"If we can't manage the classroom, we can forget this": An evaluation of a professional development programme in classroom management for educators

• Main Authors: Ólafsdóttir, Sara Bjarney, Guðmundsdóttir, Bergljót Gyða, Sigmarsdóttir, Margrét
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2024
• Subjects: classroom management; teacher professional development; child behaviour; social skills; evidence-based methods; bekkjarstjórnun; starfsþróun kennara; hegðun barna; félagsfærni; gagnreyndar aðferðir; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/index.php/netla/article/view/3953

Teachers and school staff must reach a diverse group of students and support every child’s learning, behaviour, and well-being. Positive teacher-student communication is important, where efficacious classroom management is crucial. Effective classroom management increases the quality of teaching and learning. It contributes to both teacher and student well-being. In contrast, ineffective classroom management may cause strain and stress for both students and teachers. Across numerous studies, primary school teachers in Iceland have reported a lack of guidance and training regarding classroom and behaviour management best practices. This lack, in turn, has been linked to high levels of emotional exhaustion and symptoms of burnout among educators, as well as teacher attrition. This paper discusses findings from a research study regarding primary school teacher perceptions of a professional development programme on evidence-based classroom management methods. The participants’ views and experiences of the strategies they learned through the programme and applied in the field with their students were emphasised, such as their usefulness, and whether and which methods they envisioned continuing to use in the future. The eleven participants were in-service primary school teachers who completed the programme and evaluated its impact and effectiveness. The programme consisted of five sessions; four were conducted online via Zoom (due to COVID-19 restrictions), and the fifth one was held in person at the University of Iceland. Mixed research methods were used to gather and analyse data, including questionnaires, assessments of attendance and participation, and focus group interviews with two different participant subgroups. Participant attendance and participation/homework completion was 100%. Quantitative data analysis indicated that most participants agreed that the strategies were helpful (70–100%), that they practised applying them (70–90%), and they would continue using them (50–90%). The focus group data analysis ...