Teacher Perspectives of Classroom Disruptions

High incidences of classroom disruptions, disrespect towards a teacher, and open defiance indicate that teachers and students have challenges with developing and maintaining positive classroom relationships which ultimately impact school discipline and student achievement.

At a high school consisting of 95% White Teachers and 99% of historically underserved students (HUS) interviewed teachers believed teacher student relationships, student attitudes, and student preparation caused classroom disruptions.

An interviewed teacher believed teacher-student relationships caused classroom disruptions. "I noticed that there are certain people who have a lot of discipline problems. I watch how they interact with the kids, and they don't have that relationship."

Most White teachers at this school have challenges with developing positive teacher-student classroom relationships with HUS. [HUS] students are more likely to encounter teacher behavior that impedes their progress when compared to White students (Cooper, Baron, & Lowe, 1977; Datta et al., 1968; Dornbusch et al., 1975; Rubovits & Maehr, 1973).

However, [HUS] and White teachers can develop positive classroom relationships. Positive relationships at schools and in the classroom are in many ways the prerequisites for effective learning and behavior (Pianta, 1999). Teacher-student conflicts result from a difference in desires, and even though this difference maybe reduced, it remains in schools (Waller, 1932). The classroom conflict between teachers and students results from the different cultural contexts that students and teachers bring to the classroom (Hall, 1989; McDermott, 1977).

Another teacher believed classroom disruptions begin with student attitudes. The teacher stated: "I have one student in particular. Whenever she has a bad day, she comes in, and she will have the worst attitude. She will not want to do any work, and that could lead to a discipline referral because she is refusing to do [the] work." As children advance in school, they become "less willing to try for fear of making mistakes and being embarrassed in front of their peers" (Haberman, 1995, p. 76). Teachers should encourage and praise students for doing their best, regardless of their work when compared to other students (Ashmore & Project M.E.D.I.A, 1984; Borich, 1986; Good, 1983; Rosenshine, 1983). Encouragement has a positive impact on teacher-student relationships in the classroom. Encouragement from teachers in a school setting may enhance student self-esteem, thereby increasing teacher effectiveness (Sava, 2002). Cunniff (1989) reported that teachers could facilitate the development of student self-esteem by taking a personal interest in students, by rewarding them for all successes, and by equating effort with ability.

Another teacher stated: "You can tell when they [are going to] refuse to participate. Every time I stand in the door, I say hi to all my students. I stand in the door [to] make sure I make contact with every student before they come to my room. Sometimes they do not want to say hi. So I know from the door that there is something wrong." Teachers who engage students one by one in casual conversation before class begin to lose most of the student's interest after 20 minutes (Chappell & McCoy, 2003).

Another teacher believed student preparation caused classroom disruptions. This teacher stated, "The student was tired, not physically ready, or mentally ready to participate in the activity . . . The more I persisted, the more oppositional the student became". While teachers believed that students were the root cause for classroom disruptions students had a different view. References

Ashmore, J., & Project M.E.D.I.A. (1984). A Manual of Instructional Strategies. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Instructional and Support Services Jefferson County Public Schools.

Borich, G. (1986). Paradigm of teacher effectiveness research? Their relationship to the concept of effective teaching. Education and Urban Society, 13(18), 143-167.

Chappell, C., & McCoy, L. (2003). Studies in Teaching. In Wake Forest University (Ed.), Research Digest: Research Projects Presented at Annual Research Forum. Winston-Salem, NC: Wake Forest University.

Cooper, H., Baron, R., & Lowe, C. (1997). The importance of race and social class information of expectations about academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 67(2), 312-319.

Cunniff, E. (1989). Leading students to optimal performance through motivation. Unpublished manuscript, Indiana University South Bend.

Datta, L., Schaefer, E., & Davis, M. (1968). Sex and Scholastic Aptitude as Variables in Teachers' Ratings of the Adjustment and Classroom Behavior of Negro and Other Seventh-grade Students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 59(2), 94-101.

Dornbusch, S., Massey, G., & Scott, M. (1975). Racism Without Racists: Institutional Racism in Urban Schools. Stanford: Stanford University Publications

Good, T. (1983). Classroom research: A decade of progress. Educational Psychologist, 18(3), 127-144.

Haberman, M. (1995). Star teachers of children in poverty. West Lafayette, IN: Kappa Delta Pi.

Hall, E. (1989). Unstated features of the cultural context of learning. The Educational Forum, 54(1), 21-34.

McDermott, R. (1977). Social relations as contexts for learning in school. Harvard Educational Review, 47(2), 198-213.

Pianta, R. (1999). Enhancing relationships between children and teachers (1st). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Rosenshine, B. (1983). Teaching Functions in Instructional Programs. The Elementary School Journal, 83(4), 335-351

Rubovits, P., & Maehr, M. (1973). Pygmalion black and white. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 25(2), 210-218.

Sava, F. (2002). Causes and effects of teacher conflict-inducing attitudes towards pupils: a path analysis model. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18(8), 1007-1021.

Waller, W. (1932). Sociology of Teaching. New York: John and Wiley and Sons.

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