Title: Exploring Beginning Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Management
Abstract: Background: Studies show that beginning teachers’ beliefs on classroom management is correlated to their classroom management competence. To empower them when faced with potential classroom management challenges, researchers suggest that by assessing teachers’ own classroom management with the Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control Inventory and helping them to build up appropriate beliefs thereafter was a viable means. Despite much research in the West, little research, however, has been conducted in the Asian context. This study is the first study conducted in exploring Singaporean secondary school beginning teachers’ beliefs on classroom management. Aims: This study aims to explore beginning teachers’ beliefs on classroom management jointly through their own and mentors’ self-reports. Sample: The participants consisted of 41 beginning teachers and 13 of their mentors. Method: The ABCC-R survey was administered to beginning teachers and their mentors. Responses were analyzed using a qualitative approach. Moreover, beginning teachers’ interview data on their classroom management beliefs and practices was also analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Singaporean beginning teachers seemed to be control-oriented on all three dimensions (people, instruction, and behavior management). They reported that their secondary students need supervision in the classroom learning. They believed that teachers’ use of intervention instead of interactionist strategies is the key to effective classroom management. It was also found that these teachers and mentors report slightly differing views on beginning teachers’ classroom management beliefs. Conclusion: By exploring teachers’ perception of classroom management beliefs from various data sources simultaneously, this study provides more insights into the characteristics of Singapore beginning teachers’ classroom management approaches. Such findings offer valuable feedback for teacher training programs on how to improve their curriculum to assist beginning teachers building up appropriate beliefs. Mentors’ perceptions provide a worthwhile reference for our understanding of beginning teachers’ classroom management beliefs.
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 6
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot