CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Classroom management is one of the most important aspects of teaching that challenges teachers the most. Teacher’s reputation among colleagues, school authorities and students depend on their ability to create and maintain an effective learning environment. The concept of classroom management is preferable to that of discipline, which many teachers often see as compromising not much more than keeping students quiet and in their seats. Effective classroom managers regard discipline only as an aspect of classroom management. Moreover, management involves teaching students how to manage their own behavior in classroom settings, so it is the responsibility of both teachers and students. By making management plans and applying them in the classroom, the teacher increases student learning and help them develop ways to understand and guide their own behaviour.

Background of the study

Classroom management refers to the wide variety of skills and techniques that teachers use to keep the classroom organized,orderly, focused, attentive, on task and academically productive during a class (Tambo, 2012). It is one of the important aspects teachers should not only learn, but have a mastery. It is important to have an orderly and well managed classroom,in order for the teacher to deliver the lesson and for the students to effectively understand the lesson. Starr(2004), continues that, there are different classroom management techniques that any teacher may use as appropriate. Some examples of these techniques are: the teacher should be consistent at all times, the teacher should strictly follow the class schedule, set clear expectations and level them off at the start of every class ,the teacher should be patient, provide different activities to keep the class busy and encourage active participation of students.

Rogers(2007), believes that positive human relationship enables people to grow and therefore the instruction should be based on concepts of human relations in contrast to concepts of subject matter. Moreover, he proposes the non directive teaching model where the teacher acts as a facilitator who guides and counsels students for their growth and development. In this role, Rogers(2007), explains that teachers should help students to explore new ideas and opinions about their lives, and select what activity to do in the classroom. Thus, classroom management creates an environment where students and teachers are partners in learning, sharing ideas openly and communicate honestly with one another.

Historically, classroom management first became a popular topic in education during the 1970s and 1980s (Kauffman et al.,2010), the focus in these early years was primarily on behavior management used to control and shape students behavior to conform to the rules chosen by the teachers. Using an authoritative or punitive approach repressed disorderly behavior but it did not foster student’s growth or allow the acquisition of other modes of learning such as critical thinking and reflection (Jones,1995). There is no single formula for effective classroom management, considering that students come to class with a range of social and emotional needs. Classroom management is therefore not only about creating rules and discipline but more specifically about creating an environment that favors learning for all students.

Alberto (1996), in his proposed study of disabilities in Cameroon, points out that education and care for children with disabilities was rooted in the community, church and charitable organizations. He argues that these services were organized as a protection consideration, and as an attempt to provide services which public education and training systems were unable to offer. Before 1975, the welfare of persons with disabilities in Cameroon was the responsibility of a unit in the ministry of health. Inclusive schools must recognize and respond to the diverse needs of students, accommodating both different styles and rates of learning, and ensuring quality education to all, through appropriate curricula, organizational arrangements, teaching strategies, resource use and partnerships with their communities. Having enough information on students with disabilities and having needed resources will help promote teacher efficacy in teaching students with special education needs in the classroom.

Underlying the process of inclusion is the assumption that the regular classroom teacher has certain knowledge and understanding about the needs of different learners, teaching strategies and curriculum strategies. Florian & Rouse (2009) state that, the task of initial teacher education is to prepare people to enter a profession which accepts individuals and collective responsibility for improving the learning and participation of all children. Florian & Rouse (2009) posits that, teachers play an essential role in quality education , and the quality of an educational system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers. Studies suggest (Sanders and Horn,1998; Bailleur et al.,2008) that the quality of the teacher contributes more to learners achievement than any other factor, including class size, class composition, or background. The need for high quality teachers equipped to meet the needs of all learners becomes evident to provide not only equal opportunities for all learners, but also education for an inclusive society. Reynolds (2009) state that ,it is the knowledge, beliefs and values of the teacher that are brought to bear in creating an effective learning environment for learners, making the teacher a critical influencer in education for inclusion and the development of the inclusive school.

Conceptually, the term classroom management refers to the way teachers organize what goes on in the classroom and how to manage the classroom. Classroom management is described as various actions taken by the teacher to facilitate the students’ needs such as engaging the students to classroom activities, establishing the teacher’s orders, and eliciting cooperation  among teacher and students (Emmer & Staugh, 2001). Besides, Kulina et al.,(2003) defines classroom management as the teachers’ actions used to manage students’ behaviors. A more practical definition  says that classroom management is how the teacher works, how the class works, how the teacher and students collaborate, and how teaching and learning happens (Bosch, 2006). From the previous explanation, the phrase classroom management can be highlighted as the teacher’s capability to conduct and organize classroom activities as a way to achieve the objective of the lesson.

Inclusive education emerged by insisting that all children with special needs be included in the traditional classroom. Before the emergence of the inclusive system, it was the concept of integration or mainstreaming which was practiced. The concept of integration is based on integrating children with disabilities according to their needs and severity of their conditions. Some children with disabilities could benefit from total integration, while others benefit from units/special class or resource rooms. However, since the middle of the nineties, the American system of inclusive education has spread like wild fire across the world. Considering the influence that teachers have on the academic performance of students with or without disabilities, it is necessary for teachers to receive appropriate training ,support programs and sensitization programs.

Forlin (2001) assert that, demands on schools and teachers are becoming more complex as society now expects schools to deal effectively with different languages and student backgrounds, teachers are expected to be sensitive to cultural and gender issues, to promote tolerance and social cohesion, to respond effectively to disadvantaged students and students with learning or behavioral problems and to keep pace with rapidly developing fields of knowledge and approaches to student assessment. Teachers therefore, need confidence in their ability and the knowledge and skills in inclusive education to meet the challenges that they encounter in the present school climate.

School-based training for teachers, aimed at supporting school development, can be particularly powerful in the early stages of the movement towards inclusive education. Many successful training programs, therefore , have been based around providing external support to schools and at the same time enabling teachers in those schools to support each other (UNESCO, 2004). A related issue , which is increasingly emerging in the literature, and particularly in evaluation of education projects/programs, is the overall lack of practical, hands-on  learning that teachers and trainee teachers are exposed to. This is particularly the case with pre-service training, which in many countries remain heavily biased towards learning the theory of inclusive education without opportunities to practice and gain confidence with teaching strategies needed to support diverse learners.

The frequency of challenges in classroom management has increased with the acceptance of the idea of inclusive settings, rather than the isolation of students with special needs (Idol, 2006). Several teachers have marked the increase in inclusive settings assignments as a causal factor that affects the discipline of classroom, resulting in increased levels of stress (Oral, 2012). The teachers have also referred to inclusive settings arrangement as a factor responsible for the reduced overall academic performance (Dwyer, 2007). Classroom management techniques are beneficial for teachers who are able to manage classrooms. Sass, et al (2012) is of the view that teachers tend to remain in the teaching profession longer, which is good for the continuity of student learning.

Theoretically,even though several popular classroom management theories such as Skinner (1967), Rogers, Glasser (1985) are utilized in classrooms today, teachers are still concerned about classroom management and student achievement (Brannon, 2010). As teacher’s concerns and mandates have evolved over the years, classroom management techniques and strategies have been divided into two major components: Behavioral management(BM) and Instructional management (IM). Based on Martin and Sass (2010), “Behavioral management (BM) is similar to, but different from discipline in that it includes pre-planned efforts to prevent misbehavior as well as the teacher’s response to it”. Behavioral management refers to the general daily maintenance of the classroom, which includes classroom rules for student input during instructional time and the types of reward systems utilized (Martin & Sass, 2010). Instructional management (IM) includes “aspects such as monitoring seat work, structuring of the daily routines as well as teachers’ use of lecture and student practice versus interactive, participatory approaches to instruction”  (Martin & Sass,2010, p.1126). Teachers should study the strategies of classroom management and learn to combine them rather than rely on only one of them in the classroom.

Contextually, in some points of view, classroom management is the organization of a classroom as a learning environment; the management of student discipline, order and care; the growing of student for different tasks and patterns of interaction; the individualization of students learning (Emmer et al., 2000). Drawing from the works of Martin and Baldwin (1998), although often used interchangeably, the terms classroom management and discipline are not synonymous. The term discipline typically refers to the structure and rules describing the expected behaviour of students and the effort to ensure that students comply with those rules. However, classroom management is defined as a multi- faceted construct and umbrella term that includes three broad dimensions describing teachers efforts to oversee the activities of the classroom: Dimension one, instructional management, includes aspects such as monitoring seat work, structuring daily routines, and allocating materials; Dimension two, people management ,pertains to what teachers believe about students as persons and what they do to develop the student teacher relationship (Burden, 1995); the third dimension, behavioural management is similar to, but different than discipline in that,it focuses on pre-planned means of preventing misbehaviour  rather than the teacher’s reaction to it. Specifically, this facet includes setting rules, establishing a reward structure, and providing opportunities for student input. Efficient teachers should acquire a toolbox of management strategies that they can use within their classrooms. According to (Marzano, 2003 p.1), “well managed classrooms provide an environment in which teaching and learning can flourish”. Classroom management encompasses teachers efforts to oversee the activities of the classroom including student behavior, student interaction and learning. Teacher’s quality is an essential factor in learning, considering a teacher as the most important factor of the inclusive education process , a teacher has an obligation to create an appropriate and stimulating learning environment. A teacher has to possess specific professional and personal competencies. Personal competencies could be observed through the attitudes and motivation for teaching learners with special needs in regular schools setting and professional competencies through knowing the characteristics of learners with special needs, recognizing abilities for and ways of learning. Inclusion provides opportunities for the development of appropriate attitudes towards people with a range of disabilities. Exposure to students of all types on a daily basis allows typical students to see that, just like themselves, students with disabilities have strengths and weaknesses, and good and bad days (Alberto,  2009).

Statement of the problem

Teachers’ classroom management skills refer to the wide variety of techniques that teachers use to keep the classroom organized ,orderly, focused, attentive ,on task and academically productive during a class.Classrooms with inclusive education practices have increased student diversity and hence teachers are required to create and utilize solutions that match the different learning needs of their students (Carneiro et al., 2015).Teacher training institutions in Cameroon have not reformed their programs, using the principles of universal design to ensure that inclusion is an essential element that is addressed throughout the training program. They have held back progress in training teachers to acquire the useful competencies for inclusive practices. Teachers in Cameroon still express fear, anxiety and reluctance to include learners with special needs in the school system. There is a general feeling that teachers do not have the time, preparation resources and skills needed in teaching children with special needs in classrooms. The lack of teacher training institutions has caused an exclusive learning environment in secondary schools for students with physical disabilities. As a result, there is reduced academic participation in secondary school institutions. Parents of students with disabilities and students with disabilities  view schools as poor learning environments (LE), thereby leading to low academic participation and high dropout rates.A well managed classroom supports the academic and social development of all children with or without special needs, helps reduce behavioral problems and prevents the majority of potential negative behaviors.This study therefore, intends to find out the impact of teachers’ classroom management skills and inclusive education practices.

Objectives of the study

The  Objectives of the study is at two levels, general and specific objectives .

General research objective

The general research objective is to find out the impact of teachers’ classroom management skills on inclusive education practices.

Specific research objectives

In order to address the general objectives, the following specific objectives were stated:

• Behavioural modification approach on inclusive education practices
• Instructional management approach on inclusive education practices
• Social and emotional climate approach on inclusive education practices
• Group process approach on inclusive education practices

Research Questions

General research question

What is the impact of teachers’ classroom management skills on inclusive education practices?

The specific questions

The specific questions for this study include:

• What is the effect of behavioural modification approach on inclusive education practices?
• What is the effect of instructional management approach on inclusive education practices?
• What is the effect of social and emotional climate approach on inclusive education practices?
• What is the effect of group process approach on inclusive education practices ?