on the effectiveness of the disciplinary process.

From the factual analysis, we focused mainly on the resulting antipole values beyond the theoretically rational distribution. The relevant distribution and inter-variance are summarised below in the table. For us, the consistently important factors were those with coefficients above a significant level of the mean value, which we set using a Z-test above >0.5. The lower values and their significance in terms of the observed statements cannot be ignored because these statements are not significant in this two-factor comparison and did not imply their rejection. On the contrary, we have discussed them further in the individual exploration below in the finding of the individual dichotomies between the authority-oriented typologies falling into disciplinarians using the methods.

From the above-average coefficients according to the established interpretive marker in Q-sorting, we infer that the new teacher’s view contains a perception of assertiveness as in the statement [36]: ‘[…] assertiveness, rigour and humour are associated with the confident behaviour of the teacher.” The new teacher does not make excessive demands on the profession; therefore, the output of assertive action is important for them in practice and the causality of indiscipline and possible radical intervention in the relationship or interaction in the educational process towards the student rationally leads to a friendly approach according to the statement [50], which underlines the attitude among new teachers to prefer to prevent a lack of discipline by their personal approach at the expense of necessarily taking control of a situation that has escalated and proceeding to disciplinary action as in statement [56] “[.] discipline by verbal commands must be clear, understandable and unambiguous”. The assertiveness of action stems from the traits of the new teacher, which are quite individual and not susceptible to influence. However, in the case of relations with the pupil, we find a gradual relationality, where pupils are able to appreciate the teacher’s strict approach only on the condition that it is justified in relation to the behaviour that the pupil normatively violates and the teacher prevents the escalation of the phenomenon by this intervention (discipline). New teachers have the achievement of discipline set too theoretically to the point of being impractical, where [57] “[… The] achievement of discipline is challenging for teachers”. The difficulty can be interpreted in relation to an optimal utopian vision that discipline backed by institutional support according to a set normative and regulatory framework will contribute to a false sense of achieving the implicit value of discipline per se, but the new teacher has to contend with a lack of knowledge of what means are ideal for managing discipline as such, which leads only to oral discipline.

Verbal instruction is an available tool that every beginning teacher puts into practice, provided that the individualisation of instruction within the framework of vocal intonation contributes to improving the effectiveness of the teaching process while also limiting an increase in negative behaviour: [56] “[…] the maintenance of discipline through verbal commands, prohibitions and references to school rules should be used minimally”. New teachers expect that the delegated responsibility for the order that governs the school will function and influence the process of discipline as a binding norm, but it must be noted that in such a case this normative application of the school instrument may end up being a mere expectation and the new teacher will learn more advanced techniques for dealing with discipline. This key factor is interesting in that the advanced techniques are not known to teachers because they are learned as they gain experience. However, new teachers reach the tentative conclusion that authority defined by a lifetime of experience does not affect discipline. So how do teachers cope? The output shows a phenomenon in which the new teacher is attentive to the theoretical concept of utopian discipline, where their knowledge base from their professional training at university may not fully reflect expectations in practice [60] “[…] the teacher builds authority through responsibility to their own profession”.

To summarise, we present our key findings. The new teacher perceives discipline as an output of the norm that is anchored in the school rules of the given institution. This theoretical expectation runs up against the irrationality of the principle in that teachers naturally conceive of institutional discipline as the norm and naively expect absolute discipline from students. In disciplining and reprimanding, teachers choose an instrumental approach in the methods used, which usually end up with the basic one, namely the oral method of directing through shouting, a stern vocal stance and various vocal intonations to direct the situation or action (table 2).

Table 2. Factor Q-sort values for statements sorted by consensus vs. disagreement

Factor Q-sort Values for Statements sorted by Consensus vs. Disagreement
Nm	Statement	Factor 1	Factor 2	Z-score variance
6	The teacher sets the class rules together with the students and these rules are then followed and understood by everyone.	4	4	0
17	The teacher should be empathetic and aware of the mental condition of the students.	3	3	0
37	The teacher should be creative and able to organise lessons well and in an interesting way for the students.	0	0	0
13	Students are influenced by their family environment and learned behavioural patterns.	4	3	0.001
15	The social environment has an impact on discipline.	−1	−1	0.002
49	If a student disrupts the class, the teacher should reprimand that student by name.	−3	−4	0.002
51	Strictness is associated with respect—teachers who are too friendly often lose respect.	−4	−5	0.002
5	The teacher’s natural authority is closely linked to the teacher’s overall personality and self-reflection.	4	5	0.003
11	Discipline is influenced not only by the teacher but by the overall atmosphere in the classroom and the group of students.	3	3	0.003
40	The teacher should be able to admit their mistakes.	0	0	0.003
2	The teacher must be able to create an atmosphere in the classroom in which the students enjoy working.	6	6	0.006
3	The teacher should take the needs of individual students into account.	3	3	0.006
30	The teacher maintains discipline and safety in the classroom through appropriate verbal instructions.	−1	−2	0.006
7	The unruly behaviour of some students is associated with the need to draw attention to themselves.	3	2	0.007
12	The teacher should not shout at children to resolve a conflict.	2	2	0.007
45	The teacher should have the necessary pedagogical knowledge and skills.	−1	0	0.007
10	The teacher should have at least a basic understanding of child psychology.	5	4	0.011
47	The teacher should understand why a particular student acts in an undisciplined manner.	−2	−2	0.011
35	Teachers should continue to educate themselves throughout their careers.	−1	−2	0.014
39	The teacher must continually grow and develop their skills.	−1	−3	0.014
20	If a student shows undisciplined behaviour and is not punished, it will affect the behaviour of other students.	2	2	0.022
33	The teacher must be able to respond appropriately to a particular situation.	0	−2	0.025
16	Friends and surroundings have a great influence on the student’s behaviour.	1	1	0.026
41	Age affects the teacher’s authority.	−6	−6	0.03
8	The teacher creates a positive atmosphere in the classroom through mutual cooperation with the students.	5	5	0.032
44	In order to get to know the students, teachers should get to know themselves first.	−2	−4	0.044
19	The environment of the classroom plays an important role in maintaining discipline.	0	1	0.049
38	The teacher should be capable of self-reflection and be open to feedback from students.	0	−1	0.049
43	Children share more with communicative teachers.	−3	−4	0.051
9	If the students find out that a teacher is not strict enough, they will quickly take advantage of this.	4	2	0.066
53	When assigning tasks, the teacher always clearly states the goal and how to achieve it.	−2	−4	0.066
42	The teacher gains authority through model behaviour.	−1	0	0.067
23	The teacher should also follow the school regulations and set an example for the students.	1	0	0.072
27	If the teacher gives a verbal instruction, they must insist that it is followed.	0	−1	0.072
4	The teacher should not get carried away by their emotions.	1	−1	0.082
18	The teacher must motivate students and punish them fairly for violating discipline.	2	1	0.086
34	The teacher should be capable of self-control.	1	0	0.089
29	If school regulations are breached, it is necessary to make sure that the student understands the nature of such an offence.	0	−3	0.098
31	Not all teachers have the pedagogical skills to maintain their authority in the classroom.	−1	−3	0.104
1	The teacher must strive to make sure that the students have good relationships with each other.	2	4	0.106
48	Thoughtful and planned teaching influences classroom discipline.	−2	0	0.106
55	The teacher’s authority should not be enforced through punishment.	−2	−5	0.121
25	The student must know the consequences of not following instructions or prohibitions.	2	1	0.123
46	Motivation is always based on rewards and punishment.	−5	−5	0.123
52	It is necessary to find the ideal line between strictness and kindness.	−3	−1	0.134
28	School regulations are mandatory for the students, and the teacher must not overlook any offences.	1	−2	0.194
14	Lack of sleep causes irritability, inattention and a lack of focus in both the teacher and students.	1	−2	0.271
54	The teacher’s strictness should be based on fairness and consistency.	−3	0	0.282
32	Teachers’ authority should not be achieved by force.	0	−3	0.331
24	The teacher should make sure that students understand the instructions.	1	−3	0.345
26	School regulations are common rules, i.e. boundaries respected by students and teachers alike.	2	−1	0.403
22	All students must be acquainted with the school regulations and follow them.	5	1	0.58
21	Verbal instructions should be clear, understandable and unambiguous.	3	−1	0.654
60	The teacher builds authority with students by respecting their own profession.	−4	1	0.721
56	Explicit commands, prohibitions and references to school regulations should be used as seldom as possible in maintaining discipline.	−5	1	0.752
58	The teacher should take the student’s personality into account when resolving disciplinary issues.	−4	2	0.979
59	If the teacher is fair, the students are able to respect the teacher’s strictness.	−3	4	1.15
57	Maintaining discipline in the classroom is very challenging for a new teacher.	−5	2	1.192
50	The teacher should be both strict and friendly.	−4	3	1.337
36	The teacher should be assertive, fair and strict, have a sense of humour and act confidently.	−2	5	2.133

The factorial curvature for the distribution of each statement was evaluated according to the software calculation in KADE. The individual factors were distributed within VARIMAX and the model that emerged from the analysis reflects the fact that the discipline factor, with new teachers ranking the statements, emerged as significant. To do this, we used two vector comparisons of factor analysis. The first control evaluation of the factor analysis yielded F₁ significance: 16.43 > F₆ 0.22; for the second control evaluation of factor analysis we find a significance relationship F₁: 17.05 > F₆ 0.1.74, distribution σ = 0.62. (table 3) When compared with other, if not equally important, factors for the work of a new teacher, we find a diametric opposite in the analysis, and such declines were not expected in the presumption (table 4). Assuming that the new teacher establishes authoritative pressure on the students through their personal approach to teaching, the teacher does not expect a downright “miracle” in this dichotomy of discipline and authority to help optimally resolve student discipline. It is not unusual for a new teacher to work with the subjective notion that authority over students is unchanging in terms of ageing and gaining experience as a new teacher.

Table 3. Factor vector analysis 1

Table 4. Factor vector analysis 2

9. Conclusion

The new teachers with up to five years of experience who participated in the Q-methodology-based research survey sorted the statements they considered subjectively important and unimportant for their career paths from their current position into a modified matrix. The actual adjusted Q-matrix and subsequent Q-sorting were statistically evaluated using correlation and furthermore using factor and vector analysis, which yielded accurate targeting using the KADE software. Discipline is important from the position of a new teacher, but the new teacher most often uses basic methods for discipline, i.e. mostly only oral forms of directing discipline using vocal intonation, shouting and possibly raising their voice in an individual approach to students. A friendly atmosphere that prevents a lack of discipline is crucial for new teachers. As teachers take different approaches to preventing a lack of discipline, from the research we have identified the following typology of how novice teachers most often apply and perceive discipline in their work as: liberals, institutionalists, authoritarians, methodologists, vocal regulators, and disciplinarians focused on the resulting efficiency of transmission. We find a major shortcoming in the fact that the new teacher continues to possess only basic knowledge of discipline and has no opportunity to expand their discipline practices and information. An appropriate measure would be to introduce additional training offers for new teachers at faculties of education, where they would have the opportunity to apply in model situations the approaches that are central to their professional careers in terms of the factors identified in our research. Discipline is not a phenomenon that can be handled without authority, but here the new teachers are almost dismissive of the fact that authority is not related to age or experience. This surprising finding leads to the assumption that the new teacher prefers to expect the institutional anchoring of discipline within the normative framework of the school regulations, but does not anticipate that the delegated responsibility of their agency and personality could also have a significant impact on their teaching in terms of discipline. The dichotomy of discipline and authority in new teachers is an essential function of the educational process and the effectiveness of the transmission of educational content. Individual factors will then be carefully monitored and in the current situation we are considering taking the radical step of introducing the possibility of further training for experienced teachers, but also especially for new teachers in tandem with other courses that students of a lifelong course at the Faculty of Education can take and expand their understanding of the implications of discipline in their daily work.

Statements and declaration

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Jiří Kropáč, Tereza Buchtová and Štefan Chudý. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Tereza Buchtová and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

No funding was received for conducting this study. All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no direct funding for this research.