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This study is a classroom observational study in primary schools in one Local Education Authority in England The study, which was begun in 1990, was concerned to identify the range and nature of academic classroom behaviours of academically able underachievers, and in comparison with children of average ability, to identify the effects and implications of those behaviours for teachers arid classroom management. The research sample consisted of a total of seven matched Year 3 pupils aged 7-8 years old drawn from five primary schools. The identification of the more able (the target group) and their 'normal' counterparts (the control group) was carried out using a small number of objective tests and triangulated by teacher and pupil perceptions of abilities and relative class positions. The data was collected by the observation of English and Mathematics lessons for one session per Week over a period of one month. A continuous observation schedule was used containing fOurteen different categories of cl~sroom behaviours. The research demonstrates that academically able underachievers are undetected in classrooms; consequently are not given work commensurate with their undetected abilities; are rarely required to participate in lessons; and who subsequently become bored' in a relatively unchallenging environment. Even though they were bored they did not disrupt lessons, but quiet1Yacquiesced to the mores of the peer group. The thesis discusses the implications of these findings for primary education for academically able children as well as reflecting upon the findings in the light of subsequent reading and updating of the bibliography.

This thesis examines silence as attributed to and performed by Japanese students in Australian university classrooms. It aims to elucidate processes in which silence can be used and created in intercultural communication in the classroom. The phenomenon of silence is approached from multiple perspectives. The data include interviews, a questionnaire and survey data, classroom observation and video-recorded classroom interactions. The data was collected in Australia and Japan. The Japanese data was included as part of sociocultural contexts where the Japanese students studying in Australia bring with them. The analysis draws on the frameworks of the ethnography of communication and conversation analysis. Micro- and macro- perspectives are combined to investigate how perceptions and performances interact to construct silence in the cross-cultural encounters in these classrooms. The thesis consists of four parts. The first part, Chapters 1-3, sets the theoretical background to the research. Chapter 1 describes how the research was conceived, and states the aims of the research. Chapter 2 reviews literature on silence, with specific attention to silence in Japanese communication and in classroom contexts. In Chapter 3 the methodological framework and design of this research is described. The second part, Chapter 4, examines how Japanese students� silence is perceived, both by themselves and their Australian teachers. The chapter is based on interviews with Japanese students in Australia, as well as findings from a questionnaire distributed to their lecturers. Japanese classroom practices as an aspect of the sociocultural background of Japanese students are also described. Finally, the third part, Chapters 5, 6, 7, compares actual silence and performance in the classroom with perceived silence. There are three case studies which make up a substantial part of the thesis and provide detailed analyses of classroom interactions, based on video-recordings, observations, and follow-up interviews with key participants. Chapter 8 synthesises the findings discussed in Chapters 4-7, and concludes with implications for teaching and learning in the multicultural university classroom.

This thesis examines silence as attributed to and performed by Japanese students in Australian university classrooms. It aims to elucidate processes in which silence can be used and created in intercultural communication in the classroom. The phenomenon of silence is approached from multiple perspectives. The data include interviews, a questionnaire and survey data, classroom observation and video-recorded classroom interactions. The data was collected in Australia and Japan. The Japanese data was included as part of sociocultural contexts where the Japanese students studying in Australia bring with them. The analysis draws on the frameworks of the ethnography of communication and conversation analysis. Micro- and macro- perspectives are combined to investigate how perceptions and performances interact to construct silence in the cross-cultural encounters in these classrooms. The thesis consists of four parts. The first part, Chapters 1-3, sets the theoretical background to the research. Chapter 1 describes how the research was conceived, and states the aims of the research. Chapter 2 reviews literature on silence, with specific attention to silence in Japanese communication and in classroom contexts. In Chapter 3 the methodological framework and design of this research is described. The second part, Chapter 4, examines how Japanese students� silence is perceived, both by themselves and their Australian teachers. The chapter is based on interviews with Japanese students in Australia, as well as findings from a questionnaire distributed to their lecturers. Japanese classroom practices as an aspect of the sociocultural background of Japanese students are also described. Finally, the third part, Chapters 5, 6, 7, compares actual silence and performance in the classroom with perceived silence. There are three case studies which make up a substantial part of the thesis and provide detailed analyses of classroom interactions, based on video-recordings, observations, and follow-up interviews with key participants. Chapter 8 synthesises the findings discussed in Chapters 4-7, and concludes with implications for teaching and learning in the multicultural university classroom.

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Many researchers have pointed out the difficulties teachers face with managing student oppositional behaviour in the classroom. Most pre-service teacher education programs emphasize the curriculum content and the planning of lessons to the exclusion of specialized training in classroom management approaches. This oversight has led to inadequate classroom management skills in many teachers and can result in low teacher self-efficacy and high rates of stress and burnout. Many commonly employed strategies used by teachers to manage problem behaviour focus on reductive consequences that can have a range of negative side effects. Other strategies may be proactive and effective, but are often too complicated and impractical for regular use. In this paper we propose a “keystone” approach to classroom management that may be more efficient and effective for teachers to use in the classroom. With this approach, teachers focus on a circumscribed set of specific classroom skills that have the potential to produce widespread improvement in child outcomes. Empirical support for this approach is discussed.

Many researchers have pointed out the difficulties teachers face with managing student oppositional behaviour in the classroom. Most pre-service teacher education programs emphasize the curriculum content and the planning of lessons to the exclusion of specialized training in classroom management approaches. This oversight has led to inadequate classroom management skills in many teachers and can result in low teacher self-efficacy and high rates of stress and burnout. Many commonly employed strategies used by teachers to manage problem behaviour focus on reductive consequences that can have a range of negative side effects. Other strategies may be proactive and effective, but are often too complicated and impractical for regular use. In this paper we propose a “keystone” approach to classroom management that may be more efficient and effective for teachers to use in the classroom. With this approach, teachers focus on a circumscribed set of specific classroom skills that have the potential to produce widespread improvement in child outcomes. Empirical support for this approach is discussed.

his thesis consists of an analysis of a classroom simulation using a Second Life (SL) experiment that aims to investigate the teaching impact on smartbots (virtual students) from trainee teacher avatars with respect to interaction, simulated behaviour, and observed teaching roles. The classroom-based SL experiments' motivation is to enable the trainee teacher to acquire the necessary skills and experience to manage a real classroom environment through simulations of a real classroom. This type of training, which is almost a replica of the real-world experience, gives the trainee teacher enough confidence to become an expert teacher. In this classroom simulation, six trainee teachers evaluated the SL teaching experience by survey using qualitative and quantitative methods that measured interaction, simulated behaviour, and safety. Additionally, six observers evaluated trainee teachers' performance according to a set of teaching roles and roleplay approaches. The experiment scenario was set up between smartbots, trainee teacher avatars, and observer avatars in the virtual classroom, where smartbots are intelligent agents managing SL bots, and where groups are similar to one another but are under programming control.

Submitted to the faculty of education in fulfilment of the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Didactics at the University of Zululand, 1997. / Literature and research studies have widely identified and documented the need for teachers to acquire classroom management skills and strategies in order to handle classroom behaviour problems. Teachers perceive classroom management as one of the major problems of concern in their teaching. The lack of South African literature and research on classroom management to assist teachers renders the problem of dealing with classroom behaviour problems more serious. This research investigation rests on the premise that teachers experience classroom behaviour problems which they have difficulty in managing. Teacher education institutions fail to cover the subject and subsequently teachers lack adequate skills, knowledge and taming in classroom management. This affects the teaching-learning process and places a challenge on the teachers to establish an effective teaching and learning environment. The study revolves around the following research problem: How do secondary school teachers manage classroom behaviour problems? In order to place this study in its proper perspective relevant literature on classroom management was analysed. The review of literature provided a focus on principles of managing classroom behaviour problems as the framework on which this study is based. The study adopted the qualitative approach. Classroom behaviour problems are readily observable under their natural settings and how teachers handle classroom behaviour problems rests on the circumstances from which they emanate. Observations and interviews were conducted in two secondary schools which are situated at KwaDlangezwa and eSikhawini in KwaZulu-Natal to observe how teachers handled classroom behaviour problems as they naturally occured and how they perceive their management of classroom behaviours. The findings of the study revealed that there were classroom behaviour problems that were common to most teachers and there were those classroom behaviour problems that were unique to individual teachers. The findings also revealed that most teachers were inadequately, if not at all, trained in handling classroom behaviour problems. This eventually made them to rely more on their intuition than on strategies and techniques that may have been identified as being helpful in minimising classroom disruptions. The teachers were aware of their inadequacies but lacked proper guidance. The researcher concluded the study by making recommendations such as introducing classroom management in teacher education curricular, inservice training for teachers, further research on managing classroom behaviour problems in the South African context, workshops to be organised for teachers by experts, and the department of education to formulate a working document that will form a framework on how teachers can deal with classroom management problems. Lastly, it is highly recommended that teachers approach their duties professionally and respectfully so as to eliminate some if not all classroom behaviour problems.

When doing this research, the researcher aimed to prove the hypothesis that if music is introduced within a play therapy framework then the classroom behaviour of an autistic child will improve. The goal of the study was to determine the impact of music, within play therapy, on the behaviour of autistic children in a classroom situation. Autism and play therapy were discussed, and the benefits of background music in the classroom were explored. The population consisted of all the autistic children attending the Key School. Six children between the ages of nine and 12 were selected from the population through non-probability purposive sampling. The quasi-experimental design was used in order to complete the empirical investigation. A scale was used in order to measure the impact of music on the classroom behaviour of the autistic child. Pre- and post-test measurements were done in order to indicate any changes in the autistic children’s behaviour. More in-depth information was gathered through the use of unstructured observation. Research results have indicated that the introduction of background music into the classroom of children affected by autism has a positive effect on their behaviour. It can therefore be concluded that background music can contribute to enhancing the functioning of the autistic child. Consequently it was recommended that background music be used in the classroom in future, to improve the behaviour of the autistic child. / Dissertation (MSD (Play Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Social Work / unrestricted