Why do some teachers change and others don't? A review of studies about factors influencing in‐service and pre‐service teachers’ change in classroom management

Abstract

Considering the crucial goals dependent on classroom management, such as creating a classroom environment conducive to student learning and facilitating student engagement and motivation, it is an important skill for teachers to learn. Accordingly, this literature review aims at untangling the factors influencing the evolution of teachers' classroom management beliefs and practices, offering a review and synthesis of the studies on this topic. A systematic review of 24 qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method longitudinal empirical studies focused on teacher change in classroom management resulted in the following findings: prior beliefs, the teaching context and teachers' own limited willingness to change were identified as the main obstacles to teacher change. Programmes that include activities focused on (i) reflecting on prior beliefs, (ii) studying alternative practices, (iii) enacting those practices, and (iv) reflecting on action (v) in a collaborative learning environment seem to be successful in eliciting change in classroom management. Finally, this review suggests that it useful to design programmes that build bridges between the different settings in which the teacher learns. beneficial for student engagement and motivation (Reeve et al., 2004). Despite teacher education and professional development programmes aimed at implementing student-centred and constructivist practices, traditional school cultures have been dominant in education for years. Indeed, teachers tend to use practices that are not in line with educational reforms and tend to perpetuate a traditional and transmissive approach to teaching (Andrew, 2007;Richardson, 2003). It is important to understand why this traditional model perpetuates.Studies examining teacher education or professional development programmes come to diverse conclusions regarding the effects of such programmes on teachers' classroom management beliefs and practices. This lack of consensus is often used as a rationale to conduct more studies on the topic, but only a few studies addressed the question of what elements in such programmes hinder or facilitate teacher change toward beliefs and practices that have been proven to foster student learning. Thus, the key word that drives this literature review is 'why'? Why do some teachers change over time, while others do not? The way teachers think and behave is embedded in their professional lives, which include their school context, their prior experiences as students, and the learning opportunities they have encountered. Any particular change in beliefs or practices is most probably not caused by a single element. It is more likely that there are multiple interacting factors responsible for any evolution.Considering the crucial goals dependent on classroom management, such as creating a classroom environment conducive to student learning and facilitating student engagement and motivation, it is an important skill for teachers to learn. Accordingly, it is important to understand factors that can help teachers adopt opti...

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