Senior Lecturer
Institute of Education
Telephone: 84463
Email:
Summary of research
The most important questions to ask educators are "what are you doing?" and "why are you doing it?" These two questions have guided my thinking and research in the area of children's challenging behaviours. The focus of my research has been threefold including an investigation of the relationship between the difficult behaviours exhibited by children with attention problems and their academic engagement in literacy; consideration of the environment in which children learn and interact; and examination of what teachers do or can do to support learners with challenging behaviours to learn and interact positively in the education environment.
I have been able to investigate the link between attention problems and early literacy problems longitudinally with a data base which includes variables on children from school entry at 5 years of age and spanning their first three years in school. Follow-up data was collected five years later. In a series of studies we reported that difficult behaviour compromised the selection of boys exhibiting those behaviours into special programmes, i.e., Reading Recovery (Prochnow, Tunmer, Chapman, & Greaney, 2001); that only attention problems were significantly linked to early literacy problems (Chapman, Tunmer, & Prochnow, 2004); and that the remedial programmes available to the children in New Zealand did not appear to have lasting effects (Tunmer, Chapman, & Prochnow, 2004, 2006; Prochnow, 2004). Presently, our research has examined more deeply the link between early literacy acquisition and attention problems. This comprehensive examination of the current literature and our data seem to indicate that differences in early literacy acquisition begin to appear early and are related to the method of instruction in New Zealand which assumes preliteracy skills which are not universally shared by all of the children entering school (Prochnow, Tunmer, & Chapman, submitted to Learning Disabilities Quarterly).
Consideration of the environment in which children learn and interact is multidimensional. In earlier work (Prochnow, Kearney, & Carroll-Lind, 2000; Prochnow, 2006) I reported that teachers generally feel unsupported and unprepared to work with learners with challenging behaviours in the classroom. This is particularly worrisome in the inclusive education environment in New Zealand. Teacher resistance to inclusion and expectations of no support to work with difficult children have led to accusations of (differential) teacher expectations of minority learners and deficit theorizing characterizing New Zealand schools. We have examined sociological variables related to home and community (Prochnow & DeFronzo, 1997) as well as school environments (Nash & Prochnow, 2004). We have also engaged the debate regarding deficit theorizing and have argued that a more realistic way to view student success with learning begins with initial teaching of literacy which is specific, differentiated, and takes into account the early skills the students bring to school (Tunmer & Prochnow, 2009; Tunmer, Prochnow, Greaney, & Chapman, 2007). In my recent work with Angus Macfarlane, we have examined the cultural environment of our schools and teacher and learner responsiveness to cultural issues (Prochnow & Macfarlane, 2010).
My work in examining what teachers can do to support learners with challenging behaviours to learn and interact positively in the school environment has a sociological and a psychological dimension. In the past, we examined what was being done in the schools to include learners with difficult behaviours (Prochnow, 2002, 2000, 1999; Prochnow & Bourke, 2001; Prochnow, 1998). In addition to looking at the contribution of culture and cultural awareness to create a positive education experience, Macfarlane and I have discussed the interventions and procedures known as restorative practices, which are just beginning to be introduced into the schools of New Zealand (Prochnow, Macfarlane, & Glynn, 2011; Macfarlane & Prochnow, 2011). These practices challenge the structure of discipline and focus on repairing relationships damaged by difficult behaviours, disrespect, and noncompliance.
Tunmer, WE., Nicholson, T., Greaney, KT., Prochnow, JE., Chapman, JW., & Arrow, AW. (2008). PIRLS before swine: A critique of New Zealand's national literacy strategy. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies. 43(2), 105-119
DeFronzo, JV., Ditta, A., Hannon, L., & Prochnow, JE. (2007). Male serial homicide: The influence of cultural and structural variables. Homicide Studies. 11(1), 1-12
Prochnow, JE. (2006). Barriers toward including students with difficult behaviour in regular classrooms. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies. 41(2), 329-347
Tunmer, WE., Chapman, JW., & Prochnow, JE. (2006). Literate cultural capital at school entry predicts later reading achievement: A seven year longitudinal study. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies. 41(2), 183-204
Prochnow, JE. (2004). The PIRLS 2001 study: What does it say about gender, learner literacy attitudes and behaviour in New Zealand?. Delta: Policy and Practise in Education. 56(2), 97-108
Prochnow, J., & Johanson, A. (2013). Learners with difficult behaviour can be fully included in the classroom: A case of functional assessment. In Inclusive education: Perspectives on professional practice. (pp. 102 - 117). New Zealand: Dunmore Publishing Ltd
Read Abstract: 
Prochnow, J., & Macfarlane, A. (2011). Managing classroom behaviour: Assertiveness and warmth. In CM. Rubie Davies (Ed.) Educational Psychology: Concepts, Research and Challenges. (pp. 150 - 166). London: Routledge
Tunmer, WE., & Prochnow, JE. (2009). Cultural relativism and literacy education: Explicit teaching based on specific learning needs is not deficit theory. In R. Openshaw, & E. Rata (Eds.) The Politics of Conformity in New Zealand. (pp. 154 - 190). Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson Education New Zealand
Tunmer, WE., Prochnow, JE., Greaney, KT., & Chapman, JW. (2007). What's wrong with New Zealand's literacy strategy?. In R. Openshaw, & J. Soler (Eds.) Reading Across International Boundaries: History, Policy and Politics. (pp. 19 - 42). Charlotte, NC, United States: Information Age Publishing
Tunmer, WE., Chapman, JW., & Prochnow, JE. (2003). Preventing negative Matthew effects in at-risk readers: A retrospective study. In BRF. Ed (Ed.) Preventing and remediating reading difficulties: Bringing science to scale. (pp. 121 - 163). Baltimore, MD: York Press
Mudford, O., Blampied, NM., Phillips, K., Harper, D., Foster, M., Church, J., . . . Wilczynski, S.(2009). Technical review of published research on applied behaviour analysis interventions for people with autism spectrum disorder.
Prochnow, JE.(2007). Inner city cluster RTLB report.
Bourke, R., Bevan Brown, J., Carroll Lind, J., Cullen, JL., Kearney, AC., Mentis, M., . . . Maw, N. (2002). Special Education 2000: Monitoring and evaluation of the policy: Final report - Phase 3. Ministry of Education.
Chapman, JW., Tunmer, WE., & Prochnow, JE. (2002). Preventing negative Matthew effects in at-risk readers: A retrospective study - Final Report - Phase IV. Research Division, Ministry of Education.
Bourke, R., Bevan Brown, JM., Carroll Lind, J., Cullen, JL., Kearney, AC., Mentis, M., . . . Maw, N. (2002). Special Education 2000: Monitoring and evaluation of the policy: Final report. Massey University, College of Education.
Prochnow, J. (2012). Including learners with difficult behaviour in the classroom: A case of functional assessment. In The Joint Australian Association for Research in Education and Asia-Pacific Educational Research [AARE-APERA 2012] Conference: Abstracts(pp. 1 - 1). , The Joint Australian Association for Research in Education and Asia-Pacific Educational Research [AARE-APERA 2012] Conference and World Education Research Association [WERA] Focal Meeting Australia: John Wiley & Sons
Read Abstract:
Prochnow, J. (2012, December). Including learners with difficult behaviour in the classroom: A case of functional assessment. Presented at The Joint Australian Association for Research in Education and Asia-Pacific Educational Research [AARE-APERA 2012] Conference and World Education Research Association [WERA] Focal Meeting. Sydney, Australia.
Read Abstract:
Prochnow, J., Chapman, J., & Tunmer, W. (2011). A longitudinal examination of the influence of literacy-related skills, reading self-perceptions, and inattentive behavior on the development of persistent literacy learning difficulties. Poster session presented at the meeting of 35th Annual International Academy for Research in Learning Difficulties. Taipei, Taiwan
Prochnow, JE., & Macfarlane, AH. (2008, November). Classroom management: Tailoring teaching for the needs of diverse students. Presented at New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) National Conference. Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Prochnow, JE., & Macfarlane, AH.(2008). Classroom management: Tailoring teaching for the needs of diverse students. . Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Read Abstract:
Tunmer, WE., & Prochnow, JE. (2009). International assessments of reading comprehension performance can inform national literacy policy: The case of New Zealand. Presented at Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, MA, United States.