Uppeldi og menntun - 01.07.2014, Qupperneq 85

Uppeldi og menntUn/icelandic JoUrnal of edUcation 23(2) 2014 85
snæfríðUr dröfn BjörgVinsdóttir og anna- l ind PétUrsdóttir
that of their classmates (Westling, 2010). Severe or persistent behavior problems can
also negatively influence students´ academic and social outcomes in life (Bradley et
al., 2008). According to a great majority of teachers in Iceland, their workload has
increased considerably due to escalating challenging behavior among students and
many consider discipline and behavior problems to be the most difficult aspects of
their job (Samband íslenskra sveitarfélaga & Félag grunnskólakennara, 2012). Many
Icelandic teachers experience burnout and three out of four have considered quitting
their job, mostly due to low salaries, heavy workload or lack of respect for the teach-
ing profession (Anna Þóra Baldursdóttir & Valgerður Magnúsdóttir, 2007). However,
research is lacking on the relation between challenging student behavior and the
well-being of Icelandic teachers at work.
The goal of this study was to explore teachers´ perception of the extent of student
behavior problems and their perceived impact on themselves and their students´
learning. Also, it examined teachers‘ sources of support in dealing with challenging
student behavior and their level of emotional exhaustion, as well as whether these
factors were related to their students’ problem behavior. Data were collected using
questions from a translated and slightly adapted version of Westling’s (2010) Question-
naire About Teachers and Challenging Behavior, with an addition of four questions about
emotional exhaustion from Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey. Participants
were 124 general education and special education teachers from nine compulsory
schools in the capital region of Iceland. Participants reported about one in every four
students showing challenging behavior in the classroom and the majority of teachers
reported having to deal with disruptive, defiant and oppositional behavior on a daily
basis. Teachers found behavior problems to be most common among students diag-
nosed with emotional and/or behavioral disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity dis-
order or developmental disabilities. In most participants’ opinion, challenging student
behavior had a negative impact on themselves and their students. One to three teach-
ers out of every ten experienced symptoms of emotional exhaustion, most notably
feeling fatigued when facing another day at work. More than half of participating
teachers thought about leaving the profession due to challenging student behavior.
A positive correlation was observed between the frequency of teachers´ reports of
challenging student behavior in the classroom and their extent of emotional exhaus-
tion. Participants most often received support from co-workers when dealing with
challenging behavior, but seldom from behavior specialists or professionals outside of
their school. Comparison to prior research findings indicates that disruptive student
behavior might have increased in recent years. The results demonstrate the impor-
tance of exploring ways to prevent and reduce challenging student behavior and create
a more positive work environment for both teachers and students.
Keywords: Challenging student behavior, teachers, well-being, emotional exhaustion,
support