Managing challenging behaviours in Grade 3 learners post-COVID-19

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exacerbated a global learning crisis with teaching and learning losses, impacting children’s well-being and the management of their behaviours.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore how four Grade 3 educators managed the behaviours of learners in their classroom post-COVID-19.

Setting: The research was conducted in a quintile 5, full-service urban primary school in Cape Town, South Africa, with a educator -pupil ratio of 1:36. The majority of the learners spoke English, with the minority speaking Afrikaans, isiXhosa and French.

Methods: An interpretivist paradigm, qualitative approach and a case study were used as they allowed the researcher to gain an understanding about challenging behaviour management in Grade 3 post-COVID-19, by exploring multiple educators’ subjective perceptions.

Results: To answer the research question, ‘What types of challenging behaviours are Grade 3 learners exhibiting post-COVID-19 and how are educators managing these challenging behaviours in Grade 3 learners post-COVID-19?’. Three themes emerged: (1) the types of behaviours learners exhibited, (2) their views on proactive and reactive management styles and (3) the challenges experienced by the educators while managing the learners’ behaviours.

Conclusion: The types of behaviours exhibited included: physical, verbal and academic behavioural challenges. Proactive strategies appeared to be the most preferred management strategy of choice with a higher success rate. External factors created difficulties for educators to maintain consistent standards of behaviour management.

Contribution: This research study contributes to the knowledge and field of behaviour management and inclusive education within the Foundation Phase of South African schools post-COVID-19.