Building Blocks of a Functional Classroom Community: A Case Study of the Challenges to Construct a Successful Environment of Learning

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine a classroom’s dynamics to investigate how one teacher describes students’ disruptive behavior and the strategies used to maintain classroom integrity for a more conducive environment for learning. This study was conducted using a single case mixed methods approach to capture the complete essence of the classroom community experience. Qualitative methods were employed as a venue for the teacher’s voice which revealed her perception, or reality, while quantitative methods explored the frequency and categories of students’ disruptive behaviors as well as teacher responses to those disruptive behaviors. A comparison between the teacher’s reality of the classroom in the initial and exit interviews and the researcher’s observations were examined to uncover any connections and disconnections in the data. The findings discovered an imbalance between the two worlds in that disconnections between the teacher’s reality and observations suggested a clear lack of teacher connectedness to the classroom. The findings from this study will be added to the existing literature.