Secondary school teachers’ perspectives on collaborative support to learners with behaviour problems

MEd (Learner Support), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus, 2021Several studies and education department documents emphasise the importance of applying a collaborative approach when supporting learners who experience barriers to learning. This objective can only be met with the full cooperation from teachers and various role players. However, there appears to be a gap in the research on how secondary school teachers perceive collaboration when supporting learners with behaviour problems within an inclusive education system. Since teachers are central in teaching and supporting all learners the purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of secondary school teachers in a specific Gauteng area regarding collaboration when dealing with learners who display behaviour problems in their classrooms. Collaboration is defined in the literature as a sharing community which involves everyone who is connected to the school and to the learner; this could include community members, policymakers, principals, parents, learners, teachers, administrative staff, district officials, funders as well as educational leaders. Promoting collaboration allows for role players in a learner’s life to work together in a combined effort to ensure that support is given in order to ensure that optimal learning takes place. Dealing with behaviour problems in the classroom is a problem faced by all teachers. Literature describes behaviour problems as any form of behaviour that interferes with children's learning, normal development or puts a child in a high-risk category for later social problems or school failure. This study used Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model as a theoretical framework, in the attempt to provide a comprehensive and clearer understanding of how personal and environmental factors could impact on learners’ behaviour. A concurrent mixed method research study, which consisted of both a quantitative and qualitative design was directed by a pragmatist worldview. The quantitative method consisted of a self-constructed Likert scale questionnaire, where the qualitative phase included the use of individual interviews. The quantitative data and the qualitative data were analysed separately but were merged in a parallel interpretation. The results from the quantitative data were depicted by means of descriptive statistics, frequencies, means, and percentages, by using a database known as SPSS v25. The results were reported with the assistance of tables, frequencies, percentages, and graphs. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was also conducted and this assisted in highlighting absolute fit indices. The data collected from the interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The themes and categories were deductively derived from the literature and the interview schedule. The subcategories were then inductively derived from the participant’s verbatim responses. Participants from three of the seven secondary schools in Eldorado Park were purposively selected to partake in the study. The four other schools chose not to partake in the study. Seventeen teachers were included in the interviews while all teachers from the three schools had the option of completing the Likert-scale questionnaire. From the possible 100 respondents, 42 completed questionnaires were received, of which all were valid and fully completed. In the findings of this study it was reported that respondents and participants experienced behaviour problems in their classrooms as well as the fact that behaviour problems were a big concern for them. The findings also indicated that collaboration seems to have been understood by most participants. Nevertheless, some respondents indicated that they have never experienced collaboration. This could simply mean that they have never participated in collaborative practices within their schools or do not have a comprehensive idea of what collaboration entails. The contradiction here is that participants believe that their schools provide sufficient collaborative support strategies.Master