Knowledge and practice of behaviour modification techniques among pre-service teachers of colleges of education in Ashanti Region, Ghana

Abstract

The study aimed at investigating knowledge and practice of behaviour modification techniques among pre-service teachers of Colleges of Education in Ashanti Region, Ghana. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Purposive, proportionate and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 370 students who responded to a set of questionnaires. Two research questions were formulated to keep the study in focus. Five similar hypotheses were also tested. Behaviour Modification Questionnaire (BMQ) developed by the researcher served as the instrument for data collection. The study revealed that pre-service teachers demonstrated low level knowledge and practice of behaviour modification techniques in managing disruptive behaviour in classroom. There was mild significant positive relationship between the pre-service teachers’ knowledge and practice of behaviour modification techniques in managing disruptive behaviour in the classrooms. It was recommended that counsellors and tutors in Colleges of Education should create the awareness of the importance of the use of proactive behaviour modification techniques instead of the use of punitive methods to correct behaviours. Additionally, pre-service teachers should be provided with meaningful field experiences where they can observe strategies for successfully instructing, engaging, and managing students’ disruptive behaviours.