Teachers’ Perceptions of Student Behavior and Learning Environment in Primary and Secondary School in Norway, 1997

The data set “Teachers' Perceptions of Student Behavior and Learning Environment in Primary and Secondary School in Norway, 1997 “ is based on a comprehensive mapping survey of teachers' experiences with and views on student behavior and learning in primary schools, conducted during the spring of 1997. Teachers were asked to report on their experiences during a randomly selected school week (the week before the survey was conducted) and then about their experiences the current school year. Teachers were also asked what reactions they and the school used against undesirable student behavior and what suggestions they had for new or reinforced measures. The survey showed that less serious problems dominated both in the classroom and in the school environment. The cumulative effects of such problems were significant: Many small problems turn into one large problem. Motivation and discipline problems were according to most teachers, the most serious student problems, together with bullying and low academic achievement. Serious behavior problems also occurred, but were much rarer and consisted of aggressive and disruptive behavior in the classroom and the school environment, or other manifestations of severe violations of norms and rules, such as truancy, vandalism and theft. On average, teachers were concerned for 9% of their pupils. At lower secondary level, more cases of introverted and learning retardant behavior were reported, as opposed to more reports of disruptive behavior at primary level. Teachers who observed more cases of problem behavior did not differ particularly from teachers who reported little such behavior. Characteristics such as age, gender, place of education, years of school, the number of hours in class, employment size and role of the main teacher or teacher of individual subjects, gave no significant impact on teacher assessments. However, teachers who reported less common problem behaviors than expected, often worked in small schools and classes (schools with fewer than 15 pupils in primary school and fewer than 18 in secondary schools). There was not however, reports of less severe norms and rule violations in small classes and schools. At schools where they had educational programs to teach students social skills, making unsafe pupils more safe and quiet students more active, teachers reported significantly fewer behavior problems than at schools where they had not implemented such measures. Among the teachers' reactions to undesirable behavior positive- and supportive reactions, praise of options and desired behaviors, additional support and humor dominated. When not successful, teachers made use of problem solving and conversations with students. Only if this didn't work, did they use behavioral corrective reactions (ignore, deflect and rebuke), negative consequences (removal and withholding privileges, impose additional work and keep students inside during recess) and formal sanctions, where school management, other teachers or parents were involved. Multivariate analyzes showed that schools at primary level, where student issues were considered most serious, had a relatively large proportion of pupils with disruptive behavior. These were schools that had a high number of pupils, relatively many students that shirked classes and who had negative teacher ratings of the classroom environment. In secondary schools student issues were considered most seriously by schools that had a large proportion of pupils with learning retardant behavior, students who shirked classed and students with introverted behavioral problems. In both school levels, class truancy was a good indicator of serious student problems.