Greek Teachers' Judgments about the Nature and Severity of Classroom Problems

Abstract

A survey of Greek elementary teachers investigated their judgments concerning the nature and severity of classroom problems. Teachers (N=101) completed a questionnaire that required them to judge the nature and rate the severity of common classroom problems experienced by students. The questionnaire presented 15 descriptions of students and asked teachers to determine the presence or absence of a problem and to make judgments about the nature of each problem (learning, emotional, conduct) and its severity (mild, moderate, severe). Overall, teachers' judgments concerning the types of problems were similar to the judgments of a panel of school psychologists but teachers tended to view student problems as less serious. More specifically, teachers underestimated the severity of learning problems while overestimating the severity of emotional and conduct problems. Stereotypes and biases that might influence judgments are identified. Conclusions relevant to the practice of school psychology in Greece are presented and suggestions for further research are offered.