Responsive Classroom Management Practices in the Context of Preschool Teachers’ Professional Experiences

Abstract

Responsive classroom management can be achieved by the harmonious combination of many variables such as teacher and child characteristics. One of these variables is the professional experience of teachers. Professional experience affects teachers' practices, expectations and attitudes regarding children. Accordingly, the present study aimed to identify responsive classroom management practices within the context of pre-school teachers' professional experiences. The research sample consisted of 60 preschool teachers. The teachers' knowledge about responsive classroom management practices was identified in writing with the help of a questionnaire made up of open-ended and multiple-choice questions created by the researchers. In the study, which was designed as a case study, inductive and descriptive analyses were used to analyze the data. The results of the study revealed that both experienced teachers and novice teachers performed similar practices in areas such as the emotional climate of the classroom, classroom rules and instructional support. In addition, it was found that there were differences in the approaches of the novice teachers and experienced teachers regarding the noisy classroom as well as in the way they defined and intervened problematic behaviors.