Elementary Teachers Perspectives on Managing Classroom Social Dynamics: Implications for Professional Development Interventions

Classroom social dynamics (patterns of social affiliation, social status, and aggressive behavior) play an important role in the educational and behavioral outcomes of students. Current intervention efforts address social dynamics by structuring classroom or school-wide behavioral contingencies around targeted behaviors (e.g., PBIS) or by promoting the development of individual self-regulation or social skills through lesson-based curricula (e.g., SEL curricula). Relatively little is known about teachers’ more informal efforts to manage social dynamics through everyday teaching practices such as seating arrangements, pairing or grouping strategies, and coaching individual students. This presentation aims to clarify teachers’ views regarding the management of social network dynamics and their interest in professional development on this topic.

 Fifty-four teachers of 1st, 3^rd and 5^th grade classrooms were surveyed about three types of classroom social dynamics - social status, friendship patterns, and aggressive/mean behaviors. All items were rated on 5-point Likert-type scales. Internally consistent composite scores were derived for the importance of managing social dynamics, reasons not to get involved, sources of information, and the people turned to for advice and support. Teachers also rated their interest in using a hypothetical tablet-based software program that would empower them to survey their students regarding classroom social dynamics.

Teachers rated aggressive/mean behavior patterns as highly relevant to their teaching goals (M=4.33); social status and friendship patterns were rated as less important (M=3.32 and 2.91). Many teachers expressed the view that students should solve social status and friendship issues on their own, but few endorsed this view regarding aggressive behavior. Teachers were most likely to learn about social dynamics by using seating arrangements or observations of the classroom and least likely to ask children directly. Teachers turned to grade-level colleagues and building administrators for guidance on managing social dynamics. Most teachers expressed strong interest (ratings of 4 or 5) in using tablet-based software to survey their students about classroom social dynamics: aggression/victimization (93%), sense of peer community (91%), and social status and friendship (63%).

Teacher’s beliefs about managing social dynamics vary substantially, especially with regard to status and friendship dynamics, but most are strongly interested in learning more about these dynamics. Interventions might target teachers' understanding of the constructive role they can play in each aspect of social dynamics empower them to learn more about social dynamics in their classrooms.