Teachers as Leaders: The Impact of Adler-Dreikurs Classroom Management Techniques on Students’ Perceptions of the Classroom Environment and on Academic Achievement

Abstract

In response to growing interest in universal school-based interventions, we taught Adlerian-Dreikursian classroom management techniques to teachers and investigated how these techniques impacted both the students’ perception of the classroom environment and the students’ grades. A quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest control groups was employed. The sample consisted of 30 Iranian elementary school female teachers and 745 students (407 girls, 338 boys) aged 7 to 12 years. The 30 teachers were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The teachers in the experimental group received Adlerian-Dreikursian classroom management training in 10 two-hour sessions. Students were assessed using the My Classroom Scale (Burnett, 2002). Analyses revealed that students’ perceptions of “satisfaction with the classroom environment” and “relationships with teacher,” as well as their academic achievements, were enhanced in the experimental group for all grade levels. We show that Adlerian-Dreikursian classroom methods can improve classroom effectiveness by increasing students’ satisfaction and academic achievement.