Strategies and guidelines for educators to deal with behaviour problems

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The increase in violence in our society has a huge impact on learning in some schools.Learners become more and more disruptive and educators experience schools as anunsafe environment. This causes an impediment to learning and teaching.Even educators who have a wealth of experience find it difficult to control anddiscipline learners in a constructive and positive way. Because of their lack ofknowledge and skills, many educators shift their responsibility to teach social skills tothe parent whom they believe should actually be responsible for the discipline of theirchildren.The realization that academic achievement and discipline goes hand in hand hascompelled educationists and psychologists to address disciplinary problems. Educatorsare also aware that parents and the education department expect all learners to receivequality education. A definite need has, therefore, arisen to support educators to dealwith the youth at risk, disruptive learners, those who are at risk of dropping out, andthose who are being expelled or suspended. The purpose of this research is, therefore, todevelop guidelines and strategies for educators to deal with disruptive behaviour in theclassroom.Many strategies have been developed In the past to address disruptive behaviour.Despite implementing these strategies, disruptive behaviour is on the increase. Theresearch revealed that the failure of these strategies can be attributed to theirpunitiveness and the emphasis that was placed on control and compliance. Thesestrategies also have failed, because it did not teach the learners insight in their selfdefeatingbehaviour and how it impacts on themselves and others. The Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) strategy was developed to support educatorsto teach these learners self-control' skills by teaching them to gain insight in theirdestructive behaviour. According to the LSCI model the behaviour of learners can begrouped according to the six central issues:• Displacement of Conflict• Lack of Social Skills• Peer Manipulation and Vulnerability to Peer Influence• Anti-social Behaviour without Guilt• Irrational Beliefs• Impulsivity with Guilt.The LSCI Model was structured in such a way to give educators a clear guideline howto support disruptive learners and youth at risk. Although educators were given a clearcognitive map to apply the LSCI strategy, research revealed that they were not verysuccessful in teaching learners the necessary skills to apply self-control and to becomeresilient. To apply the LSCI model successfully, it is crucial for educators to acquire theappropriate skills to teach learners to gain insight in their self-defeating behaviour andto apply self-control. The assumption can be made that educators do not only needguidelines, but they also need the necessary skills to teach learners to apply self-control.They also need to know what specific strategies are needed to support a learner thatexhibit a specific central issue.The researcher attempted to develop strategies and guidelines for educators to deal withthe following central issues:• Peer Manipulation and Vulnerability to Influence• Impulsivity with guilt and• Anti-social behaviour without Guilt This research attempted to draw upon the vanous literature, and where necessarydeveloped strategies to support educators by looking at what skills educators need tosupport disruptive learners and what strategies can be implemented to teach theselearners insight in their self-defeating behaviour.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University