Exploring the relationship between teacher practices and student behavior

Understanding the interrelations between teachers’ instructional and behavior management practices and their relation to students’ rates of challenging behavior will help education professionals such as school psychologists serve more effectively as coaches or consultants in the classroom context. This study used correlational and multiple regression analyses to examine whether these two domains of teacher practices individually and concurrently predict student classroom behavior. Analyses further examined the extent to which instructional practices impact the relationship between behavior management strategies and student behavior. The current study utilized extant data obtained from 143 elementary school general education and special education teachers in a high-need, low-wealth district in the Northeastern U.S. Results from regression analyses indicate that teacher practices separately, but not jointly, predict student behavior when controlling for lesson format and grade level. Additionally, instructional practices did not moderate the relationship between behavior management practices and student disruptive behavior. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.