A Phenomenological Study on Teachers’ Perception of Classroom Management Challenges in Higher Vocational Colleges in China

Abstract

For years, effective classroom management has been of much concern to both teachers and teacher educators. Despite such paramount importance, this issue has been far less explored in higher vocational college context in particular. Therefore, this study employed a phenomenological inquiry to delve into the lived experiences of teachers in vocational colleges, and explore these teachers’ perceptions of challenges related to classroom management so as to better understand and support them. 12 teachers from vocational colleges in China were selected through purposive sampling and data were collected by means of semi-structured Interviews. The interviews then were transcribed verbatim and their content was inductively analyzed to let frequent themes emerge. The results of the study show that teachers have been subjected to a number of problems, which result in their great pressure and frustration. Results of the analysis indicated three major themes about the problems, namely “college-related”, “student-related”, “teacher-related” frequently manifested. It should be noted that each main theme also comprised several sub-themes. Some stakeholders such as teachers, teacher educators, administrators, supervisors could benefit from the findings to promote the quality of classroom management in vocational colleges. In this research, we also found that during study, teachers do not acquire sufficient knowledge for effective class management.