Chapter 2Impact on teachers
2.1This chapter examines the impact of challenging student behaviour on the ability of teachers to maintain order in the classroom and the effect this has on teacher safety, work satisfaction and workforce retention.
2.2The chapter also looks at the impact of key stressors for teachers in relation to classroom disruption, including supporting students with increasingly complex needs, growing teacher workloads, workforce shortages, and a lack of preparation for early career teachers.
The ability of teachers to maintain order in classrooms
2.3A range of participants highlighted the increasing demands placed upon teachers in relation to the management of student behaviour, particularly the ability of new and early career teachers to maintain order in the classroom.
2.4Associate Professor Rebecca Collie from the University of New South Wales argued that the impact of disruptive behaviour was an increasing concern for many teachers. In particular, Professor Collie observed that:
Teacher working conditions (including demands, such as disruptive student behaviour) appear to be getting worse over time. In our study of over 3000 Australian teachers using data collected as part of the OECD's Teaching and Learning International Survey in 2013, my colleagues and I identified that 34 per cent of teachers could be considered struggling at work due to their experiences of poor working conditions, including heightened levels of disruptive student behaviour that make it difficult to teach effectively.
2.5Similarly, the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) noted that dealing with misbehaviour has been a concern for teachers for some time:
A 2014 study found it was the number one professional learning need among new teachers, and a priority area of need for more experienced teachers. Over a quarter of experienced teachers said they needed further professional development on this issue. AERO's own research points particularly to the lack of evidence-based classroom management practices being implemented in Australian schools.
Impact on teacher safety, work satisfaction and workforce retention
Teacher safety
2.6Various submitters reported that teachers are being subjected to increasingly challenging behaviours, including verbal and physical abuse from students and parents. For example, MultiLit argued that teachers 'in disorderly classrooms may experience escalating behaviours of concern including verbal and physical aggression from students, significant disruptions to their lessons, student disengagement and declining academic outcomes leading to stress, anxiety, and even physical injuries'.
2.7One teacher from a regional public school in a low-socioeconomic area told the committee:
We have had multiple instances of physical abuse of staff members over the past 3 years. Our former principal was not supportive, our region was not supportive. Staff have been hit. Staff have had furniture thrown at them; staff have had the windows next to their heads punched in. Staff are harassed. They have had their cars keyed. They have had their wallets stolen. They have had students punching the walls of their classrooms. Staff have been forced frequently to deal with vaping, drug use and alcohol use on school grounds. Staff have been forced to deal with drug selling and distribution on school grounds.
2.8The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) pointed out that teachers and school staff 'need to feel safe and supported to undertake their role of teaching and supporting students academically, socially, and emotionally'. The NCEC noted that when 'confronted with disruptive behaviours, aggression, or violence from students, this is compromised'.
2.9In a similar vein, WAESPAA noted that 'staff are sometimes fearful of students and request not to work with them, which is difficult to manage at school level'. WAESPAA went on to describe the impact on staff:
They take leave, including sick leave and workers comp leave and despite having access to the Employee Assistance Program they often become disillusioned and frustrated. Staff feel they unable to teach the rest of the class properly when one or more students in the class has extreme behaviours, and express concerns that other students are missing out on their learning programs due the requirement that they manage the behaviour of particularly disruptive students.
2.10This appears to align with the results of a 2022 Monash University survey of over 5000 Australian teachers which found that the 'increase in the percentage of teachers feeling unsafe at work was primarily attributed to student behaviour with teachers reporting abusive, aggressive, violent, and threatening behaviour'. TheMonash University Faculty of Education explained:
Disorderly classrooms that are characterised by abuse, aggression, or threatening student behaviours, can impact teacher work satisfaction and retention, particularly when teachers feel unsupported in managing these challenging situations. Teachers also felt pressure from needing to make difficult decisions about protecting other students impacted by other student behaviour. Often, this involves potentially putting themselves at risk and exposing themselves to abuse from parents.
Box 2.1 Case Study: one teacher's experience The experience of myself has been that of where teachers are often held squarely responsible for the acts of disorder within the class. I have been sexually assaulted and harassed by a student, I have had chairs thrown at me, children become so angry with me they have struck me. Almost weekly, my colleagues and I are handling more and more violent and hostile students, frequently being called names, and the blame will often land on the teacher. We are made to call the parents and let them know of their child’s hostile behaviour and are often then exposed to hostility from the parents. … Working in a school with high levels of economic and educational disadvantage (65 per cent of our clientele are in the bottom quartile), I have seen teachers being refused stress leave because of being caught in violent brawls, having classes where children are plain vicious to each other, as well teachers with on-going PTSD from witnessing extremely violent fights. |
Job satisfaction and long-term staff retention
2.11Participants told the committee that disruptive classroom behaviour was contributing to teacher burnout, job dissatisfaction and early exit from the profession. For example, WAESPAA argued that 'teachers, and support staff, are burnt out from dealing with extreme behaviour within education support settings, where the demands of the job are very high and extremely physical'. WAESPAA argued:
People don't want to keep working when they are always being hurt or are mentally exhausted, particularly when stress and mental health issues impacted other areas of their lives. There can often be a high turnover of staff due to this which leads to lots of new staff being sought which also changes dynamics in a class as they are unfamiliar with students - often causing students to become more [anxious] etc and so the cycle continues.
2.12Likewise, results from a 2021 survey of Victorian government school staff showed that, of the teachers who reported increased work-related stress, 41.1per cent attributed the increase to student behaviour. Of those teachers who saw themselves leaving the Victorian government school system in 10 years or less, student behaviour was the second highest reported reason (40.1percent), behind excessive workloads (87 per cent).
2.13In addition, Independent Schools Australia (ISA) explained that its state-based associations of independent schools (AISs) reported 'there may be a link between poor student self-regulation, classroom disruption and teacher retention or burnout'. ISA noted that:
Further feedback from AISs also states that job satisfaction may diminish when teachers are unable to perform their role effectively if there are continual behavioural disruptions.
Some AISs noted that at times, teachers may feel guilty about the amount of time they may require to address student behaviour at the expense of student learning. Significant teacher workload may also mean a lack of time to follow up student behaviour effectively or for highly effective teachers to observe and/or mentor less experienced teachers.
2.14MultiLit noted that 'poor student behaviour and low student engagement and motivation overwhelms teachers and leads to less satisfaction in their role, resulting in many teachers choosing to leave the profession or seek alternative careers' which it argued 'create instability in schools, making it challenging to maintain a consistent educational environment for students'.
2.15In addition, the ACU highlighted the increasing impact that disruptive behaviour is having on teachers' health and wellbeing:
The Australian Principal Occupational Health and Wellbeing report this year showed that the top five sources of stress for school leaders now include supporting student mental health and wellbeing, ranked No. 4, and supporting teacher mental health and wellbeing, ranked No. 5. This is the first time that these two sources have appeared simultaneously, with the reported average above seven on a one-to-10 scale, and the trend suggests that this will not quickly dissipate. This is showing in a decline in what we refer to as 'positive protective factors', such as commitment to the workplace, and job satisfaction.
2.16The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) pointed to the findings of the Australian Teacher Workforce Data (ATWD) survey, which indicated that 'intentions to remain in the teaching profession have declined from 2020 to 2022, with classroom factors being a key reason'. Preliminary workforce data for 2021–22 published through the ATWD Key Metrics Dashboard showed that in 2022:
the proportion of the teacher workforce saying they intend to leave prior to retirement was greater (35 per cent) than the proportion who planned to remain until retirement (31 per cent); and
65 per cent of classroom teachers who expressed an intention to leave cited classroom-related factors as a reason, up 10 percentage points from 2020.
2.17However, AITSL also noted that 'intentions to leave do not necessarily correlate with actual attrition, but rather are an indication of where teachers are feeling stress in their jobs'. AITSL explained:
Just 5 per cent of the workforce has any intention to leave within the next year, and only 1.25 per cent of teachers who registered in the year after graduating from an initial teacher education program discontinued their registration each year for the first seven years.
Box 2.2 Case Study: government secondary college Staff have reported regular verbal abuse in the classroom. A workplace is intended to be a safe place. However, school staff have faced targeted swearing, threats of physical harm including mentions of killing staff and hurtful references of a highly personal nature. While suspensions ensue, a government school has limited means to prevent the return of students who repeat the behaviours, and the cycle continues. This ongoing cycle has the ability to impact on the confidence and emotional wellbeing of staff. When these events occur repeatedly it is not uncommon for staff to be absent or resign. It minimizes individual self-esteem while at the same time creating a public image of lack of control. Anecdotally we know that students tell their families 'nothing is done' when in reality, the teacher has worked extensively behind the scenes to maintain confidentiality and restore order. Teachers report feeling tired, frustrated and helpless which may have contributed to the 2022 Staff Opinion Survey which showed that the perception of psychological safety has declined in the past two years. |
Maintaining order in classrooms – key stressors for teachers
Supporting students with increasingly complex needs
2.18Dealing with increasingly complex student needs without appropriate supports or resources was identified as a key stressor for teachers. For example, the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers' Associations (AFMLTA) indicated that:
Teachers consistently report, including in recent teacher survey research conducted by the AFMLTA, that the challenge lies in teaching in increasingly complex classrooms where increased demand is placed on teachers to plan for and accommodate students with specific behavioural and learning needs, as well as the demand for teachers to take care of student well-being, often when not trained, nor supported. There are many effective and passionate educators who are up for this challenge, and supportive school and systemic structures will provide the opportunity for the challenge to be overcome.
2.19WAESPAA argued that students 'with extreme behaviours due to disability, and lack of self-regulation strategies are placed into classrooms/school without the adequate resources to assist classroom staff'. WAESPAA stated:
Limited understanding of the use of sensory specific areas and sensory regulation skills can just add to the dysregulation of students. Limited access to therapy support within school – all reliant on the NDIS and limited, to no additional funding for professional development and additional staff does not help.
2.20Likewise, the ACU reported that one of the consistent messages from its latest Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing survey was that when principals 'reach out for support for the increasing number of students with high-level needs, resources are not provided in a way that is seen to be reflective of dealing with those issues'.
2.21Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion argued that the lack of provision of reasonable adjustments for students with disability 'can lead to escalations in behaviour that would otherwise be avoided if reasonable adjustments appropriate to their needs were in place'.
2.22To this end, many participants called for better resourcing of schools and teachers to support students with complex needs, including autistic students, students with ADHD, and students with specific learning disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions.
2.23For instance, QUT's Centre for Inclusive Education (QUT) highlighted the need to 'support teachers to work with students in classrooms who (as examples) are emotionally dysregulated due to the trauma in their lives, who are homeless or living in poverty, or who are experiencing mental health concerns, or disability or both'. QUT argued that this would require evidence-based adjustments and supports, with 'responsibility shared across the education ecosystem'.
2.24Several participants indicated that the ability of teachers to manage student behaviour is impacted by increasing teacher workloads—particularly low-level administration—and a crowded curriculum. For example, Square Peg Round Whole WA noted:
Untenable workload, including lack of time for administration and planning, and teachers being overwhelmed by data entry, recording and administrative tasks. We were also told that the meeting attendance impact was significant and added more stress to an already overwhelmed schedule, directly impeding both on face-to-face teaching time and the ability to provide engaging and quality instruction that helps contribute to student engagement and classroom order.
2.25The ACU also observed that workloads of teachers and principals was being significantly affected by the increase in low-value administrative tasks:
Those tasks are all, in micro, valuable in some regard, but in macro they create an additional task in the time available. No change has been occurring to the sheer number of days and hours that schools have, but more and more is loaded onto their plate. Nothing is taken off the plate. When there is driver education, sex education, consent education, all of those things fit into the same quantum of time. The net result is that there is less time to focus on issues related to the curriculum. It would not be any surprise that teachers are saying, 'I just can't do all of that work.'
2.26In a similar vein, APTA indicated that:
The impact of student behaviour on instructional time could be lessened if administrative tasks were reduced so teachers can focus on delivering lessons that can promote engagement and success. Research (indicated in the recent National Teacher Workforce Action Plan) notes that teachers spend significant time on administrative tasks. The NT Teacher Wellbeing Strategy noted that two-thirds of teachers spend over 20% of their time on non-teaching related work.
2.27Ms Olivia Grant, Specialist for Literacy Across the Curriculum at Cranbourne Secondary College, noted that 'untenable workload and burnout, felt from education graduates all the way to principals. At all levels, we are constantly stretched beyond capacity, leaving insufficient time to effectively and consistently manage student behaviour. Behaviour management is only effective when it is consistently and fairly applied'.
Workforce shortages
2.28Multiple submitters identified the shortage of qualified teachers and support staff as a significant contributing factor to the increasing challenge of managing disruptive classroom behaviours.
2.29For example, APTA noted that 'frequent collapsed classes are leading to high levels of disruption and has removed the much-needed structure and routine required by students'. APTA indicated that:
Instances across the country have been reported by associations of multiple classes being placed into common areas where students are subject to minimum supervision is commonplace and detrimental to student learning and engagement. Not only do students miss out on vital learning during the lesson, but the lack of structure also makes it difficult for students to focus and engage in other lessons throughout the day. Teachers being asked to provide minimum supervision to multiple classes simultaneously provides a very unsafe working environments, with the lack of engagement in learning leading to undesirable behaviours from students.
2.30In addition, Northern Sydney District Council of P&C Associations observed that teachers are having to teach outside their subject area, because many high schools have difficulty finding qualified teachers. It argued that this 'lack of knowledge and confidence shown in these circumstances can lead to a quite an unruly classroom, where little learning takes place, and where bad habits are formed'.
2.31Similar views were expressed by the NSW Secondary Principals' Council (NSW SPC), which noted that classroom disruption was both a result of—and direct contributor to—teacher shortages:
Staff shortages, and staff teaching outside their field of expertise, supercharges disruption because collapsed classes supervised by inappropriately qualified teachers drive disruption up and intensifies disorderly behaviour, which drives teacher departure from more challenging school settings and the teaching profession generally.
A lack of adequate preparation for early career teachers
2.32Multiple participants pointed out that many beginner teachers found themselves poorly equipped to manage disruptive student behaviour and often struggled to maintain order in classroom settings.
2.33Indeed, several participants indicated that initial teacher training (ITE) did not prepare new teachers adequately to deal with increasingly challenging student behaviours. For example, one teacher observed that their double degree in teaching contained 'no behaviour management preparation or strategies'. They also noted that 'the only behaviour management experience we had was in placements, which were either thrown in the deep end and told to swim or had no behaviour management issues in private school placements'.
2.34Another senior teacher argued that there was 'no use having university level knowledge of science and maths if the skills for good behaviour management are not taught, including functional behaviour analysis, the impacts of disability on behaviour, as well as the wider ethics of behaviour management'.
2.35The Australian Education Union (AEU) noted that beginner teachers 'with three or less years' experience have consistently told the AEU that they do not believe their [ITE] sufficiently prepared them for the complex realities of the classroom':
In our 2021 survey the main areas where new educators were underprepared were teaching students whose first language is not English (62 per cent), dealing with difficult behaviour (55 per cent), teaching students with disability (47 per cent) and teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (43 per cent). More than a third (35 per cent) of new educators said that their ITE was not helpful in preparing them to manage classroom activities, and in under resourced schools this increased to 41 per cent.
2.36The Western Australian Education Support Principals and Administrators Association (WAESPAA) argued that this 'means we've got pre-service teachers coming out into our system that aren't prepared to support the students who are actually in their classrooms'.
2.37The experience of new teachers can also be dependent on the school they join. TheAustralian Catholic University (ACU) pointed out that in comparison to other jurisdictions, we 'have a situation in this country where we put some of our most inexperienced teachers into some of the most challenging schools'.
2.38These experiences were echoed in the final report of the Teacher Education Expert Panel, which found that 'too many beginning teachers have reported that they felt they needed to be better equipped for the challenges they faced in the classroom on starting their teaching careers'.