Virtual reality to assess classroom management competence: a study on conflict management
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.28.1.41472Keywords:
classroom management, conflict management strategies, virtual reality, secondary educationAbstract
This study underscores the importance of using realistic scenarios to assess Classroom Management Competence (CMC), which has traditionally been measured through questionnaires. The CMC of preservice secondary school teachers was assessed using Didascalia Virtual Classroom, a virtual reality simulation platform designed to foster this competence. The study aimed to identify and categorize the coping strategies employed by preservice teachers to manage incidents within an Immersive Virtual Reality environment. Conducted as part of a teacher training Master’s programme, the study involved 39 students from eight disciplines from two Spanish universities. Three simulated scenarios were designed to represent disruptive behaviours: disturbances in teacher-student relationships, conflicts between classmates, and issues during group work. A mixed-methods approach with an exploratory-descriptive perspective was used. Data were collected through videos of the participants' actions, which were then analysed using thematic content analysis based on Thomas y Kilmann's (2008) conflict management styles: collaboration, compromise, accommodation, avoidance, and domination. The results indicated that participants tended to employ more assertive and reactive strategies, such as domination and compromise. Two distinct subgroups emerged: one assertive but uncooperative, and another with low assertiveness and moderate cooperation. Differences in strategy implementation were observed across scenarios, suggesting that future teachers need to develop flexibility in classroom management by adopting a proactive approach and tailoring strategies to various contexts and types of disruptive behaviour.
Downloads
References
Alasmari, N. J., & Althaqafi, A. S. A. (2021). Teachers’ practices of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and the relationship to their self-efficacy. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211046351
Álvarez, I. M., Manero, B., Morodo, A., Suñé-Soler, N., & Henao, C. (2023). Immersive Virtual Reality to improve competence to manage classroom climate in secondary schools. Educación XX1, 26(1), 249-272. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.33418
Álvarez, I. M., Manero, B., Romero-Hernández, A., Cárdenas, M., & Masó, I. (2024). Virtual reality platform for teacher training on classroom climate management: evaluating user acceptance. Virtual Reality, 28(2), 78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-024-00973-6
Bingham, S. G., Carlson, R. E., Dwyer, K. K., & Prisbell, M. (2009). Student misbehaviors, instructor responses, and connected classroom climate: Implications for the basic course. Basic Communication Course Annual, 21(7), 30-68. http://ecommons.udayton.edu/bcca/vol21/iss1/7
Bocos-Corredor, M., López-García, A., & Díaz-Nieto, A. (2020). Classroom VR: a VR game to improve communication skills in secondary school teachers. [Final Degree Project]. E-Prints Complutense. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2020.2148
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_3470-2
Buendía-Eisman, L., Expósito-López, J., Aguadez-Ramírez, E.M., & Sánchez- Núñez, C.A. (2015). Analysis of coexistence in multicultural Secondary education classroom. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 33(2), 303-319. https://doi.org/10.6018/rie.33.2.211491
Campbell, M. (2004). School victims: An analysis of 'my worst experience in school' scale. In Performing Educational Research: Theories, Methods and Practices (pp. 77-87). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/2293/1/2293.pdf
Canter, L., & Canter, M. (2001). Assertive discipline: Positive behavior management for today’s classroom (3rd ed.). Seal Beach, CA: Canter.
Ceballos-Vacas, E. M., & Rodríguez-Ruiz, B. (2023). How do teachers and pupils actually deal with conflict? An analysis of conflict resolution strategies and goals. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 41(2), 551-572. https://doi.org/10.6018/rie.547241
Christofferson, M., & Sullivan, A. L. (2015). Preservice teachers’ classroom management training: A survey of self‐reported training experiences, content coverage, and preparedness. Psychology in the Schools, 52(3), 248-264. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21819
Clunies‐Ross, P., Little, E., & Kienhuis, M. (2008). Self‐reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behaviour. Educational Psychology, 28(6), 693-710. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410802206700
Cook, C. R., Fiat, A., Larson, M., Daikos, C., Slemrod T., Holland E. A., Thayer A. J., Renshaw T. (2018). Positive greetings at the door: Evaluation of a low-cost, high-yield proactive classroom management strategy. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 20(3), 149-159. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300717753831
Davis, J. R. (2017). From discipline to dynamic pedagogy: A re-conceptualization of classroom management. Berkeley Review of Education, 6(2), 129-153. https://doi.org/10.5070/B86110024
Doyle, W. (2006). Ecological approaches to classroom management. In C. M. Evertson & C. S. Weinstein (Eds.), Handbook of classroom management: Research, practice, and contemporary issues (pp. 97-125). Erlbaum.
Emmer, E. T., & Stough, L. M. (2003). Classroom management: A critical part of educational psychology, with implications for teacher education. In Educational Psychology (pp. 103-112). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3602_5
Evertson, C. M., & Poole, I. R. (2012). Proactive Classroom Management. In 21st Century Education: A Reference Handbook (pp. I-131-I-139). SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412964012.n14
Evertson, C. M., & Weinstein, C. S. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of classroom management: Research, practice, and contemporary issues. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203874783
Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2018). Research methods in education. Routledge.
Govorova, E., Benítez, I., & Muñiz, J. (2020). How Schools Affect Student Well-Being: A Cross-Cultural Approach in 35 OECD Countries. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00431
Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Status and prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2014.940781
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Hamilton, D., McKechnie, J., Edgerton, E., & Wilson, C. (2021). Immersive virtual reality as a pedagogical tool in education: a systematic literature review of quantitative learning outcomes and experimental design. Journal of Computers in Education, 8(1), 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-020-00169-2
Iglesias-Díaz, P., & Romero-Pérez, C. (2021). Aulas afectivas e inclusivas y bienestar adolescente: Una revisión sistemática. Educación XX1, 24(2), 305-350. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.28705
Inbar-Furst, H., Ayvazo, S., Yariv, E., & Aljadeff, E. (2021). Inservice teachers’ self-reported strategies to address behavioral engagement in the classroom. Teaching and Teacher Education, 106, 103466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103466
Ke, F., Pachman, M., & Dai, Z. (2020). Investigating educational affordances of virtual reality for simulation-based teaching training with graduate teaching assistants. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 32(3), 607-627. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-020-09249-9
Keller, M. M., & Becker, E. S. (2020). Teachers’ emotions and emotional authenticity: Do they matter to students’ emotional responses in the classroom? Teachers and Teaching, 27(5), 404-422. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2020.1834380
Kounin, J. S. (1970). Discipline and group management in classrooms. Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Kugurakova, V. V., Golovanova, I. I., Kabardov, M. K., Kosheleva, Y. P., Koroleva, I. G., & Sokolova, N. L. (2023). Scenario approach for training classroom management in virtual reality. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 13(3), e202328. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/13195
Lugrin, J. L., Latoschik, M. E., Habel, M., Roth, D., Seufert, C., & Grafe, S. (2016). Breaking bad behaviors: A new tool for learning classroom management using virtual reality. Frontiers in ICT, 3, 26. https://doi.org/10.3389/fict.2016.00026
Luhmann, N. (1982). The world society as a social system. International Journal of General Systems, 8, 131-138. https://doi.org/10.1080/03081078208547442
Martínez, M. B., Chacón, J. C., Díaz-Aguado, M. J., Martín, J., & Martínez, R. (2020). Disruptive behavior in compulsory secondary education classrooms: A multi-informant analysis of the perception of teachers and students. Pulso. Revista de Educación, 43, 15-34. https://revistas.cardenalcisneros.es/article/view/4793/5030
Masó, I. (2022). Los conflictos en el aula de secundaria y las competencias comunicativas del profesorado [Conflicts in the secondary classroom and teachers' communicative competencies]. In J. A. Marín, J. C. de la Cruz, S. Pozo, & G. Gómez (Eds.), Investigación e innovación educativa frente a los retos para el desarrollo sostenible (pp. 1383-1398). Dylinson. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2gz3w6t.111
McGarr, O. (2021). The use of virtual simulations in teacher education to develop pre-service teachers’ behavior and classroom management skills: Implications for reflective practice. Journal of Education for Teaching, 47(2), 274-286. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1733398
McGrath, K. F., & Van Bergen, P. (2019). Attributions and emotional competence: Why some teachers experience close relationships with disruptive students (and others don’t). Teachers and Teaching, 25(3), 334-357. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2019.1569511
McGuire, S. N., Meadan, H., & Folkerts, R. (2024). Classroom and behavior management training needs and perceptions: A systematic review of the literature. Child Youth Care Forum, 53, 117-139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-023-09750-z
OECD. (2020). TALIS 2018 Results (Volume II): Teachers and school leaders as valued professionals. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/19cf08df-en
Olafson, L., & Schraw, G. (2006). Teachers’ beliefs and practices within and across domains. International Journal of Educational Research, 45, 71-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2006.08.005
Payne, R. (2015). Using rewards and sanctions in the classroom: Pupils’ perceptions of their own responses to current behaviour management strategies. Educational Review, 67(4), 483-504. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2015.1008407
Sabornie, E. J., & Espelage, D. L. (Eds.). (2023). Handbook of classroom management. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003275312
Santiago-Rosario, M. R., McIntosh, K., & Whitcomb, S. A. (2023). Examining teachers’ culturally responsive classroom management self-efficacy. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 48(3), 170-176. https://doi.org/10.1177/15345084221118090
Sarceda-Gorgoso, M. C., Santos-González, M. C., & Rego-Agraso, L. (2020). Las competencias docentes en la formación inicial del profesorado de educación secundaria. Profesorado, Revista de Currículum y Formación del Profesorado, 24(3), 401-421. https://doi.org/10.30827/profesorado.v24i3.8260
Seufert, C., Oberdörfer, S., Roth, A., Grafe, S., Lugrin, J. L., & Latoschik, M. E. (2022). Classroom management competency enhancement for student teachers using a fully immersive virtual classroom. Computers & Education, 179, 104410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104410
Tarantul, A., & Berkovich, I. (2024). Teachers’ emotion regulation in coping with discipline issues: Differences and similarities between primary and secondary schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, 139, 104439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104439
Thomas, K. W., & Kilmann, R. H. (2008). Thomas-Kilmann conflict mode. TKI Profile and Interpretive Report, 1(11). https://lig360.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Conflict-Styles-Assessment.pdf
Wang, H., Hall, N. C., & Taxer, J. L. (2019). Antecedents and consequences of teachers’ emotional labor: A systematic review and meta-analytic investigation. Educational Psychology Review, 31(3), 663-698. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09475-3
Zurlo, M. C., Vallone, F., Dell'Aquila, E., & Marocco, D. (2020). Teachers' patterns of management of conflicts with students: A study in five European countries. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 16(1), 112-127. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v16i1.1955
