Decreasing Child Defiance: Is Inquiry Indispensable?

Teachers report that teaching young children who exhibit defiant and challenging behavior is the most difficult component of their work. This article explores four decades of textbook and research literature recommendations and 4 years of teacher reflections. Common themes of control, power, and anger were identified. A significant finding was that systematic teacher inquiry fostered teacher development of ability to decrease child defiance while fostering children's emotional self-regulation.