An examination of behaviour support advice on Australian state and territory government education department websites

Abstract Disruptive or challenging student behaviour in Australian schools continues to attract attention. Recent reports have raised concerns about a rise in behaviour incidents involving aggression and disruption. At the same time, many teachers report feeling ill-equipped to deal with common behavioural challenges, despite the existence of proven strategies to support and respond to student behaviour. While moves are underway to include evidence-based classroom management content in pre-service teacher training courses, responsibility for upskilling existing teachers rests predominantly with education systems. One way that education systems communicate policy direction and influence teacher practice is through the provision of information and guidance on corporate websites. We therefore conducted a search of the websites of state and territory education departments for the presence of information and advice aligning with an evidence-based approach to student behaviour. While our examination of website content showed frequent references to evidence-based practices, information was not always specific, coherent, or easily located, detracting from its usefulness for teacher practice. Implications for implementation and improving the quality of the advice provided are discussed.