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Introduction
A Frightening Conclusion I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or deescalated, and a child humani!ed or dehumani!ed. "aim #inot, $etween %eacher and Child Classroom management has received a great amount of attention in recent years and is currently the number one problem for educators in America. &hen one attempt to define the term classroom management, one immediately assumes it is the need to discipline negative behavior in the classroom. &hat do I have to do d o to get students to apply themselves to their work and stop fooling around and being disruptive' d isruptive' According According to Capi!!a ()**+ -establishing -e stablishing a wellorgani!ed plan for classroom management at the outset of the year is essential for for a peaceful and calm classroom that is conducive to instruction and learning for students with a variety of academic, social, and behavioral needs (p. /. Although, students’ negative behavior and negative attitude is a major component, classroom management is the concern of how things are done do ne in the classroom, rather than the concern of how h ow students behave. Classroom management has no
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penalties or rewards, where as discipline has penalties and rewards. From the student’s perspective, effective classroom management involves clear communication of behavioral and academic e0pectations, as well well as a cooperative learning environment (Allen, )*/*.
1any teachers devote a disproportionate amount of time and energy disciplining their class rather than managing their class. According to 2emov ()*/* great teaching is an art that -relies on the mastery and application of foun dational skills learned individually through diligent study (p. /. An An effective teacher teacher has mastered the art of managing their classroom. classroom. 2et us consider a store owner. 3tore owners do not discipline a store4 they manage a store. 2et us consider a coach. Coaches do not discipline discipline a team4 they manage a team. %eachers %eachers do not discipline a classroom4 they manage a classroom.
5ffectively managing a classroom is possibly the most difficult aspect of the art of teaching. 6nce a teacher loses control of their classroom, it becomes increasingly more difficult for them to regain that control. control. 7esearch shows that the time a teacher has to take to correct misbehavior caused by poor classroom management skills results in a lower rate of academic engagement in the classroom. In order for teachers to to successfully teach and students to academically succeed4 an orderly classroom environment with minimum disruption to bring behavior under control is needed. %here must be a carefully planned techni8ue system of procedures, rules, and routines that creates an atmosphere to learn. %he teacher is the key variable in the classroom. %his action research project will e0amine the progressive ideology that students should be able to govern themselves, the conservative ideology of a structured
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penalties or rewards, where as discipline has penalties and rewards. From the student’s perspective, effective classroom management involves clear communication of behavioral and academic e0pectations, as well well as a cooperative learning environment (Allen, )*/*.
1any teachers devote a disproportionate amount of time and energy disciplining their class rather than managing their class. According to 2emov ()*/* great teaching is an art that -relies on the mastery and application of foun dational skills learned individually through diligent study (p. /. An An effective teacher teacher has mastered the art of managing their classroom. classroom. 2et us consider a store owner. 3tore owners do not discipline a store4 they manage a store. 2et us consider a coach. Coaches do not discipline discipline a team4 they manage a team. %eachers %eachers do not discipline a classroom4 they manage a classroom.
5ffectively managing a classroom is possibly the most difficult aspect of the art of teaching. 6nce a teacher loses control of their classroom, it becomes increasingly more difficult for them to regain that control. control. 7esearch shows that the time a teacher has to take to correct misbehavior caused by poor classroom management skills results in a lower rate of academic engagement in the classroom. In order for teachers to to successfully teach and students to academically succeed4 an orderly classroom environment with minimum disruption to bring behavior under control is needed. %here must be a carefully planned techni8ue system of procedures, rules, and routines that creates an atmosphere to learn. %he teacher is the key variable in the classroom. %his action research project will e0amine the progressive ideology that students should be able to govern themselves, the conservative ideology of a structured
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classroom environment, and a hybrid of the two approaches, and their effects on students’ academic achievement.
Statement of Problem
6ur public schools are failing our students, particularly, minority students from low income backgrounds. As prospective prospective educators, in an urban environment, the educational educational ine8uality our students are facing is our greatest challenge. &e are prepared and dedicated to working towards closing the achievement gap between lowincome students and highincome students and preparing all students to succeed in college. %here is a lack of classroom management being effectively enforced in elementary schools, thus, making daily instruction more challenging for the teachers and learning more challenging for the students. 6n a daily d aily basis inservice and preservice teachers are faced with disruptive behavior in their classroom, which results in wasted instructional time. 9ublic schools do not spend a sufficient amount of time establishing routines, rules and practicing procedures. 3tudents should not be e0pected to learn and master classroom procedures within the first week of school or be able to govern themselves. &ell &ell thought out and planned procedures must be e0plicitly taught and practiced throughout the school year. 7esearchers believe, when there is a clear set of classroom management techni8ues in line, teachers can establish an effective learning environment. According to Freiberg, "u!inec, : %empleton ()**+ -&hen teachers have a rich management and discipline repertoire, students become more selfdisciplined, minimi!ing the need to refer students to the office and ma0imi!ing instructional time with greater opportunities to teach and learn (p. ;;.
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5ducators need to consider whether they the y have eliminated all instructional impediments and distractions in the classroom. It has been argued that establishing classroom procedures
Review of Related Literature
I.
%he need for Classroom 1anagement
&hen discussing tools to effective teaching that leads to authentic learning, no longer can the term classroom management go without significant acknowledgment. Classroom management is defined as a -multifaceted concept that includes the organi!ation of the physical environment, the establishment of rules and routines, the development of effective relationships, and prevention of and response to misbehavior (#arrett, )**=, p. >?. 1anaging behavioral issues have been problematic in classrooms across America for decades, and although, this is a
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prevalent issue in schools, there remains a lack of intervention. According to Capi!!a ()**+, if you ask a group of teachers what they are most concerned about in their classrooms or schools, it is likely that student behavior will come up as one of the greatest@if not the greatest@issue. rban schools are increasingly seeing more egregious student beh avior, which, suggests the urgent need for effective classroom management, specifically in urban schools in highpoverty areas. It is believe that classroom management will be a greater challenge in for urban schools in highpoverty neighborhoods because, -the schools themselves are under greater pressure to maintain a safe and orderly academic environment, and teachers may not be supported by the school’s administration in building this environment (&einer, )*/*, p. >*;. It is almost impossible for cooperating and preservice teachers to successfully complete a lesson because too much time is spent on addressing disruptive behaviors. A study conducted by &einer ()*/* to understand why classroom management is such a problem in the urban schools, found that -so much in the school environment undercuts the social norm re8uired for high academics functioning in urban classrooms, successful urban teachers must deeply embed classroom management in every aspect of classroom life, making the teaching of social skills a refle0ive part of instruction (p. >*+. %he ideal classroom environment will have -fewer disruptions during instructional time, better teacher planning, classroom organi!ation, and student engagement, (this will allow for more learning time (&einer, )*/*, p. ;B. 3tudies have also shown that in a 8uest to understand many classroom behaviors o ne must consider classroom settings and 8ualities. owner, 2a 9aro, 9ianta, and 7immDaufman
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()**? argue that, -teachers in these higher8uality classrooms use proactive approaches to disciplineE they establish stable routines, monitor their students carefully to keep them engaged, and manage behavior problems proactively (p. >=*. In their study on classroom settings and 8ualities to children’s behavior4 three pertinent findings were discovered4
-First, classroom setting appears to be related to children’s engagement and behavior toward peers. 3econd, as classroom 8uality is graded higher, the occurrence of the problem behaviors (non compliance with teacher re8uests, off task behavior is reduced in structured teacherdirected classroom and whole class settings. %hird, as classroom 8uality is rated higher, the rate of children’s social conversation and cooperation with peers is greater in smallgroup settings. %hese findings taken together, contribute to an understanding of the ways in which teachers decisions regulate children’s classroom behavior (owner, 2a 9aro, 9ianta : 7immDaufman, )**?, p.>=+. Freiberg, "u!inec, and %empleton’s ()**+ discuss a study of a program, by the name of Consistency 1anagement : Cooperative iscipline, that emphasi!es preventing discipline problems before they begin and improving classroom climate. %he researchers concluded that students who were in the classroom that implemented the instructional management program performed better in reading and mathematics than the control group of students who were not in classrooms that implemented the instructional management program (Freiberg, "u!inec, : %empleton, )**+. In a comparative study, discussed by "iggins and 1oule ()**+, that compared an educational program’s views on classroom management and views of preservice teachers in urban schools showed that the educational program believes that -strong emotions, strict guidelines, and consistency (strategies, boundaries, routines, etc. led to students feeling both safe and comfortable in the classroom (p. />?. %he preservice teachers acknowledge the
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teachers to be -assertive, aggressive, and harsh, and yet those strategies yielded high academic e0pectations ("iggins and 1oule, )**+, p. />?. In another study conducted in an effort to gain an understanding of the preservice teacher’s perspective on classroom control, found that one of the student teachers thought -9roviding them with fun lessons and unlimited choices, will allow for student growth and a wellrun classroom (ohnson, )**/, p. ///.
II.
%he %hree Approaches to Classroom 1anagement %he following three approaches in classroom management, noninterventionist,
interventionist, and interactionist that are currently in use in classrooms around the nited 3tates were closely e0amined in a study that compared beginning and e0perienced teacher’s perceptions of the three classroom management approaches (nal : nal, )**+. %he study revealed that the noninterventionist approach is used in a student centered environment. %he non interventionist approach encourages the -teacher to demonstrate empathy toward students, to devise compromises in an effort to provide opportunities for students to self correct inappropriate behaviors and learn to manage their own behaviors (nal : nal, )**+, p. )?;. According to ohnson ()**/ the noninterventionist approach is also d escribed as the nurturance conception of classroom control where -fun lessons and letting students decide, at the e0pense of classroom order. %he interventionist approach is the e0act opposite and typically is used in a more traditional teachercentered classroom environment. According to nal : nal ()**+,
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-%he interventionist tends to take control of the situation by implementing immediately a disciplinary tactic to control behavior (p. )?;. nal : nal ()**+ continues to discuss that disciplinary tactics used by interventionist teachers to control the environment may include isolation, physical restraints, modeling, and reinforcement. ohnson ()**/ describes this as a
-ominance conception of classroom control where, the personal power and authority of teachers is displayed by demanding students to listen, starting out strict and the use of punishment to keep students behaving well (p. ///. %he interactionist approach to classroom management strives to find solutions that are satisfactory to both the teacher and student, employing some of the same techni8ues as non interventionists and interventionists (nal and nal, )**+, p. )?=. ohnson ()**/ refers to this approach as the rule based conception to classroom control where,
-5mphasis is placed on the importance of establishing and consistently enforcing class rules4 wellplanned, wellpaced lessons4 and monitor students to prevent misbehavior from occurring (p. ///. %he interactionist approach still allowed teachers to be nurturing while applying forms of discipline. nal and nal ()**+ found
-%hat neither beginner nor e0perienced teachers were found to be noninterventionist on any of the subscales of classroom management (p. )BG.
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%he beginner teacher favored the interactionist approach, while the e0perienced teacher favored the interventionist,
-Hone of the groups were in favor of allowing students to have full control or to have the primary responsibility of developing their own rules (nal : nal, )**+ p. )BG.
III.
3upporters of %eacherCentered Classroom 1anagement
%he need for classroom management skills has not diminished during a time when school reform has put the spotlight on academic testing and student achievement. %here are many theorists and practitioners who are in favor of implementing strong classroom management practices. It is argued that an educator cannot be considered a highly8ualified teacher without a mastery of sound bestpractice strategies for managing classroom time, space, and student behavior (Allen, )*/*4 Clement, )*/*4 2emov, )*/*. Classroom management is essential for academic success, therefore -creating the best learning environment possible is the primary focus of the classroom teacher’s responsibility (1artin, 1ayall, : in, )**B. According to 2ewis 9almer, 1errell, 7einke ()**=, classroom management is directly tied to levels of student involvement and academic achievement, making it an important component of teaching. &hen Clement ()*/* was immersed in her undergraduate teacher p rogram >* years ago professors told their students that -if you write a good enough lesson plan, you won’t have discipline problems. %oday, >* years later, Clement ()*/* tells teacher education candidates that,
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-ou will not even get to teach your perfectly written lesson plan if you don’t have a classroom management plan in place.
A lack of effective classroom management practices leaves a breeding ground for negative adverse behaviors in the classroom such as bullying, which results in less instructional time, poor student performance. Classrooms that are managed in ways other than with an authoritative style, a bullying culture can develop. %here is a connection between how teachers treat their students, which is e0pressed through their classroom management approaches, and the presence or absence of bullying in a classroom. Classroom management practices contribute to a conte0t or culture that either promotes or discourages bullying (Allen, )*/*. Hot only are teachers accountable for students’ academic achievement, but, they are also e0pected to provide a safe and orderly learning environment4 given these facts classroom management is an understandable concern for novice teachers as well as e0perienced teachers (7osas : &est, )**+. 3tudies that investigated the impact of classroom management and bullying discovered that not only did classroom management correlate with whether bullying took place among students, but they also discovered that there was a mediating variable related to whether bullying occurred at all. %he mediating variable was the social structure of the class. %he social structure included the informal relationships that developed in the class. &hen teachers care about students, when they organi!e classrooms such that positive student relationships develop, and when they manage learning and behavioral issues in positive, educative ways, students are far less likely to engage or e0perience bullying (Allen, )*/*.
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"aving strong authoritative classroom management practices will allow teachers to achieve teaching e0cellence along both academic and social dimensions and may be the antidote to two pressing educational problems (&alker, )**+. According to &alker ()**+ the number of students who consistently e0perienced a classroom with high8uality instruction and a healthy emotional climate was astonishingly lowE ;J. 5ffective classroom management may be able to reduce the nation’s depressing student dropout rates. It has been proven that academics are not the only reason students drop out. Feelings of isolation and frustration also contribute to disengagement (7oeser, 1idgley, : rfan, /++B. 5ffective classroom management, according to &alker ()**+, may also stem the alarming rates of teacher attrition and burnout as well. 3tudent misbehavior is a factor in teacher burnout and the decision of novice teachers to leave the profession (Allen, )*/*. As many as ?*J of new teachers leave the field within five years, and )*J of those who stay say they would choose another profession if they could (H5A, )**>.
IK.
3upporters of 3tudentCentered Classroom 1anagement
Although, there are many supporters of an authoritative, teachercentered, approach to classroom management, there are also those who favor a more progressive, studentcentered approach to classroom management. %he argument against the traditional classroom management practices is that teachers are not effectively managing their class or teaching their students discipline. ewey, Dilpatrick, and 1ontessori are amongst the theorists who believe children
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learn discipline by taking responsibility of their own learning. 1aria 1ontessori (/+/) is a firm believer that -discipline must come through liberty (p. ?>. -&e call an individual disciplined when he is a master of himself, and can, therefore, regulate his own conduct when it shall be necessary to follow some rule of life (1ontessori, /+/), p. G?. 3he states this is something -difficult for followers of commonschool methods to understand (p. G?. 1ontessori (/+/) worked to alter the hierarchy in a traditional classroom and move away from the traditional authoritarian role of the instructor. "er method re8uires educators to be passive observers who simply guide the students to knowledge as to not -suffocate the activity of (their pupils (p. G?. 1ontessori’s pedagogy, as those of ewey (/+>; and Dilpatrick (/+/=, follows a belief of constructivism rather than behaviorism. 1ontessori (/+/) strongly encourages educators to be observers of student’s activities and not restrict the student’s mobility with unnecessary discipline. A student will learn when that student is actively engaged in an assignment, problem solving and constructing their own understanding. 2earning does not take place as a form of animal training or in hopes of receiving meaningless rewards. Choi and 2ee ()**+ mentions that the techni8uesoriented discourse and approach to classroom management oversimplifies the issue by assuming that everything about classroom management is a wellstructured problem (p. /*>. %he traditional, behaviorist, classroom management techni8ues have no t caused significant changes in student behavior. 7ather, it has limited the ability of the learner to become self directed and selfdisciplined, a necessary condition for the use of more comple0 instruction in teaching and learning (Freiberg : 2amb, )**+. Dilpatrick (/+/= argues that if students are
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involved in social aims and their own purposeful learning, they will naturally develop moral responsibility and character education, (p. G;. According to ewey (/+/B, much work in school consist of setting up rules -by which pup ils are to act of such a sort that even after the pupils have acted, they are not led to see the connection between the result. (ewey, / +/B, p. G/
According to Freiberg : 2amb ()**+, a personcentered classroom creates a balance between the wants of the teacher (the & and the efforts and needs of the students (the 5, forming a collective classroom &5, including all persons in a classroom. A teachercentered approach to classroom management fails to create that balance. %eachers and students are urged to jointly construct a conte0t that is, an -ongoing dynamic accomplishment of people acting together with shared tools (oyle, )**+4 7ussell, /++;. %o achieve the goal of order (i.e., student cooperation, a teacher must organi!e classroom life and recruit, invite, persuade, or convince the students to join forces with her or him in participating in events for specific periods (oyle, )**+, p. /?=. A personcentered classroom management approach is argued to facilitate higher achievement, have more positive learning environments with stronger teacher student relationships than teachercentered or traditional classrooms (oyle, )**+4 Freiberg : 2amb, )**+. According to oyle ()**+ the classroom is not simply a background or a container for teaching and learning, a neutral and synthetic space in which teachers and students happen to be. Classrooms, rather, are systems of interrelated activity segments that are tangible
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and powerful partners in construction of what happens in these environments (oyle, )**+, p. /?;. It is also argued that there is a need to establish -culturally responsive classroom management practices. 2iterature on classroom management has paid very little attention to the issue of cultural diversity. 7esearchers, such as 1ilner : %enore ()*/*, have argued that classroom management and diversity are inseparable. -Conse8uently, teacher concerns about classroom management are sometimes e0acerbated in urban settings, where student’s languages, e0periences, ethnicities, religions, and abilities may be highly diverse and may or may not be shared by the teacher (p. ?B/. According to 1ilner : %enore ()*/*, %eachers are sometimes pressured and closely monitored by their administrators to follow a set frame of referral, discipline, and management, which can make it difficult for teachers to employ culturally responsive classroom management. %eachers can e0perience less than ideal support from administrator4 conse8uently, their students may believe that the teachers -forget to care about them. In a highly structured classroom environment we run the risk of teachers giving information and students having little (if any voice and perspective in the learning environment. A study conducted by 9oulou ()**+ revealed that skills which facilitate interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships such as ones related to mutual respect, inclusion, influence or attentive listening are more fre8uently e0ercised than skills that promote a sense of community, according to teachers and students’ perceptions. %his approach can result in a vicious cycle that is tantamount to Freire’s (/++= notion that
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students are often passive participants in their own learning, with teachers constantly attempting to pour knowledge or information into -empty vessels. -%he systemic and institutionali!ed nature of teachers’ work in urban and diverse schools seems to follow several layers. %he administration taking their cues from the superintendent who is interpreting national and state guidelines, for instance, has set of policies and e0pectations about how teachers’ classes out to run (e.g., 8uietly, orderly, which creates a dilemma for teachers. 6ptimal learning can occur without student seated in silence. %eachers, in turn, in their attempts to meet institutional e0pectations develop and implement management strategies that reify systems of oppression and voicelessness among students. 3tudents, in turn, resist these systemic parameters, and chaos, disconnections, and (mismanagement result. %he desire for order and control (Hoguera, )**> on the classroom level can be connected to teachers’ goal to improve test scores. %eachers prepare students to follow directions and to -obey orders for the world of work (Anyon, /+=*, and these decisions can be motivated and shaped by institutional and systemic pressures far beyond teachers’ control, (1ilner : %enore, )*/*, p. ?B+?;*.
K.
3upporters of a hybrid of %eachercentered and 3tudentcentered classroom management
%here are theorists and practitioners who seek to marry the two schools of thought. 5ffective classroom management according to %russell ()**=, is implementing positive behavior support (9$3. 9ositive behavior support is a general term that refers to the application of positive behavioral interventions and systems to achieve socially important behavior changes in our classroom (.3. epartment of 5ducation, )***. 2emov ()*/*, provides educators with G+ techni8ues that will assist a teacher in setting his
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that you can teach. %his is one of the popular techni8ues in 2emov’s book that takes into consideration the teacher’s authority as well as the student’s emotions. 2emov provides teachers with si0 levels of the least invasive forms of intervention to achieve /**J compliance without out the constant, timeconsuming disruptions. %he first least invasive form of intervention is the nonverbal intervention, which can be a gesture or eye contact with offtask students while doing something else. 9ositive group correction is the second least invasive intervention. %his is a 8uick verbal reminder to the group about what students should be doing and not what they shouldn’t be doing (e.g., &e’re following along in our books rather than ou shouldn’t be writing now. Anonymous individual correction is a 8uick verbal reminder to the group that makes it e0plicit that not everyone is where they need to beE -&e need two people to track the speaker. 9rivate individual correction is when and if you have to name names seek to correct privately and 8uietly. 2ightning8uick public correction when you are forced to make individual student corrections during public moments limit the amount of time a student is onstageE ennifer I need your eyes, is 8uick, confident and effective. %he ideal situation in a class, according to 2emov, is to solve a case of noncompliance 8uickly successfully and with the least possible disruption to the whole class. %he si0th and final form of intervention is the most invasive form, conse8uences. If a situation cannot be addressed 8uickly and successfully without a conse8uence, the conse8uence must be given so that instruction is not interrupted (2emov, )*/*, p. /;G. Although, endless studies have been done on all three approaches to classroom management it is still our responsibility as action researchers to evaluate if our proposed
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approach is the most effective approach to classroom management and if it will lead to the academic success of our students.
Statement of Hypothesis
"7/E %he intervention will take place over a period of B weeks. %he action researchers will plan and deliver a series of guided reading lessons to a first grade class in two different settings (Charter 3chool L and 9ublic 3chool L. %he teachers will implement a hybrid of teachercentered and studentcentered classroom management4 where the students have procedures to follow and the teachers utili!e actionable techni8ues to manage the students’ behavior. sing a hybrid of classroom management procedures and techni8ues during >*G? minute daily reading lessons, for a B week period, will increase /st grade students’ reading level in class L₁ at Charter 3chool L in $rooklyn, and in class L₂ at 93 L in 1anhattan. %he two teachers will assess their students in the form of running records to ascertain whether the intervention yielded an increase in reading levels. %he two teachers will also do a comparative study to determine if their findings were similar.
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Method Participants
%he intervention will take place in two first grade classrooms, in schools located in Hew ork City. %he demographics for classroom L₁ located in Charter 3chool L in $rooklyn are /) boys and /> girls, + of which are "ispanics and /B are African American. %he students’ age rang from Byearsold to ;yearsold. %he demographics for classroom L₂ located in 9ublic 3chool L in 1anhattan is // boys and // girls4 /> "ispanics, G AfricanAmericans, > 1iddle5asterners, / Asian and / &hite. %he students’ age rang from ?yearsold to ;yearsold. Class X1
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Class X
Instruments
%he first instruments to be distributed were the principal and teacher consent forms, (Appendi0 A. %he consent forms were distributed at both schools in ecember of )*/*. A survey, (Appendi0 $, was administered in the beginning of anuary )*//, to get students feedback on their attitudes towards different classroom management styles and reading. %he researchers used Fountas and 9innell running records and Accelerated 7eader, to conduct the pretest and posttest, to analy!e and get students reading levels. ue to confidential nature of the pretest and posttest it was unable to be duplicated. $oth classrooms received identical consent forms, surveys, pretest, posttest, classroom management approach, reading lessons, and guided reading instruction.
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!"perimental #esi$n
%he research design that was used for the action research is the pree0perimental design using the static M group comparison model. %wo e0perimental groups (L₁ and L₂ are pretested (6, e0posed to a treatment (L and posttested (6. %he groups were not randomly selected. %he symbolic design for the action research will beE 6L₁6 and 6L₂6. %he threats to the internal validity were history, maturation, instrumentation, mortality and selectionmaturation interaction. "istory was definitely a threat to the internal validity for reasons beyond the control of the researchers. 3ince reading is usually the first block in classrooms, some participants were occasionally late and there were participants who were often absent from school. 1aturation was also a threat since participants maturity levels developed during the course of the research. Instrumentation was a threat since researchers no ticed that although they tried to make the survey as kid friendly as possible, some of the participants had difficulties completing the survey. 1ortality was a threat to the internal validity in class L ₂, as one participant was in and out of class L₂ due to behavioral issues. %his participant was not consistently receiving treatment during the intervention, which could have an effect on the data. 3election M 1aturation
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Interaction was a threat to the internal validity because of the range in age in both classrooms. In class L₁, the age range is from Byearsold to ;yearsold, some participants responded better to the survey and treatment than others. Although the majority of the students in class L₂ were within the same age range as students in class L₁, there were a number of ?yearsold students who could have caused major threats to the validity of class L₂’s data. Class L₁ does not have ?yearsold students, who usually mature at a slower rate than the Byears old and ;yearsold year old students, that could be and indicator as to why class L₁ saw a greater increase on their posttest reading scores. %he potential threats to the e0ternal validity are ecological validity, generali!able conditions and specificity of variables. %he participants are in two considerably different environments4 this can be a major threat. Although there are some Charter 3chools and 9ublic 3chools who share the same building location, their classroom environments can be drastically different which can affect the way participants responded to treatment. %he conditions of one class and school environment may have an affect on the students’ performance. #enerali!able conditions may or may not affect the results if this research is replicated. %his will depend on whether the teaching and classroom management method of the researchers are being done effectively replicated. %eachers, however, do have differing pedagogies. It is unrealistic to believe that every single minute detail, in terms of classroom management techni8ues, can be replicated. %he subtly of the inflection in a teacher’s voice can be a threat to e0ternal validity.
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3pecificity of variables can also be a threat if techni8ues and procedures are not properly thought out during the course of intervention.
Procedure
%he action researcher project investigated whether there is a correlation between classroom management approaches and academic achievement by measuring the reading levels of the participants. %he intervention took place in two first grade classes in two different settings. Class L₁ was familiar with a hybrid approach to classroom management, while Class L₂ had no set approach to classroom management. sing the pree0perimental design the researchers were able to do a static group comparison study between the two classes. In ecember )*/* the researchers handed consents at both locations to principal and teacher to ensure it was okay to do the action research. In early anuary )*//, the same surveys (Appendi0 $ were administered at both locations to g et participant’s attitude on classroom management approaches and reading. 9retest data was also collected in anuary prior to starting the intervention. %he pretest was the Fountas and 9innell running record which determines the current reading level of all the participants. %he intervention took place in both classes from the end of anuary1arch )*// for a period of B weeks covering a series of reading and guided reading lessons four to five times a week for >*G? minutes. uring the B week period teacher’s implemented a hybrid approach
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using the 2emov techni8ues. 7unning records were analy!ed from both schools to determine the results. After each approach the teachers will assess the students’ academic achievement. Finally at the end of 1arch and early April the posttest data were analy!ed and compared amongst the researchers.
Results
%he intervention, which took place over a period of si0 weeks, was significantly successful in terms of increasing students’ reading level by at least one reading level, some students saw gains of two to three reading levels. %he pretest mean, as indicated in figure /., for L ₁ class in Charter 3chool L was /B> on the 2e0ile grading scale, which is an e8uivalent of an F reading level according to Fountas : 9innell ()**/, which is a /.G grade level. %he posttest mean for L₁ class in Charter 3chool L was ))) on the 2e0ile grading scale, which is an e8uivalent of an " reading level, which is a /.B grade level. %he average reading score of students’ in L₁ class in Charter 3chool L increased by ?+ points on the 2e0ile grading scale. %his is an increase of two reading levels on the Fountas : 9innell scale, which is an e8uivalent of ) months in the / st grade level. %he pretest mean, as indicated in figure /., for L ₂ class in 9.3. L was /G).*? on the 2e0ile grading scale, which is an e8uivalent of an 5 reading level according to Fountas : 9innell ()**/, which is a /.> grade level. %he posttest mean for L₂ class in 9.3. L was /=?.)> on the 2e0ile grading scale, which is an e8uivalent of a # reading level, which is a /.? grade level. %he
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average reading score of students’ in L₂ class in Charter 3chool L increased by G>./= points on the 2e0ile grading scale. %his is also an increase of two reading levels on the Fountas : 9innell scale, which is an e8uivalent of ) months in the /st grade level. In terms of a comparative study of the test scores in the two classes, the finding indicates that the students in Charter 3chool L performed slightly better than the students in 9.3. L. %he students’ average reading scores in Charter 3chool L saw an increase of ?+ points, while the students’ average reading scores in 9.3. L saw an increase of G>./= points on the 2e0ile grading scale. $oth classes’ reading levels jumped two reading levels, which is the e8uivalent of ) months work in the /st grade.
Figure 1.
Pre-test
X₁ Class in Charter School X
X₂ Class in P%S% X
2e0ile 3cores
2e0ile 3cores
/B> < F < /.G
/G).*? < 5 < /.>
))) < " < /.B
/=?.)> < # < /.?
?+ points < ) reading levels
G>./= points < ) reading levels
Mean Post-test Mean Increase
%he following attachments are graphs, scatter plots and measures of dispersions that further analy!e the action research project’s findings. %here is a numerical spreadsheet of each class’ pretest and posttest scores and a mathematical congruent graph of a comparison of the
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scores. A statistical analysis of the data, which discusses the mean, median, mode, minimum ma0imum and range if also provided for each class. %he action researchers utili!ed a scatter plots to find whether there is a correlation between students’ reading scores and a survey 8uestion that asked each student whether they enjoy reading. %he findings indicate that for L₁ class in Charter 3chool L there is a positive correlation between reading scores and students reading e njoyment. %he scatter plot showed a . ;G r0y. %he scatter plot suggests that students who enjoy reading also scores well on their reading assessment. For L₂ class in 9.3. L, the findings indicate that there is also a positive correlation between reading scores and students reading enjoyment. %he scatter plot showed a .BG r0y coefficient. %he scatter plot suggests that students who enjoy reading also scores well on their reading assessment. %he action researchers utili!ed a second scatter plots to find whether there is a correlation between whether students believe that their teacher cares about them a lot, a survey 8uestion and whether the student enjoyed reading, also a survey 8uestion. %he findings indicate that for L₁ class in Charter 3chool L there is a positive correlation between reading scores and students reading enjoyment. %he scatter plot showed a .; G r0y. %he scatter plot suggests that students who enjoy reading also scores well on their reading assessment. For L₂ class in 9.3. L, the findings indicate that there is a .?G r0y coefficient. %here is no correlation. %his suggests that students who believe their teacher cares about them a lot do not necessarily enjoy reading. For L₂ class in 9.3. L, the findings indicate that there is a .BG r0y coefficient. %his is a positive
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correlation. %his suggests that students who believe their teacher cares about them a lot also enjoy reading. %o get a more significant understanding of the dispersion of posttest scores and how they are spread out, the action researchers used the standard deviation formula and the variance formula to measure the dispersion and variability of posttest scores. %he action researcher then plotted the posttest scores on a bell curve. %he bell curve measures the dispersion of posttest scores for class L₁ in Charter 3chool L. %he curve shows that B*J (/?<)? of the scores are dispersed with in / standard deviation of the mean. /**J of the post test scores are dispersed with in / to ) standard deviations from the mean. %he bell curve measures the dispersion of posttest scores for class L₂ in 9ublic 3chool L. %he curve shows that B=J (/?<)) of the scores are dispersed with in / standard deviation of the mean. /**J of the post test scores are also dispersed with in / to ) standard deviations from the mean
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#iscussion
%he Action 7esearch 9roject set out to investigate the affects of utili!ing a hybrid of studentcentered and teachercentered classroom management approaches in the classroom on /st grade students’ reading levels. %he researchers established classroom procedures./= points on the 2e0ile grading scale. %his is also an increase of two reading levels on the Fountas : 9innell scale, which is an e8uivalent of ) months in the /st grade level. In terms of a comparative study of the test scores in the two classes, the finding indicates that the students in Charter 3chool L performed slightly better than the students in 9.3. L. %he students’ average reading scores in Charter 3chool L saw an increase of ?+ points, while the students’ average reading scores in 9.3. L saw an increase of G>./= points on the 2e0ile grading scale. $oth classes’ reading levels jumped two reading levels, which is the e8uivalent of ) months work in the /st grade.
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%he action researchers found there is a positive correlation between the use of a hybrid classroom management style and students’ reading levels. %he findings in the action research project indicates that when teachers utili!e classroom management techni8ues that take into consideration the teacher’s authority as well as the student’s emotions, a hybrid, there is an increase in the academic success of the students. %he action researchers argument that the use of 2emov’s si0 least invasive forms of intervention, discussed in Teach Like a Champion (2010), are effective in ensuring an efficiently run class room that leads to the least possible disruptions, and eliminates instructional impediments which results in academic success in the classroom. Implications
Although the findings of the action research project were significantly successful and showed an increase in students’ reading level, there remains more to be done to classify the research as a complete success. %he action researchers found a need for more research to be conducted utili!ing the same intervention, with more participants in the similar demographics and for a longer period of time. It is necessary for public schools, especially in urban areas, to devote a sufficient amount of time in establishing routines, rules and practicing procedures. 3tudents should not be e0pected to learn and master classroom procedures within the first week of school or be able to govern themselves without significant guidance from the teacher. &ell thought out and planned procedures must be e0plicitly taught and practiced in the classroom throughout the school year to ensure the ma0imum use of classroom time is spent on instruction and not on correcting behavior. %here is a dire need for educators to establish procedures and
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utili!e actionable techni8ues, to not only increase students’ reading levels but to also ensure academic success in the classroom throughout all subjects. 5ducators need to make use of every second in the classroom as instructional time in order to lead our students one step closer to closing the achievement gap and one step closer to going to college.
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