Special Education Perspectives. Volume 8, Number I, pp.3~15, 1999
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DEALING WITH PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR IN YOUNG CHILDREN: TEACHER USE AND PREFERENCES FOR RESOURCES AND SUPPORT Jennifer Stephenson Ken Linfoot Andrew Martin University of Western Sydney, Nepean
ABSTRACT The management ofproblem behaviour in young school children presents difficulties for many teachers ofKindergarten, YearOne and YearTwo classes. A survey of 130 teachers in 21 primary schools in western Sydney which collected information on teachers'current use ofresources and supports. Their reported needs and preferences for support in dealing with problem behaviour are outlined. Possible directions for the provision of effective support, based on teacher preferences as reported in the survey are discussed. The quantity of support material distributed to schools over the last few years concerning student welfare and school discipline is testimony to the concern about problem behaviour in schools, and the perceived need for teachers to receive additional support in dealing with such behaviour (see for example, in New South Wales, NSW Department of School Education, 1989; 1995a; 1995b; 1995c; 1996). There is a general assumption that the frequency of problem behaviour in schools, even in the youngest students, is increasing world-wide (Alderman & Nix, 1997; Colvin, Kameenui, & Sugai, 1993; Feil & Becker, 1993). Most teachers are prepared to accept responsibility for teaching acceptable behaviour, either on their own or with technical assistance (Kauffman, Lloyd, & McGee, 1989). There is also evidence however, that teachers themselves find that their initial training does not adequately equip them with the classroom and behaviour management skills they need (Merrett & Wheldall, 1993; Smylie, 1989; Weigle, 1997).
Teachers appear to need additional support in dealing with problem behaviour of even the youngest students. Indeed, some workers see this area as critical, given that hehaviour problems emerging in early childhood may not be outgrown and often presage difficulties in later life (Reichle et aI., ยท1996; Wehby, Dodge, Valente, & The Conduct Disorders Prevention Research Group, 1993). Given that teachers of young children will need some support in dealing with problem behaviour, the forms and means of delivery of this support must be addressed. It would be useful to know both the forms of support teachers currently use, and the additional forms of support and staff development activities they believe would be of value to them. The kinds of resources offered to support and develop behaviour management in classrooms must be acceptable to teachers if they are to be used. Pickering, Szaday, and Duerdoth (1988) found that their sample of primary school teachers in Victoria, Australia thought personal counselling for the student was the most valuable form of support for students with emotional/behaviour problems. After counselling for the student, the form of assistance most frequently nominated as most desirable was another adult (another teacher or an aide) who would assist the teacher with the whole class, or the individual student. Bor, Presland, Lavery, Christie, and Watson (1992) surveyed Queensland teachers and found that 49.6% suggested increased/improved consultancy as the preferred method of intervention for students with adjustment difficulties. These studies
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report on the broad area of problem behaviours and
teachers and their preferences for additional forms
provide little specific direction about what kinds of
of support. This information provides an overview
assistance would be provided by another adult in the
of teachers' use of currently available resources and
class, what the focus of consultation should be, or
supports, teacher information needs on classroom and
about the specific behaviours for which teachers
behaviour management and teacher preference for
would like support.
mode and place of service delivery. Information on
Kauffman et al. (1989) found little agreement in their
Martin, & Stephenson, 1998).
parent support needs is published elsewhere (Linfoot, sample about the kinds of behaviours for which teachers felt they needed technical assistance. They
METHOD
noted that teacher attitudes to behaviour problems and
Procedure
their technical assistance needs should be an area
A questionnaire addressing problem behaviour,
receiving more attention. They suggested that typical
resource and support use and needs was completed
generic workshops or inservice courses would be
by the teachers of Kindergarten, Year One and Year
unlikely to be satisfactory in meeting teachers' needs
Two at twenty-one primary schools in the western
because of the wide variation in attitudes to technical
suburbs of Sydney (Australia). The details of the
assistance, and the problem behaviours for which
survey and sampling procedures are reported in detail
teachers believed support was necessary. Smylie
elsewhere (Linfoot, Martin, & Stephenson, 1997).As
(1989) also noted that teachers perceive sources of
part of the project, 21 preschools across seven Local
learning which are directly and immediately relevant
Government Areas (LGAs) in western Sydney had
to their particular classroom and context as most
been identified through stratified random selection.
effective in meeting their needs. Teachers are reluctant
The primary schools to be included in the present
to participate in staff development or new
study were then identified by choosing the primary
interventions that they see as unrelated to their own
school geographically closest to each of the
classrooms. It is thus important to clarify both the
preschools. The seven Local Government Areas
kind of technical support and information that teachers
sampled varied in their mean annual household
report they need to deal with the problems they face
income. Five had medium mean household incomes
in their classrooms, and the problems present in
(between $40,762 and $44,476), one had a low mean
classrooms.
annual income ($37,879) and one had a high mean annual income ($62,491) (WESTIR, 1994).
Information about teacher use of existing resources and their perceived support needs in relation to
Principals of the 21 selected primary schools were
particular kinds of problem behaviour would help in
contacted by a letter enclosing a copy of the
planning for the provision of resources and support
questionnaire, and this was followed by phone
to teachers of young children. Information about
contact. Twenty school principals agreed to
community, school, class and teacher factors that
participate, and the school that declined was replaced
might assist in matching resources and support to
by the primary school geographically closest to it.
different situations would also be useful. The research
The authors and a group of postgraduate students
reported here was part of a larger project which
distributed questionnaires at staff or other meetings
explored parent and teacher concerns about the
of teachers of Kindergarten, Year One and Year Two
problem behaviour of young children. Information
at each school and collected them afterwards.
was collected about communities, schools, class,
Completed questionnaires were returned by all
teacher and parent characteristics as well as
relevant staff at the schools on the day they were
information about the nature of problem behaviour,
visited.
resources and supports currently used by parents and
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Problem behaviour
Materials
scale) witha view to orienting the reader to most and
The questionnaire required teachers to provide details
least preferred options in each of the questionnaire
of their sex, age, years teaching, qualifications,
sections. On a second anddeeperlevel, relationships
position, class sizes, class composition, school size,
between dimensions were explored. Where both
and whether or not the school received disadvantaged
dimensions were represented as continuous scales,
schools funding. This funding is available to schools
Pearson product moment correlations were
that are considered to draw their population from
performed. In cases where the relationship involved
economically disadvantaged areas. Respondents were
a grouping variable (e.g. disadvantaged school status
provided with a list of supports they might use in
and LOA income grouping) and a continuous scale,
dealing with problem behaviour (see Table I) and
independent samples t-tests were performed. Data
asked to indicate the frequency of their use (never,
were analysed using SPSS for Windows. It is
sometimes, frequently). Information needs that
important to note that there was a relatively large
teachers might have, including items from Simpson
number of statistical tests of significance performed
(1988) and other items devised by the authors were
in the study. In such cases, the probability of obtaining
also listed (see Table 3). Teachers were asked to
significant results purely by chance is increased (Type
indicate their level of agreement with need statements
I error). Accordingly, a more stringent level of
on a five point scale (strongly disagree, disagree,
significance (p
