Teachers' democratic and efficacy beliefs and styles of coping with behavioural problems of pupils with special needs

This study examines how teachers actually cope with behavioural problems of included students. In order to understand the impact of individual differences on teachers' coping strategies, the authors looked at the relationship between these strategies and teachers' democratic beliefs and self-efficacy. Participants were 33 teachers in Israel, who teach inclusive classes (1st-3rd grade). Data were collected through classroom observations, teacher interviews and questionnaires. In the interviews, teachers reported that they preferred helpful strategies as a solution to behavioural problems; however, classroom observation revealed that teachers actually used more restrictive responses. These results indicated that there is a gap between teachers' hypothetical knowledge and their applications of this knowledge in authentic classroom situations. In addition, positive correlations were found between teachers' democratic beliefs, teacher efficacy and the use of helpful strategies in regard to different behavioural problems. Practical implications for teacher education are discussed.