Teacher perceptions of classroom management practices in public elementary schools

UnrestrictedThe purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of elementary school teachers in public schools in Southern California regarding their use of classroom management techniques, specifically examining physical and psychological practices to maintain classroom discipline. The research design involved a survey that was used to collect data on teacher perceptions, use, and observed use of specific classroom management techniques by other teachers.; Four research questions were developed to guide the study: (1) Which classroom management techniques are teachers self-reporting to engage in most frequently? (2) Which positive and negative classroom management practices are prevalent in K-8 classrooms today? (3) Which classroom management practices do elementary school teachers regard as effective in changing student behavior? (4) What is the relationship between what classroom management techniques that teachers say are the most effective and what they self-report they engage in?; This study surveyed 285 teachers in various Title 1 elementary schools servicing Kindergarten through Grade 8 students in Southern California. Descriptive statistics were calculated to examine the prevalence of positive and negative classroom management techniques, teachers' perceptions of their effectiveness, and the relationship between teachers' perceptions and actual practice in K-8 classrooms today.; Due to the design of this study, causation could not be determined. This study found that teachers reported to engage in positive classroom management techniques more often than negative classroom management techniques. Although positive technique use was reported to be more prevalent, proportion of teachers using negative techniques was evident. Further, data suggested that various variables, such as gender, grade level taught, years of teaching experience, and level of education, may have influenced teacher perception and use of positive and negative classroom management techniques as effective. Conversely, they perceivednegative classroom management techniques as ineffective. The examination of the relationship between teacher perception and practice yielded correlations that demonstrated statistical significance between perceived level of effectiveness and practice