Factors Associated With South Korean Early Childhood Educators’ Observed Behavior Support Strategies

Abstract

This study was an exploratory study of 34 South Korean early childhood educators' strategies for addressing behavior problems in natural settings. Factors related to teachers' strategy implementation were also explored. Four specific teacher behaviors were observed: precorrection, behavioral-specific praise, redirection, and reprimand/punishment. Among the four types of behaviors, redirection was most frequently implemented and behavioral-specific praise was least frequently implemented. Children taught by teachers with higher education levels and stronger beliefs in developmentally appropriate practices displayed lower levels of behavior problems. Teachers' developmentally inappropriate beliefs and severity of behavior problems of children were associated with teachers' use of reprimands. Implications of these findings and limitations of the study are discussed.

Turkish preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices related to two dimensions of developmentally appropriate classroom management

“…Research on the dimensions of classroom management is only somewhat more common, with some authors focusing on organising the physical environment (Landrum, Lingo, and Scott 2011;Sterling 2009;Wasik 2008), others on planning and programming activities (Gatongi 2007;Wolfgang 2009;Wubie 2011), and a few on establishing relationships and communication in the classroom (Downer, Sabol, and Hamre 2010;Esturgó-Deu and Sala-Roca 2010), with the largest number addressing the management of children's behaviour (Allen 2010;Dobbs-Oates et al 2011;Kim and Stormont 2012;Rambusch 2010).…”

Early Childhood Teachers’ Ratings of Metacognitive Knowledge and Behavioral Support Strategy Use in Classrooms

“…Implementing proactive and positive behavioral supports for young children has been emphasized as a promising approach when successfully utilized by general early childhood educators in natural preschool settings (Carter et al 2011;Duda et al 2004;Stormont et al 2007). Proactive supports (e.g., teaching expectations, using prompts, visual cues, seating changes) are supports and changes to the environment to prevent children's problematic behavioral patterns before they occur (Kim et al 2009;Kim and Stormont 2012;Stormont et al 2006;Stormont et al 2007). Positive strategies focus on increasing children's desirable social behaviors rather than on reducing inappropriate behaviors.…”

“…Providing behavioral-specific praise, which is a specific acknowledgement of desirable behavior, is one positive approach to maintain newly learned good behaviors or to increase the occurrence of socially-desirable behaviors (Kim et al 2009;Kim and Stormont 2012;Stormont et al 2007). Redirection, or cueing for appropriate social behaviors or routines after children display a problem behavior (Dunlap et al 2010;Kim et al 2009;Kim and Stormont 2012), is an example of a reactive approach to working with behavior.…”

“…Early childhood educators with high educational levels have been found to have more positive attitudes regarding positive proactive interventions for addressing behavioral problems than those with lower educational levels (Stormont and Stebbins 2005). Teachers' educational levels have also been negatively associated with observed levels of challenging behaviors among preschoolers (Kim and Stormont 2012). Furthermore, experienced teachers have been shown to be more likely to choose positive interventions to address children's behavioral problems (Alderman and Nix 1997;Morris-Rothschild and Brassard 2006).…”

A Qualitative Metasynthesis of How Early Educators in International Contexts Address Cultural Matters That Contrast With Developmentally Appropriate Practices

“…Even after two revisions, critics across the globe continue to argue that there is an overdependence on developmental theory in DAP that tends to ignore the cultural and individual variations=differences found in these settings (e.g., Langford, 2010). This can lead to early learning environments where cultural matters arise between teachers' conceptions of or practices with children that contrast with DAP (e.g., Jambunathan & Caulfield, 2008;Y. H. Kim & Stormont, 2012).…”