RESEARCH ON CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT IN TAIWAN OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS: A META-ANALYSIS

The purpose of this study was to explore research on the topic of classroom management by Taiwanese researchers over the last 10 years, from a meta-analysis perspective, specifically: 1) to analyze trends in research methodology for classroom management; 2) to explore the research subjects in theses and dissertations on classroom management; 3) to identify the variables related to theses and dissertations on classroom management; and 4) to provide suggestions for educational researchers in their theses and dissertations about classroom management. The research subjects included mostly elementary school teachers and students, followed by junior high school teachers and students. The results of this study revealed that in terms of research methodology, more objective quantitative questionnaire surveys had been conducted, followed by action research and case studies. A transition from quantitative to more qualitative research was also observed, with a trend toward a balanced approach between the two. Most background variables revealed significant differences in classroom management variables; the tendency was toward an increasing number of variables related to classroom management. Analyses of abstracts of classroom management theses and dissertations revealed that most theses were written for Masters-level programs, and of those, many gave the impression of being incomplete or insufficient. Few doctoral students had written dissertations about classroom management. Based on these findings, five suggestions are proposed for future studies.