A dissertation submitted to the Faculty Of Education in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Of Master Of Education (Social Science Education) in the Department Of Comparative and Science Education at the University Of Zululand, 2017 / The study focused on classroom management challenges experienced by female educators in King Cetshwayo District secondary schools. The aim of the study was to explore classroom management challenges faced by female educators in secondary schools and find establish the behaviour of learners towards female educators. Quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used. A structured questionnaire with close and open ended questions was used to collect data from participants. The sample consisted of 280 female educators from 20 secondary schools in King Cetshwayo District. The demographic variables of the study show that there are higher numbers of female educators than males, the age of respondents reveal a youthful population of educators, teaching experience of educators average at 51% and shows a relatively experienced population, the majority of educators prefer teaching Grade 10 and below. Educators in secondary schools are mostly female (61%). The findings of the study show that educators were of the opinion that youthful exuberance and lack of positive role models are responsible for the unruly behaviour of the learners, female educators respond well to the needs of individuals and groups, educators are overburdened with overload and limited resources, also, learners misbehave towards female educators because they know that corporal punishment is prohibited by the schools and government as well. In view of the outcome of the research, it was recommended that workshops should be organised to address and empower educators on the appropriate teaching techniques to empower them cope with contemporary teaching challenges. It is also recommended that massive employment of educators be embarked upon in order to reduce the workload of educators and reduce work related stress. Appropriate funding should be made available to encourage educators to upgrade their knowledge in a manner that will support their career progression. Personnel like Psychologists, Nurses and Social Workers should be employed to serve as Educator supporting structures to help reduce workloads in the school environment

The present experiment was designed to determine if the implementation of a token economy program to decrease disruptive behavior in a classroom would result in improved academic performance in children. The hypothesis proposed was that there is a relationship between quiet classroom behavior and academic performance. Both the children who were disruptive and those who attended to the disruptions had lost time during which they should have been attending to appropriate subject matter. If this Inappropriate attending time were reduced, the children should have more time to attend to class work resulting in improved academic performance.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between disruptive behavior and academic performance. Using an ABA design the experimenter trained a teacher of a disruptive class to use precision teaching technique to reduce the incidence of out-of-seat and talking-out behaviors. The experiment was conducted during the history period. The effects of the experiment upon academic performance in history were measured by equivalent weekly history tests. Students participated in goal setting and selection of reinforcement. Students reached their behavioral goals during 4 of the 5 weeks of treatment. Percentage of occurrence of target behaviors was reduced by 4:1 for talking-out, and 17:1 for out-of-seat, as recorded by outside observers. The mean percentage of correct responses on weekly history tests increased by 36% under treatment conditions. During the reversal phase a slight increase in target behaviors occurred. Single subject analysis showed that all students improved in performance during the treatment phases. A return to baseline conditions brought an incomplete reversal; 19 decreased slightly in academic performance, 12 continued to improve. Results suggest that the children who will benefit most from such interventions are those who, in a disruptive class, have a low or moderate level of academic performance.

The past few years have proven a need in higher education for tools that help educators and students maintain a flexible and highly adaptive approach to their coursework. Research into applied improvisation has shown that the improvisational mindset is beneficial to educational settings in this way, in part because of the way it encourages collaborative negotiations as part of the education process. Building on the work of improvisers in the fields of music, law, business, theatre, and medicine, this dissertation breaks down three specific types of negotiations found within improv: 1) Negotiations of Status; 2) Negotiations of Rule-Making; and 3) Negotiations of Authenticity. This work identifies the key components for success in those negotiations. It also provides opportunities for practical application of these negotiations using improv-based games and activities. This research indicates several benefits for educators and others who incorporate improvisational training into their work. Special attention is paid to the application of improvisation in areas such as classroom management and interpersonal relationship-building with students. It also highlights a few key games and activities that could prove beneficial as part of training for anyone engaged in the work of negotiations and communication.

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Preservice teachers engaging in practicum experiences often express anxiety and uncertainty related to providing discipline and classroom management. This uncertainty seems to increase when the classroom environment, in which they are student teaching, functions in ways that are unfamiliar to them. For most student teachers, the Virginia Tech Child Development Lab School is an unfamiliar environment. The Lab School provides developmentally appropriate opportunities for young children based on a social constructivist, Reggio-inspired, inquiry-based philosophy. The Lab School values constructive guidance as a means of helping young children learn how to regulate their emotions, act in socially-acceptable ways, and become a caring classroom community. This study explores how preservice teachers make sense of and implement constructive guidance strategies within the Maroon Room at the Lab School. Specifically, this study explores the experiences and perceptions of eight undergraduate students who were junior child development majors focusing on early childhood education. Results indicate that although these student teachers had prior coursework in constructive guidance, many felt ill-prepared and uncertain as they entered the Maroon Room. They had difficulty seeing order within the Maroon Room, a classroom of fourteen four- and five-year old children. Through careful observation of the children, their fellow student teachers, and the Head and Supervising Teacher, the student teachers adjusted to the classroom. Regular, on-going conversations about the classroom, the children, and their own dilemmas and uncertainties also assisted in the student teachers negotiation of constructive guidance. Through developing an understanding of and relationships with the children, the student teachers were able to constructively guide the children s development, individually and as a group. Some of the student teachers remained uncertain about their ability to implement some of these strategies in an elementary school classroom. However, most of the student teachers expressed an increased value for and confidence in using the constructive guidance methods used at the Lab School. I offer suggestions for easing future student teachers transition from learning about constructive guidance theoretically to becoming skilled at using constructive guidance. I, further, offer additional ideas of how teacher educators could support student teachers negotiation of constructive guidance. / Ph. D.

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