Alternative Certification Teachers' Attitudes Toward Classroom Management

Classroom management has been shown to be the most common concern of both pre-service and experienced teachers (Gee, 2001; Johns, MacNaughton, & Karabinus, 1989; Smith, 2000; Weinstein, 1996; Weinstein & Mignano, 1993). Furthermore, teachers who self-define their teaching experiences as failures attribute their experiences to a lack of preparation by their teacher education programs (Britt, 1997; Goodnough, 2000). Pre-service teachers, who commonly cite student behaviours as negative aspects of their practicum placements (Killen, 1994), share this perception. According to pre-service teachers, their frustration with their inability to manage student behaviour is left unaddressed by their co-operating teachers (Goodnough, 2000; Key, 1998) as well as by their faculty advisors (Farkas, Johnson, & Duffet, 1997). These findings are cause for concern, as teachers who perceive problems with classroom management are more likely to leave the teaching profession (Goodenough, 2000; Taylor & Dale, 1971).