Prospective teachers’ use of behavior alteration techniques on common student misbehaviors

Abstract

Pertinent to recommendations for communication training in teacher preparation, this study investigated prospective teachers’ intended use of communication control strategies in managing student misbehaviors. After formulating a typology of common student misbehavior types (active/passive) and intensity (moderate/severe), prospective teachers were asked to project their use of behavior alteration techniques in four separate scenarios. Results indicated that inexperienced teachers are likely to employ the same two strategies across all four scenarios, regardless of misbehavior type or intensity. Findings are discussed in terms of teacher training in classroom management.