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A Qualitative Study on Classroom
Management and Classrooin Discipline
Problems, Reasons, and Solutions: A
Case of Information Technologies Class
Mehmet
ERJJOGAN*,
Engin KUR ÇUN , Gulçin
Fatih
SALTAN ,
Ali
GÖK , î.mail
YILDIZ
bstract
The luirpcic of this stiuly w¡i.s to investigate classroom management and diseipline problems
that Information Teehnology teachers have faeetl, and to reveal iinderljing reasons and possih-
le solutions of these prohlenis hy considering the views of parents, teachers, and administrator.
'Ihis study w as design ed as qualitative study. Subjecis of this snidy consisted of 14 school a dm i-
nislrators, 14 teachers, ami 17 paren ts. Tliree difTereiu, bu t parallel, sem i-struc tured interv iew
schedules were used for tiata collection. Data were analysed through the use of content analy-
sis meth od . As a result of this an;ilysis, the problem s associated with classroom m an ag em en t
were grouped under following themes; lack of motivation, breaking the rules and routines, lack
of infrastructure, insufTieient time management, ineffective classroom environment, and lack of
interaction in classroom s. O n t he other side, participa nts related these prob lems with following
reasons; place and stnicture of the course in the curriculum, classroom environment, classroom
size and lack of hardware, lack of rules, home environment and parents attitudes, lack of teac-
hers '
management skills and students attitudes, l-' inally, following solutions were suggested to
overcome disciplines and classroom m anage me nt problems; imp rovem ent in teachers 'qualifica-
tiou, regulation at place and structure ofthe course in tlie curriculum, organizing motivational
activities, using software w hich con trols com puters usage in classroom/lab , reorg anizin g class-
room /lab sit t ing plan, giving pun ishm ent, ignoring m isbehavior, understan iiing reasons beh ind
problems, meeting with parents and providing coordination among different subject commu-
nities (Ziimre) in schools.
eywords
Infomiiitioti Technology Course, Classroom Management, Discipline Problems.
*
Cornwpoiuicncc:
Assist . Prof Dr. Aktleniz University, l- 'aciik) ' of K diication, De pa rtm ent of E duca tional Sci-
ences, 07 058 , Aniaiy;i/Turkcv.
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882 • EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES:THEORYSi PRACTICE
Advance in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have
been influencing almost all parts of our Hves. W it hou t doub t, it has
become necessary to prepare new generation to be equipped with these
I C T skills (Dursun & Çuhadar,
2009).
In fact. Information Technology
teachers, so called computer teachers, working at primary and second-
ary schools have pivotal roles to fulfill this mission (Kabakçi
c
odabaçi ,
2007).
However, this is not an easy task; especially the prevalence of
new technologies in schools has resulted in new classroom management
and discipline problems. Students'wrong usage and damage of techno-
logical tools in classrooms (Irving, 2003), ineffective time mana gement
while using technology, using cell phone in classrooms, video and sound
records which might influence the private life are some of the exam-
ples emerging as a result of the entrance of new technologies into the
schools. In this sense, a successful classroom management and organi-
zation is fundamental for designing an effective teaching and learning
environment and for preventing discipline problems and misbehaviors
(Brophy, 1983; Emm er, Evertson, 6c W orsham, 2000; E vertson, E m -
mer, Sanford, 6c Clements, 1983). Also, com municating w ith parents is
essential for ehminating these problems (Yildinm 6cDönmez, 2008).
The existing literature revealed frequent misbehaviors observed in
Turkish classrooms. For example, Atici and Merry (2001) reported
that Turkish students demonstrated misbehaviors such as talking out
of turn, wandering aimlessly, irritating pupils, and misusing materials.
Similarly, Türnüklü and Galton (2001) m entioned about Turkish stu-
dents'
frequent misbehaviors as illicit talking, inappropriate movement
and interrupting another pupil.
According to study conducted with twenty primary school teachers
from Turkey and Eng land
by
Türnüklü and G alton (2001), it was found
that most of the classroom management problems in both countries
were similar. Their study indicated tha t the m ost prevalent dis rup -
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1 - : R 1 ) O C A N . K U R $ U N , T A N , S A L T A N , G Ö K , Y 1 I .D IZ
IA
Qualitati .e
Study on Classroom •
BB3
of day, different part of the lesson, the seating arrang em ent in the class-
room , the type of learning activity and the subject matter (T urnükü ôc
G alton, 2 00 1 , p.296) . O n the other side, while financial problems of
parents could be main reason of these misbehaviors in Turkey, divorce
was likely to be main cause of
these
inappropriate behaviors in E nglan d
(T ürknüklü ô cG alton, 2001) .
A tici (2007) attributed the reasons of misbehaviors to family related is-
sues and s tudent related issues. A mong these, family related reasons have
been observed to be one of the most prevalent reasons of inappropri-
ate behaviors (A tici, 2007; Weishew
& ,
Peng, 1993) . O n the other side,
Çaglar (2008) divides the factors related to misbehaviors into two dif-
ferent, but related categories; internal and external factors. He Rirther
explains that although teachers could have direct influence on internal
factors (student, teacher, environment), they do not have direct impact
on external factors. H e divides external factors into two groups, one is re-
lated to students' lose environment (family, school and friends) and the
other one is related to remote environment (educational management,
country governance and development in the W orld) (Çaglar, 2008 ).
Studies on nfo rm ation Technology Teachers
The review of the literature indicated that studies addressing to the
depa rtment of C om puter Education and Instructional T echnology
(C E IT ) are scarce because it
is
a newly established d epartment. Existing
studies on this area mainly covered the following subjects; professional
requirement of Information T echnology T eachers, their status and w ork
conditions (K iyici Sc K abakçi,
2006),
perceptions about the dep artm ent
of C E I T (Du rdu ôcYildn-im, 2005) , and their problems and difficulties
they encountered in their professional life (Dursun
& .
Çuhadar, 2009) .
Results of these studies indicated that problems that IT teachers have
faced can be categorized under four them es; namely problems related
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8 8 4 - EDUCAnONALSCIENCES:TllEORYScl'RACTlCE
A study conducted hy Dursun and Çuhadar (2009) investigating the
pre-service com puter teachers' views on the teaching profession indi-
cated tha t the m ain reason of classroom managem ent problem was that
the efforts of students in IT classes were not graded and students did
not obtain any grade from IT courses at the end of the semester. An-
other study which was conducted with 70 IT teachers showed that 43 %
of the problems were mainly due to student-related issues and crowded
classroom (Deryakulu, 2005). Still ano ther cause of the problem assert-
ed by Çagiltay, Çakiroglu, Çagiltay, and Çakiroglu (2001) is the limited
num ber of available technological tools in classroom and computer labs.
urren t Status of Info rm atio n Technology ourse in Turke y
According to 2378 numbered issue and Ministry of National Educa-
tion gu ide dated with 15 M arch
1993,
it was stated tha t teaehers who
will teach computer [Information Technology] course will be selected
from candidates who hold major or minor in Computer Education
field , if needed number does not meet, IT teachers will be selected
from teachers who are already work ing in the M inis try of Nationa l
Education w ith a higher education diploma. Initial Co m pute r Ed -
ucation and Instructional Technology department was founded in
Middle East Technical University in 1993 (Durdu 8cYildinm,2005).
Up to this date, infrastructures necessary for computer education and
training for computer teachers were established, and those trained
hy Ministry of National Education were selected from various fields
to become computer teachers. One of these trainings was realized in
1985 for 225 teachers. They were taken to training about com puter lit-
eracy and B AS IC program ming language (Akkoyunlu ôc ímer, 1998 ).
ö n the othe r side, it was 1998 when com puter lesson were firstly in -
cluded into national curriculum as a 1 or 2 hours per week for 4* to
8'' ' graders. Later, the nature of the course was changed and it was
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K . R D O Ô A N , K U R Ç U N , T A N , S A L T A N , G Ö K , Y I L D I Z /
/I Qualitative S tudy on Classroom •
88S
by considering the views of parents, school administrators and teachers.
In scope of this general aim, following specific research questions were
addressed;
1. What are the classroom management problems that Information
Technology Teachers faced?
2. What are the discipline problems that Information Technology
Teachers faced?
3 . W h a t are the underlying reasons of these classroom managem ent
and discipline probleins?
4.
W h a t are the possible solutions suggested by teachers, adm inistra-
tors and parents for these classroom management and discipline
problems?
ethod
The design of the study was made use of qualitative research method,
lilis method provides the researchers to work small groups, but thus
to gain in-depth information, understanding and wider insight on the
selected subjects Pa tton, 1990; Yildinm 6c Çimjek, 20 08).
ubjects
Subject of this qualitative study consisted of 17 family mem bers 13
Mothers ,
3
Fathers, and
Elder B rother) whose children or sibling took
an Information Technology course, 14 Information Technology Teach-
ers 6 Females, 8 M ales) and 14 school principals and vice principals 6
Females, 8 Males). While selecting the sample, convenience samphng
method was
used
This sampling method help the researchers aecess the
subjects easily and facilitates the research process Yildinm 6c Çimjek,
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886 • EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES:THEORY Sol RACTICE
Table 1.
Demographic information of administrators and teachers
Administrator (n=14)
Demographic Information
Gender
Female
Male
Experience in the profession
First vear
1-.S
6-10
Graduation
department)
Computer Education Teacher
Technology and Design Teacher
Applied Science (Science E d...etc)
Social Studies (History, Literature...etc)
la s s Teacher
Math Teachers
Others
Type
of adm inistrator
rincipal
Assistant Prineipal
Not indicated
f
6
8
-
9
5
2
1
3
3
2
2
1
5
3
6
Teacher n=14)
Demographic
Information
Gender
Female
Male
Experience
in the projession
First year
1-5
6-10
Grad tation
department)
Com puter Teacher
Computer System
Teachers
Teehnology and Design
Teaeher
Com puter Tech. 8c
Programming Teacher
Vocational Schools
Others
Work
i oad
in a week
1-10 hours
11-20 hours
21-30 hours
f
6
8
2
8
4
7
2
1
1
1
2
4
4
6
Data ollection Instruments
Three different, but parallel, semi-structured interview schedules; for
family members, teachers and administrator, were developed for the
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KRDOÖA N, KUR^UN,
TAN,
SALTAN, GÖK , YILD IZ / /Í
ualitative Study on
Classroom • 887
Da ta Co ilection an d nalysis
Data were obtained from the subjects in the spring semester of
2008/2009 academic year. Qualitative data analysis process was organ-
ized in five steps which were parallel to the method proposed by Schloss
and Smith (1999) and updated by Erdogan and Ok (2007).These steps
were called as (1) transcription, (2) reliability analysis, (3) coding, (4)
establishing themes and categories and (5) writing up and interpreting
the results. Collected data were firstly transformed into written format
and then subjected to content analysis for examining tbe common codes
and thus categories. Later, three randomly selected transcripts were
coded independen tly by three coders in order to examine the consisten-
cy among the codes emerged and to find inter-rater reliability. Then, all
transcripts were other three researchers and then these emerged codes
were controlled by another researcher. Categories and themes were later
established based on the codes and their similar characteristics. Finally,
the emerged codes and established categories and themes were inter-
preted along with the quo tation taken from the transcripts.
Findings
In light of the data obtained from the participants, the possible problems
of IT teachers associated with classroom management were (1) lack of
motivation, (2) rule and routines breaking, (3) lack of infrastructure,
(4) ineffective time management, (5) classroom environment, and (6)
lack of classrotim interac tion.The discipline problems and misbehaviors
that teachers encountered in IT classes were mainly related to off-task
bebavior, (i.e. hstening music, using M SN ), noisy talking, walking aim -
lessly, and inappropriate use of classroom materials.
he
possible reasons
behind classroom management problems and students discipline prob-
lems were (1) tbe nature and status of the course in the curriculum, (2)
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888 • KDUCATIONAL
SCIENCES:
T lEO RY ít PRACTICE
es,
(6) giving punishment, (7) ignoring, (8) investigating the reasons of
the p roblem, (9) establishing rules, (10) con tacting with paren t and (11)
cooperating with other groups of teachers in the school.
sults
As indicated by the teachers, studen ts' lack of motivation, and breaking
rules and routines can be mainly due to the nature of the course (i.e.
one class hour in a week) in the curriculum. This is almost consistent
with the previous findings (Altun
Atej ,
2008; Deryakulu Sc Olkun,
2006; Seferoglu, 200 7). Students' motivation can be increased throug h
the use of various instructional methods and techniques (i.e. project
based learning design, Öz dener Özcob an, 2004) H igh number of
the students in classroom and relatively low num ber of the techn ologi-
cal equipm ents also created problems in terms of effective management
and effective usage of the materials (Altun, 2007; Çagiltay et al., 2001).
The teachers indicated that since classrooms were too big, students ' dis -
ruptive talking and wandering within the classroom could not be eas-
ily controlled. However, Ersoy (2005) believed that spaces should be
available between the computers in order to control the students. Thus,
the classes should be large enough for recruiting the available materials
and should be equipped with the technological tools (i.e. com puter) by
considering the number of the students taking a course in that class.
Lack of available software programs w hich con trol studen ts'usage of in-
ternet and the programs in the computer emerged as another reason to
studen ts' out-o f task behavior. Purchasing and using software program
in the com puter labs can be a solution to eliminate this prob lem.
Lack of rules which organizes the daily activities and class routine s, and
breaking the established rules were observed to be the reason of the
emergence of the classroom management and discipline prob lems. Rule
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E H I ) O G A N , K I J R Ç U N , T A N , SA L T A N , G Ö K , Y I I , n i Z
IA
Qualitativ StuJy o n
Classroo m •
889
Ç akiroglu, 2004 ) , teachers should be taken to in-service training in
terms of classroom management, conflict resolution and stress manage-
ment. Furtherm ore, teachers should be equipped with self-organization
and time -mana gem ent skills Bingimlas, 2009 ) .
In short, research on classroom management in the available literature
revealed similar results. Discipline problems and possible reasons were
indicated in many of the studies. H owever, solutions to these emerged
problems were not frequently spelled out. This research study, in this
sense, served beneficial solutions to deal with the classroom manage-
ment and discipline problem s of I C teachers in specific and oth er teach-
ers teaching various topics in general. his study
is
very significant since
it provides different viewpoints in the context of problem-reason-solu-
tion associated with classroom management.
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89 • EOUCATI ONA LSCI EN CES:THEOR YícPRA CTI C E
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