Student-Centered and Teacher-Centered Classroom Management: A Case Study of Three Elementary Teachers.

Abstract

The major purpose of this case study was to document the classroom management beliefs and practices of three teachers reputed to implement student-centered instruction and to examine the relationship between their instructional and managerial approaches. More specifically, do teachers who use student-centered instruction also implement studentcentered management? Results indicate that, although all three teachers used an eclectic approach, two teachers tended to be more student-centered while one was more teachercentered with respect to classroom management. All three teachers’ approaches also reflected the principles of “good classroom management” derived from studies conducted in the 1960’s and 1970’s in traditional transmission classrooms. Results also indicate that the teachers did think about the relationship between instruction and classroom management, but not in terms of using student-centered management to support their student-centered instruction. Rather, they thought about what management strategies were necessary to successfully implement a particular lesson.