Classroom Management: Character Education, Praise, and Relationships

Introduction

The issue of classroom management is a complex one in today's world, especially as the question of how to educate has taken on so many different dimensions over the previous decades. There are so many different schools of thought on the best way to educate that managing the classroom and instilling discipline is also impacted by these myriad voices and perspectives. This paper focuses on the issue of classroom management at the high school level and addresses the problem by examining whether character education, praise, and relationship building can serve as facilitative and effective classroom management strategies.

The Problem of Classroom Management

The problem of classroom management—and whether teachers should adopt a hands-on or hands-off approach to discipline—has largely been shaped by the philosophical underpinnings of the modern era, which have been rooted in ideas of liberty, fraternity, equality, and related ideals (Koonce, 2016). The problem has been compounded by the fragmentation of political and social perspectives in the modern era, with relativism claiming an ever-larger share of the landscape, so that there is little uniformity or universality in how people approach the concept of discipline in the classroom.

In nearly every case, discipline and classroom management appear to be topics commonly left to the individual preference of the instructor. Some instructors prefer a preventive strategy, others a corrective disciplinary strategy, and still others a liberal, distinctly "hands-off" approach premised on the idea that allowing students to express themselves without restraint is best (Hinchey, 2010; Bayraktar & Dogan, 2017). While a personalized approach to classroom management may work for some teachers and administrators who prefer to let educators adopt whatever approach they like, the myriad approaches can send confusing signals to students who may feel frustrated, confused, or perplexed by so many different disciplinary frameworks, with each teacher seeming to have his or her own strategy and every student having to adjust from one class to the next. This challenge can be especially pronounced for students of different ethnicities, who may encounter varying levels of prejudice from one teacher to the next (Gregory et al., 2016).

Instead of a uniform approach to classroom management that is universally accepted, there is a whole host of approaches—some effective and some not—when it comes to managing a classroom and promoting positive, healthy relationships between educators and students (Aydin & Ziatdinov, 2016; Ersozlu & Cayci, 2016). The idea that character education, praise, and relationship building can promote student self-management, as Aydin and Ziatdinov (2016) have shown, could have dramatic effects in establishing a more common-sense, universally accepted approach to classroom management. As Kristjansson (2014) shows, by re-introducing the concept of character education at an early age, students can be trained to develop self-management skills that orient them toward the transcendental values identified by classical philosophers and educators such as Plato and Aristotle. By pursuing such a path, the problem of classroom management and the clash of competing ideas and techniques could be resolved, and a single, effective approach to discipline could be adopted across the board to help students become better adjusted, more confident, and capable of developing positive relationships with peers and teachers from one class to the next.

The Hands-Off Approach

Fransen (2013) showed that when teachers take a more hands-off approach to classroom management and allow students to moderate themselves, students respond with greater demonstrations of maturity and self-regulation than might be expected. The basis of Fransen's (2013) argument is that if educators want students to show maturity and good behavior, teachers must be willing to trust them, allow them to make mistakes, and tone down the aggressive approach to discipline that more restrictive, punitive-minded educators might prefer in order to maintain tight control of a classroom.

What Fransen (2013) found was that when teachers issue fewer disciplinary referrals, student achievement actually increases because students are more willing to engage with the material. Rather than sitting silently and waiting out the clock to avoid punishment for becoming animated or lively in response to genuine interest in the subject, students whose teachers are more measured in their approach to discipline—that is, who allow students to express themselves so long as engagement is occurring—are more successful at meeting academic goals overall.

If the aim of education is to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills, it makes sense that the hands-off approach to classroom management would foster engagement and thereby engender better achievement of academic goals. The more that students feel respected and are permitted to be themselves while actively participating in the learning process, taking ownership of their own education, the more likely they are to accomplish tasks, learn from mistakes, and acquire knowledge.

On the other hand, not every attempt to be hands-off ends positively. In some cases, too much freedom can lead to disorder, particularly if there are no clear parameters or expectations communicated to students who ultimately require some guidance in knowing what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable behavior—which is where the idea of character education becomes relevant (Kristjansson, 2014).

Conclusion

The problem of classroom management and discipline is one that has persisted for many decades as a result of competing philosophical approaches to education. Some teachers have preferred a hands-on approach rooted in preventive discipline or in adopting an authoritative or aggressive demeanor that can make students fearful or less inclined to engage with the coursework. If the ultimate aim of education is to facilitate knowledge acquisition, engagement is of particular importance. A hands-on approach, therefore, should be one that promotes learner engagement rather than suppresses it. Some of the approaches researchers have identified as effective hands-on strategies are those that ultimately allow teachers to be hands-off—that is, approaches that allow students to become the managers of their own behavior. These approaches include character education, praise, and relationship building. By teaching students how and why to behave virtuously, why they should cultivate self-esteem, and why teachers care—as demonstrated through strategies such as home visits—educators can be hands-on for a period of time and ultimately become hands-off as students take ownership of their own actions and educational journey.

References

Aydin, B., & Ziatdinov, R. (2016). How students acquire self-control: Primary school teachers' concepts from Turkey. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 18(4), 390–397.

Bayraktar, H. V., & Dogan, M. C. (2017). Investigation of primary school teachers' perception of discipline types they use for classroom management. Higher Education Studies, 7(1), 30.

Ersozlu, A., & Cayci, D. (2016). The changes in experienced teachers' understanding towards classroom management. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 4(1), 144–150.

Floress, M. T., Beschta, S. L., Meyer, K. L., & Reinke, W. M. (2017). Praise research trends and future directions: Characteristics and teacher training. Behavioral Disorders, 43(1), 227–243.

Fransen, S. L. (2013). A study of student engagement activities, discipline referrals, and student achievement in Reading First schools (Doctoral dissertation).

Gregory, A., Hafen, C. A., Ruzek, E., Mikami, A. Y., Allen, J. P., & Pianta, R. C. (2016). Closing the racial discipline gap in classrooms by changing teacher practice. School Psychology Review, 45(2), 171–191.

Hinchey, P. (2010). Finding freedom in the classroom. Peter Lang Publishing.

Koonce, G. (Ed.). (2016). Taking sides: Clashing views on educational issues expanded (18th ed.). McGraw-Hill Publishers.

Kristjansson, K. (2014). There is something about Aristotle: The pros and cons of Aristotelianism in contemporary moral education. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 48(1), 48–68.

Kwok, A. (2017). Relationships between instructional quality and classroom management for beginning urban teachers. Educational Researcher, 46(7), 355–365.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370.

Stetson, R., Stetson, E., Sinclair, B., & Nix, K. (2012). Home visits: Teacher reflections about relationships, student behavior, and achievement. Issues in Teacher Education, 21(1), 21–37.

Appendix

Appendix 1: Summary Table

Study: Investigation of Primary School Teachers' Perception of Discipline Types They Use for Classroom Management
Authors: Bayraktar, H. V.; Dogan, M. C.
Source: Higher Education Studies (2017)
Research Topic: Explored the perception of discipline types used by primary school teachers and their use in classroom management.
Method: Survey model
Sample: Primary school teachers
Findings: The types of discipline used by primary school teachers in classroom management do not vary significantly by gender, age, education status, or professional seniority. Widowed teachers prefer preventative and corrective discipline practices more than single, married, or divorced teachers.

Study: Closing the Racial Discipline Gap in Classrooms by Changing Teacher Practice
Authors: Gregory, A.; Hafen, C. A.
Source: School Psychology Review (2016)
Research Topic: Explored differences in discipline sanctions applied to minority students.
Method: Randomized controlled trial
Sample: 86 secondary classrooms
Findings: Black students are issued school discipline sanctions at rates higher than members of other racial and ethnic groups.

Study: How Students Acquire Self-Control
Authors: Aydin, B.; Ziatdinov, R.
Source: European Journal of Contemporary Education (2016)
Research Topic: How students acquire self-control, considered a basic skill enabling individuals to be happy and successful.
Method: Survey model
Sample: 103 primary school teachers
Findings: Self-control can be improved through education. One of the objectives of maintaining discipline in the classroom is to facilitate students in developing self-control.

Study: The Changes in Experienced Teachers' Understanding towards Classroom Management
Authors: Ersozlu, A.; Cayci, D.
Source: Universal Journal of Educational Research (2016)
Research Topic: Examined the views of experienced teachers regarding changes in their understanding of classroom management.
Method: Semi-structured interview
Sample: 23 teachers with 25 or more years of experience
Findings: Teacher dominance in the classroom decreases over time, and teachers have more difficulty maintaining discipline as their careers progress.

Study: A Study of Student Engagement Activities, Discipline Referrals, and Student Achievement
Author: Fransen, S. L.
Source: ProQuest LLC (2013)
Research Topic: Determined the correlation between student achievement and discipline referrals for classroom disruption.
Method: Survey model distributed to principals
Sample: 8 schools
Findings: There is a high correlation between decreased discipline referrals for classroom disruption and increased student achievement.

Study: Praise Research Trends and Future Directions: Characteristics and Teacher Training
Authors: Floress, M. T.; Beschta, S. L.; Meyer, K. L.; Reinke, W. M.
Source: Behavioral Disorders (2017)
Research Topic: Examined different characteristics of praise and the training methods used in the literature.
Method: Individual interviews
Sample: 10 classrooms
Findings: Most research focuses on behavior-specific, verbal, and contingent praise delivered to individual students. Most studies training teachers to use praise had positive results.

Study: Relationships Between Instructional Quality and Classroom Management for Beginning Teachers
Author: Kwok, A.
Source: Educational Researcher (2017)
Research Topic: Explored differences between first-year teachers' classroom management beliefs and actions.
Method: Mixed methods
Sample: 89 elementary and secondary teachers; qualitative data from five case participants
Findings: Teachers who actively sought to build relationships with students were more relational in their classroom management. More relational classroom managers were associated with higher ratings of instructional quality.