Pre-Service teachers' opinions about determining and performing classroom rules

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine pre-service teachers' opinions about determining and performing classroom rules. This study was conducted with pre-service elementary school teachers who had taken the course of Classroom Management at the Department of Education at UludaUniversity in the academic year of 2006-2007. A total of 90 pre-service teachers among whom 47 were females and 43 were males participated. The Pre-Service Teachers Opinions About Determining and Performing Classroom Rules questionnaire was used as the data gathering tool in the study. The analyses of the data gathered during the study were made by using the percentage (%), frequency (f) and chi-square techniques. The pre-service teachers' opinions are discussed at the end of the study. SUMMARY Purpose and significance: In this survey, it was aimed to determine teachers' opinions about determining and performing classroom rules. The time of determining the classroom rules, the ways the rules are stated, the state of the students knowing the rules, determining the awards and sanctions for the students who obey and disobey the rules were examined as variables. Methods: This survey was conducted in the 2006-2007 academic year with the studens who had taken the course of Classroom Managament at the Department of Education at UludaUniversity. In the study, 90 pre-service teachers were included. The Pre-Service Teachers' Opinions about Determining and Performing Classroom Rules questionnaire was used as the data gathering tool in the study.In the evaulation of the data, SPSS 13.0 program was used. The study was made by using the percentage (%), frequency (f) and chi-square techniques. Results: The results of the study showed that the pre-service teachers would establish the classroom rules during the first few weeks of the academic year. The pre-service teachers would establish rules about taking permissions before talking, taking care of classroom and environment cleaning, not making noise and telling the truth. The classroom rules would be declared both in verbal and nonverbal ways. The pre-service teachers would take into account the class level, students' opinions and their needs while establishing the classroom rules and they would determine the awards and sanctions for some of the rules during establishing them. The pre-service teachers agreed that all of the students would know all the classroom rules. It was found no significant in the relationship with gender and the time of determining the classroom rules, the form of stating the rules, the state of the students knowing the rules and determining the awards and sanctions for students who obey and disobey the rules. Discussion: The results of this study suggest that the students carrying misbehaviors, which are acquired from families and environment, into classrooms, and having students from different environments in the same classroom create the problems in maintaining the rules. Because of this, pre- service teachers will have to communicate regularly and consistently with families at the beginning of academic years. The pre-service teachers, who study in the Departments of Education, may do projects about determining and performing classroom rules in their school experience courses. Thanks to that, they would not encounter so many misbehaviors about classroom rules. Some new studies can be made with the aim of improving the communication between schools and Departments of Education. For further research, it might be made some qualitative studies on the issue of determining and performing classroom rules and the results might be compared with the results of this study.