102097 Researching Teaching and Learning 2

ASSESSMENT 2

PART A:
Classroom management consists of numerous dimensions which all work to the common
objective of keeping students focused, attentive, organised and academically productive.
Classroom management required much skills and techniques which when executed
effectively, the behaviour of students that impede learning is minimised (Saha & Dworkin,
2009). One interpretation of a classroom management style is authoritative teaching. As part
of this model there are four styles which represent different degrees of classroom
management, these include: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and indulgent. This
literature review will focus on authoritative classroom management styles and the research
surrounding.

Authoritative classroom management style has a teacher who demonstrates control of the
classroom environment (Allen, 2010). Allen (2010), indicated that authoritative teachers
provide firm however realistic boundaries, agendas, and expectations for students. They have
high expectations of appropriate behaviours and justify inappropriate behaviours (Allen,
2010). Authoritative teachers have a genuine positive student-teacher relationship with these
teachers support student to develop self-determination and independence within boundaries
(Uibu & Kikas, 2014). Uibu & Kikas (2014), continues to identify that authoritative
classroom management using different teaching methods to other classroom management
styles to achieve greater accomplishments.

The article by Walker (2009), discusses how control and nurturance work together to create
an authoritative classroom. It suggests that in order for education to be successful, a school
needs to focus on both academic and social dimensions of learning. The article focuses on
‘Parenting style theory’ (Walker, 2009). This theory takes its suggestions from what makes
good parenting; a balance of control, enforcing demands for appropriate behaviour, and
nurturing, and supporting children’s’ individuality needs (Walker, 2009). Teachers can
incorporate this to build positive relationships with students and giving them a positive
learning space, while also ensuring that the classroom remains an authoritative classroom
(Walker, 2009). The study found that an authoritative teaching style manifested the best
student outcomes (Walker, 2009). Students become increasingly confident and engaged, and
could improve their results (Walker, 2009). The study also found that students who were not

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in an authoritative setting were seen to have less optimal outcomes that those in the
authoritative classroom setting (Walker, 2009).

Gregory, Cornell & Fan (2012), examine the relationship between authoritative teaching and
school climate. The article analyses a sample of 280 high schools this relationship. The article
illustrates authoritative schools as those who have staff which show structure and support, set
high standard, and have rules that are equitably used and constantly applied (Gregory,
Cornell & Fan, 2012). When teacher practices comprise of high expectations and strong
emotional support for students, it is seen to have the greatest effect on student achievements
and accomplishments (Gregory, Cornell & Fan, 2012). Students should feel comfortable to
seek help with problems and concerns. The article identified students were more cooperative
with school discipline when they experience a school environment which was authoritative
(Gregory, Cornell & Fan, 2012). Students, therefore, become less likely to have behavioural
problems. Authoritative classroom management was also found to have a correlation with
less truancy, fewer dropouts, less bullying and student victimisation from school than those
who used different approaches to classroom management (Gregory, Cornell & Fan, 2012).
Research from the study has shown that when student feel their teaching are genuinely care
and concerned about them, they are more likely to seek help (Gregory, Cornell & Fan, 2012).

The article by Uibu & Kikis (2014), discusses the different teaching styles of authoritative
and authoritarian-inconsistent teachers, and how these teaching styles affected their students.
The study looked at how these styles of teaching affected students’ cognitive and social
development (Ubid & Kikis, 2014). The study found that authoritative teachers used higher
levels of guidance, affection, close behavioural control, and are consistence in their demands
(Ubid & Kikis, 2014). It was seen that this style of teaching had a positive impact on both a
student’s academic and social abilities, while also improving their mastery of skills, and self-
esteem (Ubid & Kikis, 2014). In contrast, the study found that teachers who were
authoritarian-inconsistent teachers focused more on dominant and psychological control,
giving students little autonomy, and using strict directions (Ubid & Kikis, 2014). They were
also inconsistent in their demands. This style of teaching was seen to have a poor effect on
students, causing problems with their behaviour and academic capabilities (Ubid & Kikis,
2014).

The article by Egeberg, McConney & Price (2016), looks at how important classroom
management is for teachers to master. It discusses that it can have major impacts on the efficacy

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and wellbeing of students, as well as improving the standards of achievements (Egeberg et al.,
2016). The article suggests that an authoritative teacher assisted to maintain positive student-
teacher relationships, and made students feel dignified and respected (Egeberg et al., 2016).
Therefore, incorporating this style of teaching will make students feel safe in the classroom and
improve their abilities (Egeberg et al., 2016).

The article by Walker (2008), studies 3 different fifth grade teachers and their students. It
focuses on teaching style, student engagement, self-efficacy, and test scores (Walker, 2008).
The study compared the differences between an authoritative and authoritarian teacher. The
study found that the students who benefitted most from their teachers were the ones in an
authoritative classroom (Walker, 2008). These students were the most academically and
socially competent students, and achieved greater results (Walker, 2008). Juxtaposing this,
students who were in an authoritarian context were more disengaged in school and had
limited ability gains (Walker, 2008).

The article by Gregry, Cornell, Fan, Sheras, Shih & Huang (2010), again discusses authoritative
teaching and that this style of teaching is beneficial to students, however this article has a focus
on lowering bullying and victimisation rates. The article uses 7300 high school students, and
2900 teachers, and looks at how using both structure and support affected school safety (Gregory
et al., 2010). The study found that using a consistent enforcement of school discipline, while also
providing students with access to caring adults, helped to lessen the rates of bullying and
victimisation (Gregory et al., 2010). Therefore, the study concluded that a school should not
incorporate one of these strategies, but use a combination of both to provide a safe environment
for students.

The article by Dever & Karabenick (2011), also looks at how authoritative teaching and using
both discipline and care is beneficial for students. However, this article focuses on how it affects
ethnical groups. The study included 3602 students and included students from ethnical groups
such as Hispanic and Vietnamese (Dever & Karabenick, 2011). The study found that this style of
teaching helped both Hispanic and Vietnamese students to stay interested in the class (Dever &
Karabenick, 2011). The study also found that an authoritative style of teaching had a positive
impact on these students’ achievement gains (Dever & Karabenick, 2011).

The article by Aldhafri & Alrajhi (2014), looks at the differences between authoritative and
authoritarian teaching styles, and how it impacts students’ mathematical motivation. The study
also looked at both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Aldhafri & Alrajhi, 2014). The study found

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that an authoritative style of teaching was the better of the two in enhanced both intrinsic and
extrinsic motivation levels of the students, because it caused students to trust their teachers, and
helped build positive relationships (Aldhafri & Alrajhi, 2014). Whereas, authoritarian teachers
were more likely to give limited opportunities for independent work which resulted in lower
student’s autonomy and academic self-efficacy (Aldhafri & Alrajhi, 2014). Therefore, making it
much more beneficial than an authoritarian style of teaching.

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REFERENCES

Aldhafri, S., & Alrajhi, M. (2014). The predictive role of teaching styles on Omani students’
mathematics motivation. International Education Studies, 7(6), 135-144. doi:
10.5539/ies.v7n6p135

Allen, K. (2010). Classroom management, bullying, and teacher practices. The Professional
Educator, 34(1), 1-15. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/docview/375306722?accountid=36155&rfr_id=info%3Axri%
2Fsid%3Aprimo

Dever, B., & Karabenick, S. (2011). Is authoritative teaching beneficial for all students? A
multi-level model of the effects of teaching style on interest and achievement.
School Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 131-144. doi: 10.1037/a0022985

Egeberg, H., McConney, A., & Price, A. (2016). Classroom management and national
professional standards for teachers: A review of literature on theory and practice.
Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41(7), 1-18. Retrieved from
http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/id/eprint/34275/1/classroo
m%20management.pdf’

Gregory, A., Cornell, D., & Fan, X. (2012). Teacher safety and authoritative school climate
in high schools. American Journal of Education, 118(4), 401-425. doi:
10.1086/666362

Gregory, A., Cornwell, D., Fan, X., Sheras, P., Shih, T., Huang, F. (2010). Authoritative
school discipline: High school practices associated with lower bullying and
victimisation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(2), 483-497. Retrieved from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=52d9c2f
f-3702-49cb-a0f8-
61f67123f0c8%40sessionmgr103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1z
aXRl#AN=2010-08635-016&db=pdh

Saha, L., & Dworkin, G. (2009). International handbook of research on teachers and
teaching. Boston, USA: Springer

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Uibu, K., & Kikas, E. (2014). Authoritative and authoritarian-inconsistent teachers’

preferences for teaching methods and instructional goals. Education 3-13, 42(1), 5-
22. doi: 10.1080/03004279.2011.61880

Walker, J. (2008). Looking at teacher practices through the lens of parenting style. The
Journal of Experimental Education, 76(2), 218-240. doi: 10.3200/JEXE.76.2.218-
240

Walker, J. (2009). Authoritative classroom management: How control and nurturance work
together. Theory Into Practice, 48(2), 122-129. doi: 10.1080/00405840902776392

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Dear Potential Participant:

I am working on a project titled Classroom Management Styles for the class, ‘Researching
Teaching and Learning 2,’ at Western Sydney University. As part of the project, I am
collecting information to help inform the design of a teacher research proposal.

The topic of the study will be on the importance of classroom management and the effectiveness
of authoritative teaching. The information we are hoping to learn is what are the different views
and beliefs that teachers have about classroom management, and some strategies they have found
effective in actual situations. Information will be collected through face-to-face interviews with
participants in the study.

By signing this form, I acknowledge that:

 I have read the project information or have had read to me the project information and
have been given the opportunity to discuss the information and my involvement in the
project with the researcher/s.
 The procedures required for the project and the time involved have been explained to
me, and any questions I have about the project have been answered to my satisfaction.
 I consent to this interview and providing information about classroom management,
where appropriate.
 I understand that my involvement is confidential and that the information gained
during this data collection experience will only be reported within the confines of the
‘Researching Teaching and Learning 2’ unit, and that all personal details will be de-
identified from the data.
 I understand that I can withdraw from the project at any time, without affecting my
relationship with the researcher/s, now or in the future.

By signing below, I acknowledge that I am 18 years of age or older, or I am a full-time

university student who is 17 years old.

Signed: __________________________________

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Name: __________________________________

Date: __________________________________

By signing below, I acknowledge that I am the legal guardian of a person who is 16 or 17

years old, and provide my consent for the person’s participation.

Signed: __________________________________

Name: __________________________________

Date: __________________________________

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PART B:

INTERVIEW PROTOCOL QUESTIONS

1. What is your name and gender?

2. What school do you work at?

3. How long have you been teaching for?

4. How is your style of teaching displayed in the classroom?

5. How do you arrange your classroom to meet the needs of your student?

6. In what type of environment do you feel most comfortable teaching in? Why?

7. How do you build rapport with your students?

8. How do you differentiate your teaching for ESL students?

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9. How important do you believe classroom management is to effective teaching?

Explain.

10. How do you deal with disruptive student in your classroom?

11. How have you handled a situation where a student is constantly bullied and
victimised?

12. Tell me about a situation where you had a discipline problem. How did you manage
it?

13. How do you communicate with parents about student performance in class?

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PART C:
Research is one of the most important aspects for teachers to use to ensure they are providing
students with high quality teaching. Research allows teachers to understand what the most current
strategies other teachers are using in the classroom and most effective strategies. The data
collection strategy used in this study was interviews and the following paragraphs will discuss
why this style of data collection is beneficial in research.

Interviews involve an interviewer asking questions to an interviewee, who in turn shares their
thoughts and beliefs on the questions asked. Interviews are one of the most used forms of data
collection (Doody & Noonan, 2013). An interview is a method of collecting data on a persons’
lived experiences, feelings, perceptions, and opinions (Doody & Noonan, 2013). This allows
more detailed questions and responses to be given, allowing the interviewee to gain high
qualitative data. An additional benefit to interviews, over other forms, is ambiguities can be
clarified and follow up questions can be asked (Doody & Noonan, 2013). Not only can
interviews be beneficial for other people, it can also benefit the individual being interviewed,
providing them with the opportunity to explore specific areas in depth and reflect on their
experiences (Doody & Noonan, 2013). Therefore, this was one reason the protocol was designed.

As part of the topic of classroom management, all group members will focus on different
methods of conducting research and participants within the research project. I have chosen to
target high-school teachers. I am hoping to gather information for a variety of different teachers
from various backgrounds, genders, schools, experience, and styles of teaching. Research shows
that using diverse range of participants in data collections, results in greater representation of the
populations and therefore provided variety of difference which is important to preserve
(Martinez-Mesa, Gonzalez-Chica, Bastos, Bonamigo & Duquia, 2014). I also believe that
teachers are beneficial to include, as they are the expects in their field and will have the
knowledge about many areas involved in classroom management. Teachers also have the
experience everyday of putting these theories into practice and consequently seeing what works
effectively and ineffectively.

Within the interview protocol the questions have been chosen to gain fundamental information
from the interviewees. I intend that the questions developed will provide information about the
overall topic of classroom management styles rather than specifically asking about authoritative
teaching. This was done to avoid leading questions which often persuade interviewees to

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answer questions a specific way causing bias, rather than answering with their personal
thoughts and ideas (Bowels & Sharman, 2014). Consequently, the questions were also
developed to be majority open ended, as this will ensure the interviewee can give detailed
responses, consequently providing greater data (Bowels & Sharman, 2014). Some of the chosen
questions for the interviews were also included so that the interviewee could relate them into their
specific lives, therefore allowing the interviewer to gather information which is relevant and
personal. For example, the question ‘Tell me about a situation where you had a discipline
problem. How did you manage it?’ was specifically asked as it enables the interviewee to think
critically about a certain strategy they have used before. It will allow them to reflect on what they
did, how it impacted the lesson, and if it is a strategy was effective.

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REFERENCES

Bowles, P., & Sharman, S. (2014). A review of the impact of different types of leading
interview questions on child and adult witnesses with intellectual disabilities.
Psychiatric, Psychology and Law, 21(2), 205-217. doi:
10.1080/13218719.2013.80327

Doody, O., & Noonan, M. (2013). Preparing and conducting interviews to collect data. Nurse
Researcher, 20(5), 28-32. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/docview/1443469489?accountid=36155&rfr_id=info%3A
xri%2Fsid%3Aprimo

Martinez-Mesa, J., Gonzalez-Chica, D., Bastos, J., Bonamigo R., & Duquia, R. (2014).
Sample size: How many participants do I need in my research? Anais Brasileiros de
Dermatologia, 89(4), 609-615. doi: 10.1590/abd1806-4841.20143705

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