Rules, routines, and expectations of 11 high school physical education teachers

Management of conduct has been considered the number one concern facing American schools (Gallup, 1988). Principals are concerned with the numbers of daily discipline problems, and reports indicate the average class is disruptive enough to have significantly impaired student progress (Vogler & Bishop, 1990). The National Education Association (NEA) reported that 44% of teachers in public schools saw more disruptive classroom behavior in schools during 1986- 1987 than in the previous 5 years (Office of Educational Research and Improvement [OERI], 1987). Hoerr and West (1991) commented that "the persistent prevalence of student misbehavior is a major school problem" (p. 1). Concern for teachers' control of their learning environments has been expressed at national conferences (Ballinger, 1992). Yet, despite the concern of teachers and administrators for the seemingly growing discipline problems in American schools (OERI, 1987), little research has been conducted on student discipline (Fernandez-Balboa, 1991; Henkel, 1991; Vogler & Bishop, 1990). Good and Brophy (1986) found that achievement was greater where serious misbehaviors were uncommon and where teacher praise during classroom discussions was frequent. Higher achieving teachers utilized better management strategies and spent less time on transitions and discipline activity. Doyle (1986) noted that master teachers were relatively free from student deviance, were aware of what was going on in their classrooms, and communicated their awareness to prevent the spread of off-task behavior. Such effective discipline increased students' opportunities for learning. In a study of elementary teachers' perceptions of discipline, Brophy and Rohrkemper (1981) reported that teachers generally saw internal student factors rather than themselves as the cause of discipline problems, and teachers did not perceive handling behavior problems as part of their teaching.