Kindergarten Teachers' Strategies for Controlling Chaotic Behavior in the Classroom: An Objective Analysis

Abstract

This study explored how Arabic and international literature describes kindergarten teachers' strategies for managing classroom disruptive behavior, and the conditions for their developmental appropriateness. A critical bibliographic review employed thematic synthesis of qualitative literature, following Thomas and Harden, drawing on Braun and Clarke's reflexive coding procedures. The corpus comprised thirteen core Arabic studies on disruptive behavior and classroom management (2015–2026), alongside foundational international sources. Four interconnected themes emerged: prevention through classroom ecology and routine; discipline through relationship, teaching, and reinforcement; graduated responses integrating behavioral guidance with emotional support; and contextual mediation through family, training, and self-efficacy. Effective management is not reducible to punishment; it is an educational, relational, ecological process supporting self-regulation and belonging. The review identified a gap: few studies capture teachers' everyday decision-making in their own voice. The study concludes with an integrated framework based on prevention, consistency, respect, family collaboration, and continuing professional reflexivity.