Part A: Literature review

Overarching question: How can teachers foster a positive learning environment

in the classroom?

Individual question: How does a teacher expectation with clear instructions and

consequences affect the classroom environment?

In the teaching sector, behavioural issues are often heard of and is a challenge

to control and is a worry for both pre-service teachers and full-time teachers across

the world as it creates further issues surrounding their behaviour. In order to create a

classroom environment that is safe for students’ teachers are required to build on their

classroom management skills. Classroom management is defined as the techniques

applied in terms of instructions which assists in students’ learning by maintaining a

stable classroom for students to learn in and reduce behavioural issues from disrupting

lessons throughout the teaching period (Lester, Allanson & Notar, 2017). This essay

will focus on various researches conducted on clear expectations and the effects of it

in terms of student behaviour, learning environment, social and academic

achievement as instruction is one of the major strategies of classroom management.

Rischer (as cited in Lester et al., 2017) states that when expectations are

implemented in the classroom, it is to be followed throughout the period the teacher is

with their students’ and to further ensure the stability of the instructions, parents

should be informed about the rules that are being implemented. In addition to that,

when teachers set out classroom rules, they should make it into a routine to show

students that it will be a constant rule in their learning environment. As to how each

student differs from another, the same rule applies to instructions in different classes

as each class will have their own set of rules, routines and consequences of breaking
those rules. The rules should usually be written and spoken regularly to ensure

students' are able to enter the classroom with certain expectations and familiarity

which increases their learning outcomes (Lester et al.; Marzano, Pickering & Pollock,

2001).

In today's schooling setting, inclusive education is highly encouraged by

differentiating for students with additional needs to allow for these students to

participate in activities and discussions with their fellow peers without feeling left out.

However, having students with disruptive behaviours can cause interference which

reduces the chances of teachers being able to accommodate all the students in the

class. Therefore, by implementing direct instructions in the classroom, teachers are

able to work on creating an inclusive environment that is beneficial for all students’,

even students with additional needs (Boyle, Scriven, Durning & Downes, 2011).

Direct instructions can be delivered either verbally or non-verbally (visual or body

language). By doing so, students’ are seen to be completing their assigned class

activities with more accuracy which increases the level of a positive learning

environment for all students’. In an article by Huang (2011), the researcher explains

the connection of breaking down instructions step by step to assist students with a

diverse background, including students’ whose English is not their first language. The

book by Marzano et al. (2001) also agrees with the statement above that with

explaining the instructions explicitly would be beneficial to students with a diverse

range of understanding and will increase the level of academic achievement.

Therefore, this method would be best in assisting students in having a positive

learning environment.

Generally, rules were created for the reason to ensure students are able to be

in a safe environment without worry and to ensure students are acting in a way that is
acceptable when they are in public. However, with many rules intact, students’ tend to

lose focus on which rule to follow constantly. Bowman’s (2016) article focuses on the

issues of the consequences of not presenting rules in a direct manner. For example,

the instruction of “eyes up here” is often said to capture students’ attention in the

classroom. The issue shown in the example is that students might not find the content

to be engaging enough to pay attention to what is being mentioned. On the other hand,

if instructions are given a “meaning to instructional events through linguistic devices”

(p.101) by connecting it to relevant real-life events and emotions, students would be

able to understand by themselves on what is right and wrong instead of just being told

that they are allowed to do or not to do. Furthermore, by providing various

instructions for students to follow without relevance allows students to find excuses to

skip the instructions. Thus, Bowman introduces three strategies to implement

instructions which are “coerce, motivate, or inspire” (p. 102). Coercing and

motivating strategies consists of rewards when instructions are followed and

consequences it is not followed. Pink (as cited in Bowman) states that inspiration

from people, especially teachers, is one of the most effective methods to implement

that would encourage students to perform positively academically and socially. This

form is called values-inspired instruction as it focuses on placing responsibility on

students with a sense of purpose that they are responsible for attaining their rewards

or face the consequences (Bowman).

Additionally, Jackson, Simon and Davidson (2013) article agrees with the

importance of instructional rules and routines as it is mentioned in Standard 4 from

the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers that one must be able to provide

“clear learning goals, lesson overviews and clear directions for her students”

(Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL], 2017). Therefore,
in order to achieve this standard, praising and mentioning the positive behaviours of

the student to other students’ helps promote the concept that one would be rewarded

when they have done the right action. This correlates to the paragraph above by

Bowman (2016) and is seen in Jackson et al.’s article, that this instruction can also be

known as a “preventive strategy” rather than simply correcting the wrong action

without explanation. However, to master this form of instructions and routine,

teachers need to be given exposure to dealing with such issues. A research conducted

in 2003 showed that a high percentage of first-year teachers and pre-service teachers

in Victoria wanted further training in classroom management strategies to manage

behavioural issues in classrooms (Jackson et al.) Which is why the requisites in order

to complete the practicals are constantly changing as it is to ensure that pre-service

teachers are able to overcome this issue.

To conclude, various articles have shown that classroom management is a

crucial strategy to gain with the constant cases of behavioural issues within the

classroom environment. As this disrupts the rest of the students’ learning environment,

the classroom would not be seen as a safe place for those students’ who wish to show

their potential. With direct instructions that are value-based and meaningful, teachers

are able to see the changes not only in students’ behaviour but also in their social and

academic progress. Therefore, research will be further conducted in order to observe

the effects of explicit teacher instructions in the chosen classroom environment.

Part B: Action Research Protocol

This research will implement an action research approach as it allows or

researchers to investigate a range of social issues “in order to improve the quality of

life” and is frequently used by teachers (Riding, Powell & levy, 1995, p.1). The term

teacher-researcher was formed using action research in order to discover the concerns

surrounding education and methods to overcome those concerns. Kolb (as cited in

Riding et al.) draws upon the idea of an action research is to observe their actions and

reflect on it to improve on the issues that was observed during the action. For that

reason, the methodology chosen to gather data for this research will be by observation.

Observation protocol is a methodology applied in the teaching sector to assess

teaching qualities and other educational evaluations and is used for a specific purpose

to build on the original theme that is stated for a research (Bell et al., 2012). With that

in mind, this research will be focusing on how does a teacher expectation with clear

instructions and consequences affect the classroom environment. This question is a

sub-topic to an overarching question which is shown at the beginning of this essay

and the theme will be on how the teacher will structure the instruction and how

students’ react to the instruction given. Additionally, the theme will discover the

underlining reason for the reaction of the student and how it can help to promote a

positive learning environment.

Newton and Burgess raises a question on the validity of the results as it has the

potential to be biased due to the researcher’s own interest in the research topic.

However, as this is a group action research, the results of the data collected will be

shown and discussed in a group to ensure the stability of the final results.
 Furthermore, this research will be conducted in the span of two weeks during

the immersion days in the practical and will adhere to the observation protocol

whereby a teacher and student is observed over a number of lessons and in the same

class (Bell et al., 2012). Doing so will increase the ability to strongly assess the theme

chosen for this research project as it requires to focus on one target student.

Moreover, the number of lessons observed is crucial as it plays a part in

attaining a more concrete observation (Bell et al.). Conversely, as the immersion days

are set out over the period of two weeks, there is a time constrain on this research

project. Another factor that will be considered is the time the observation will be

recorded as students’ level of concentration will differ across the class periods (Bell et

al.). Therefore, with critical thinking and discussion with the group and teacher in the

school, a class timing will be specifically chosen.

Part C: Research Documentation

This research will be conducted using the observation protocol method that will

concise of using the field notes method throughout the 78 minute teaching period

across various classes and days as this would be able to assist in gathering a more

detailed data. The field notes will concise of a summary of each lesson conducted, the

performance of students’ behaviour and overall achievement in the lessons after being

provided with instructions from the teacher.

An example of the field note would be:

Date: Period: Teacher: T (f/m)

Time Teacher’s Students' reactions Student’s performance at

instruction (refer to seating plan) the end of the lesson

Seating plan: Students would already be seating in seating plans, therefore, it would

be easier navigate when recording the field notes as to which student reacts to the

instructions provided. As to discern which male or female student responded towards

the teacher’s instructions, the participating students will be numbered accordingly and

will be marked in the seating plan. An example of the seating plan is shown below

with using alphabets and numbers to differentiate the male and female students

without giving out their personal information. The teacher will be identified as T(f/m)

with f/m to indicate the gender of the teacher.

Class: Period:

M1 M2 F1 F2 F3 F4

M3 M4

As for the ethical issues surrounding this research, the consent form will concise of

gaining the approval from students’ and teachers to participate in the research and will

de-identify the participants personal information as to avoid privacy issues.

Furthermore, the consent form followed the ethical consideration of not coercing any

individual to participate in this research.

Dear Potential Participant:

I am working on a project titled ‘How can teachers foster a positive learning environment in the
classroom?’ for the class, ‘Researching Teaching and Learning 2,’ at Western Sydney University. As part
of the project, I am collecting information to help inform the design of a teacher research proposal.

The research topic introduces various factors that affect students learning environment and my specific
research will be focusing on assessing students’ behaviour and academic achievement through an
observation method. A selected class of students will be observed when given specific instructions by the
teacher throughout the selected teaching period. To achieve this, the selected students and teacher will
be asked for their consent to participate in the research and will be de-identified. Also, students and
teachers who participate in this research will be asked to provide their in-class work samples or
homework or lesson plan outline in order to gain a more detailed data to assure the level of accuracy of
this research.

By signing this form, I acknowledge that:

 I have read the project information and have been given the opportunity to discuss the
information and my involvement in the project with the researcher/s.
 The procedures required for the project and the time involved have been explained to me, and
any questions I have about the project have been answered to my satisfaction.
 I consent to providing my samples of lesson plans/ work/ discuss that will be gathered for the
research.
 I understand that my involvement is confidential and that the information gained during this
data collection experience will only be reported within the confines of the ‘Researching Teaching
and Learning 2’ unit, and that all personal details will be de-identified from the data.
 I understand that I can withdraw from the project at any time, without affecting my relationship
with the researcher/s, now or in the future.

By signing below, I acknowledge that I am 18 years of age or older, or I am a full-time university student
who is 17 years old.

Signed: __________________________________

Name: __________________________________

Date: __________________________________

By signing below, I acknowledge that I am the legal guardian of a person who is 16 or 17 years old and
provide my consent for the person’s participation.

Signed: __________________________________

Name: __________________________________
 References

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(2012). An argument approach to observation protocol validity. Educational

Assessment. 17(1), 62-87. DOI: 10.1080/10627197.2012.715014

Bowman, R.F. (2016). Why school rules fail: Causes and Consequences. Kappa Delta

Pi Record, 52(3), 100-105. doi: 10.1080/00228958.2016.1191891

Boyle, C., Scriven, B., Durning, S & Downes, C.(2011). Facilitating the learning of

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effects of content-based instruction on EFL young learners’ motivated

behaviours and classroom verbal interaction. System, 39. 186-201.

doi:10.1016/j.system.2011.02.002.

Jackson, C., Simoncini, K., & Davidson, M. (2013). Classroom Profiling Training:

Increasing preservice teachers’ confidence and knowledge of classroom

management Skills. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(8), 30- 46.

Retreived from http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2013v38n8.2

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