Whole school behaviour management and perceptions of behaviour problems in Australian primary schools

Abstract

Over the past decade and a half, whole school behaviour management systems have been implemented in many Australian schools in efforts to reduce undesirable behaviours and improve outcomes for students with behaviour problems. There is evidence in the literature suggesting that whole school approaches are more effective at managing student behaviour problems than the individual practices of teachers. However, much of the research is concentrated on individual schools or small clusters of schools. This exploratory, mixed methods study, employed qualitative data to develop a schema for assessing the level of implementation of whole school behaviour management approaches, and subsequent quantitative data to examine the association between their level of implementation and perceptions of behaviour problems. Higher levels of implementation were found to be associated with lower levels of perceived behaviour problems. Potential links with job satisfaction and stress were also identified. The article concludes with implications for school leadership and policy.