Are Behavioural Classroom Management Approaches Appropriate to a Non-Western Education System?

Abstract

The behavioural approach to classroom management is largely a product of Western psychology. Most research in the field has been carried out in the developed countries of the West. Is the approach appropriate to the needs of teachers and pupils in schools elsewhere? The article attempts to answer this question in relation to secondary schools in a developing territory in the East - Hong Kong. The article begins with information on the education system and cultural values of Hong Kong and then examines recent secondary school research in four areas: (1) the prevalence of off-task, unruly and disruptive behaviour; (2) teachers' and pupils' attitudes towards rewards, (3) patterns of teacher approval and disapproval; (4) the application of behavioural management techniques. Research in these areas indicates (1) a prevalence of off-task, unruly, disruptive behaviour in Hong Kong; (2) teachers and pupils have very positive attitudes to rewards in pupil behaviour management; (3) teachers' use of approval and disappxoval compares closely with Western research; and (4) behavioural management programmes can be successful in Hong Kong secondary schools.