A thematic analysis of self-reported teacher perceptions and management of atypical student behaviours and their relation to the student self-concept

Abstract

ABSTRACTTeacher responses to student behaviour directly influence numerous factors including student self-concept and later behaviour. Students with SEND tend to have a worse self-concept than their neurotypical peers, perhaps due to teacher expectations being lower and this informing the feedback given. However, the potential link between teacher response and student self-concept has not been definitively explored in research. Therefore, the following questions will be qualitatively explored; what are the recurring themes outlined by teachers when considering the management of atypical student behaviours in the classroom and how may the themes identified relate to the students’ self-concept? Twelve secondary school teachers in Northern England were selected through snowball sampling and interviewed once in a semi-structured format over a digital medium to determine their perceptions and management of atypical student behaviours. There were four themes found: individual adjustments, behavioural management strategies, classroom dynamics and classroom assistance. The findings are novel in that they suggest that the feedback given by UK teachers to students focus on the remediation of a perceived deficit and may therefore be construed as negative feedback, which could have negative implications for the students’ self-concept.