How do teachers and facilitators view the impact on their own behaviour of conduct disordered children in their classroom

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the types of disruptive behaviour in a child diagnosed with conduct disorder in a classroom setting where teachers/facilitators view this behaviour as a problem in their teachings. The study took place in 6 different Primary Schools in Malta. An exploratory research design was used, in which children from Child Assessment Development Unit and Young People's Unit at Mount Carmel Hospital were chosen as a sample. A structured questionnaire was administered to the class teachers/facilitators of the sample. The questionnaire tackled the issues of the challenging behaviour that may influence the child-teacher's/facilitator's classroom relationship. Permissions to carry out the research were granted by the IHC Board of Ethics, Consultant child Psychiatrists, the Educational Department, the Data Protection Board and the Head of the Schools. The results revealed that the challenging behaviour and the child teacher/facilitator relationship are combined together. The most teacher/facilitators concerns were about the academic performance and the general behaviour of the child. The major child maladaptive behaviours towards the teacher/facilitator were that the child seems not to listen when spoken to directly and that the child argues with the teacher/facilitator. Findings indicate the need for some type of support for the learning and development of the child teacher/facilitator relationship, so that the child will feel supported, while the teacher will feel more effective in his/her work.