Evaluation of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom

1. Evaluation of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management (TCM) Programme In North Wales Primary Schools Pam Martin, Judy Hutchings, David Daley, Karen Jones, Catrin Eames, & Chris Whitaker. School of Psychology, Bangor University, North Wales 1 2 The quality of the Teacher-Child relationship can have a lasting Influence on the pupil’s behavioural and emotional development. Effective classroom management and teaching practices are key factors in this relationship and can: • Positively affect academic performance (Nelson et al, 1996) • Improve social skills (Walker et al, 2005) • Change maladaptive behaviour (Anderson et al, 2001) • Diminish academic difficulties (Meltzer et al, 2003) Conversely, ineffectual classroom management and teaching practices can: • Aggravate and maintain disruptive behaviour (Kellam et al, 1998) • Increase teacher stress (Gugliemi & Tatrow, 1998) • Increase classroom stress levels (Lowenstein, 1991 More and more time is currently taken up in the classroom dealing with aggression or misbehaviour in class (Webster-Stratton et al, 2001): lack of control in the classroom is one of the major causes of teacher burnout (Lowenstein, 1991). Teachers often report feeling completely unprepared by their training courses for classroom management issues (Furlong & Morrison, 1994). The IY TCM has previously been researched alongside either the Classroom Dino Programme and/or the Parenting Programme (for example, Webster-Stratton, Reid & Hammond, 2004). The IY TCM has never been researched in isolation. This study is the first independent evaluation of the IY TCM, which will give an independent contribution to the field of TCM research in general. 5 Figures 1 and 2 illustrate how TCM not only increases positive teacher behaviours but also increases child compliance, while Figures 3 & 4 show how teacher praise increases after TCM while Teacher Negative Behaviour decreases 3 PARTICIPANTS: 107 reception class children; 16 teachers; 12 classrooms, in 11 primary schools, in Gwynedd, North Wales. MEASURES: Teacher completed Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to identify (in each classroom): The 3 highest scoring children on the Total Difficulties scale, The 3 lowest scoring children, and 3 children whose scores clustered around the mean. A total of 9 children in each classroom (only 8 in one class); these children are referred to as INDEX children. Teachers and children were observed using the Teacher-Pupil Observation Tool (T-POT; Martin, Daley, Hutchings et al, In Prep). PROCEDURE: Coders (blind to child scores) observed each index child, along with the rest of the classroom, for 15 minutes per index child: A total of 135 minutes of teacher and general classroom data for each classroom (9 children x 15 minutes = 135 minutes observation data per teacher/classroom), at two time-points. Observations at two time-points: Time 1 (T1): baseline - none of the teachers exposed to TCM. Time 2 (T2): six months later - half of the teachers trained in TCM. Schools randomly allocated to TCM or non-TCM group. the half that were trained first are TCM group, other half are Non-TCM. Figures 5 & 6 illustrate differences between TCM and Non-TCM teachers with problematic children. Teacher AND child negative behaviours are decreased as a function of TCM. Finally, Figure 7 shows how there are differences between TCM and Non-TCM teachers, even when interacting with pro-social (non-problematic) children. 6 • CONCLUSIONS: • Both teachers and children generally low on negative behaviours at T1 • Both teachers and children generally high on positive behaviours at T1 • TCM increases teacher and child positive behaviours. • TCM decreases negative teacher and child behaviours. • This is true in both high and low problems scoring children. • Even though the teachers and children that were randomly allocated to the TCM group were initially less positive and more negative, they improved over and above the Non-TCM baseline scores. • Conversely, Non-TCM teachers and children generally remained stable or became more negative and less positive. • This study evaluated the IY TCM Programme as a stand-alone intervention as it is being implemented throughout Gwynedd primary schools. • It appears that the Programme is effective and far reaching; not only does it positively affect teacher behaviour and the behaviour of problematic children, it also increases positive behaviour and decreases negative behaviour in non-problematic children, • making it a useful, cost-effective, global intervention. 4 Funded by a CASE award from the Economic and Social Research Council and Gwynedd Education Authority For more information relating to this research, email p.martin@bangor.ac.uk