Class Interpersonal Relationship And Students’ Externalizing Problem Behaviors:the Role Of Head Teachers’ Management Behavior And Intervention

Class and head teacher system is a unique educational system in primary and secondary schools in China.Chinese primary and secondary school students spend much time living and learning in the class.Class can be deemed as "the second home" of Chinese primary and secondary school students.The interpersonal relationship(i.e.teacher-student relationship and classmate relationship)in "the second home" exerts an important impact on the academic and social development of Chinese primary and secondary school students.It is of great practical significance to explore the factors affecting class interpersonal relationship and investigate the means of intervening class interpersonal relationship.Since the teacher-student relationship and classmate relationship in Chinese schools are cultivated in the class environment,and the head teacher plays a key role in forming class interpersonal relationship and developing students’ social development,it is very critical to explore the head teacher’s professional development and class management behavior.This doctoral dissertation focuses on the head teacher’s management behavior,discusses the interaction between head teacher’s management behavior,class interpersonal relationship and students’externalizing problem behaviors deeply,and tries to intervene the head teacher’s management behavior by conducting the head teacher’s professional development project called as "Excellent Head Teacher Plan" under natural conditions.Study 1 aims to deeply explore the relationships between the head teacher’s management behavior,class interpersonal relationship and students’ externalizing problem behaviors.2158 Chinese students from grade 4 to 8 are investigated by questionnaires at three different time points during one academic year.Three questions are discussed.(1)The direct effect of the head teacher’s management behavior and class interpersonal relationship on students’ externalizing problem behaviors.(2)The reciprocal relationship between the head teacher’s management behavior,teacher-student relationship and students’ externalizing problem behaviors.(3)The impact of the head teacher’s management behavior on the classmate relationship and its influence mechanism.The results of study 1 show that:(1)On the individual level,the head teacher’s positive management behavior significantly negatively predicts students’ externalizing problem behaviors.The closeness of the teacher-student relationship and classmate relationship significantly negatively predict students’ externalizing problem behaviors,and conflicts of the teacher-student relationship significantly positively predicts students’ externalizing problem behaviors.On the class level,both of the head teacher’s positive management behavior and negative management behavior predict students’ externalizing problem behaviors negatively and significantly.The closeness of the teacher-student relationship and classmate relationship significantly negatively predict students’externalizing problem behaviors.The head teacher’s management behavior affects students’ externalizing problem behaviors indirectly by teacher-student relationship and classmate relationship.(2)After controlling for covariates,simultaneous correlation,and auto-regression of variables,this study indicates that there is a reciprocal relationship between the head teacher’s management behavior and the students’ externalizing problem behaviors;there is a reciprocal relationship between teacher-student relationship and the students’ externalizing problem behaviors;there is a reciprocal relationship between the head teacher’s management behavior and the teacher-student relationship.On the whole,the head teacher’s positive management behavior initiate the positive reciprocal relationship,while the students’ externalizing problem behaviors and the head teacher’s negative management behavior drive the negative reciprocal relationship.(3)The head teacher’s positive management behavior positively significantly predicts the classmate relationship on the student individual level and class level,and affects the classmate relationship indirectly through the closeness of the teacher-student relationship and the students’ externalizing problem behaviors.The head teacher’s negative management behavior exerts significant negative impact on the classmate relationship on the individual level,and affects the classmate relationship through the closeness of the teacher-student relationship indirectly.The findings in the Study 1 suggest that there is a complex dynamic interaction process between the head teacher and students.In the process of managing students’externalizing problem behaviors,the driving role of students’ externalizing problem behaviors cannot be ignored,and the head teacher’s timely awareness and decision-making ability should be taken seriously.Study 2 is an intervention study on the head teacher’s professional development named as"Excellent Head Teacher Plan" program,which concerns the reflective practice and effect test of the head teacher with guidance.The program includes the head teacher’s reflective diary,peer supervision and class management strategy toolkit.The design of the intervention scheme is based on the findings of the study 1.There is a highly complex and dynamic interaction process between the head teacher and students,which is difficult to improve the head teacher’s class management practice in a "manual" way.It is necessary to fully respect the initiative of the head teacher and pay attention to cultivate head teacher’s awareness,reflection and independent decision-making ability.Therefore,the design of the Study 2 mainly attempts to promote the development of the head teacher’s class management competency through reflective practice.Using the quasi experimental research paradigm,this study investigates the intervention effects of the head teacher professional development program with three main components(reflection diary,peer supervision and management strategy toolkit)on the head teacher’s management behavior,class interpersonal relationship,students’ externalizing problem behaviors and the head teacher’s job burnout.The intervention group consists of 16 head teachers and 421 students from grade 4 to 8.The control group consists of 16 head teachers and 429 students from the same school in the intervention group(matched sample).The head teachers in the intervention group receive the intervention for 11 weeks,and the head teachers in the control group carry out education and teaching affairs as usual during this period.The findings show that the head teacher’s professional development program significantly reduces the reduced efficacy in the head teacher’s job burnout,and significantly reduces the head teacher’s negative management behavior who has less negative management behavior in the pre-test.The professional development program affects the head teacher’s management behavior,class interpersonal relationship and student externalization problem behavior by reducing the reduced efficacy indirectly.The head teacher’s professional development program fails to significantly reduce emotional exhaustion and cynicism in the head teacher’s job burnout.The head teacher’s professional development program has no significant effect on the head teacher’s positive management behavior,teacher-student relationship,classmate relationship and externalizing problem behavior.Based on the above research findings,this doctoral dissertation concludes that there is a complex interaction between the head teacher’s management behavior,class interpersonal relationship and students’ externalizing problem behaviors.In the meantime,the head teacher’s positive management behavior is the key to initiate positive teacher-student interaction.The head teacher’s professional development program which includes reflection diary,peer supervision and management strategy toolkit plays a certain role in reducing the head teacher’s reduced efficacy and negative management behavior.Further study can be made to explore how to effectively intervene the head teacher’s management behavior and class interpersonal relationship.