Why do children misbehave at school?

Literature Review:

The misbehaviour of adolescents in school is a topic of increasing concern. Difficulty with managing

behaviour is often attributed to the rise in teacher burnout (Malmgren, Trezek, & Paul, 2005; Lyons,

Ford, & Slee, 2014). In order to effectively run a class, teachers must try develop and understanding

of the reasons behind misbehaviour and strategies available to deal with it. In Australia, the

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) requested

advice on best practice in addressing student behaviour issues within educational programs (DeJong,

2005). The ensuing research identified that behaviour exists within a complex network of inter and

intra-personal factors, including relationships between students, teachers and schools. It promoted

the creation of particular environments within learning communities, including cultures that

encourage health, celebrate diversity, acknowledge individualism, are responsive to needs and focus

on building positive relationships between teachers and students (DeJong, 2005).

Within the literature, there is debate as to the reasons behind misbehaviour, with some asserting that

nobody really knows what the causes are (Cothran, Kulinna, & Garrahy, 2009). However, recurrent

themes identify that home life, attention seeking and an inability to meet demands are key reasons

for misbehaviour (Cothran, Kulinna, & Garrahy, 2009). In an interview with teachers done by Cothran,

Kulinna and Garrahy (2009), poor home life was articulated as a key factor. They mentioned that

students might not learn respect from their parents as some students are forced to raise themselves.

Likewise, parents may expect the teacher or school to teach discipline, with the result being that

students are not provided with an appropriate education in discipline at home. The teachers in this

study likewise identified attention seeking as a reason, claiming that it increased social status

amongst students or was used as a mechanism to get attention from the teacher. Some attention

seeking was linked back to poor home lives, where students need attention because they dont get it

at home (Cothran, Kulinna, & Garrahy, 2009).

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Inability to meet demands was highlighted by Greene (2011), who identified that lagging skills

contribute to misbehaviour. This idea identifies that kids will do well if they can, preferring to do well

over not doing well (Greene, 2011). Greene (2011) explicitly highlights this because when students

dont meet behavioural expectations, adults assume that students are not motivated and assign

blame to personality traits, such as attention seeking.

Greene (2011) then goes on further to demonstrate that challenging behaviour must be viewed

within the context of the childs development it does not occur within a vacuum. Within this

scenario of lagging skills, predicting and preventing behaviour through solving problems proactively

rather than emergently (Greene, 2011) should occur. In this way, a cycle of escalating challenging

behaviour can be prevented (Lundrum, Scott, & Lingo, 2011). One such preventative measure is

through engaging instruction, where the social and academic skills expected of students are explicitly

taught (Lundrum, Scott, & Lingo, 2011).

Modifications to environment have likewise been identified in the literature, where general

modifications to the environment such as displaying student work and traffic control alongside

procedures and instructional interactions have proven effective (Trussell, 2008). Positive

reinforcement as an example of instructional interaction and praising appropriate behaviours

(Mitchem, 2005) increases positive behaviours (Zirpoli, 2012). Within this, establishing an effective

positive reinforcement program can have a significant effect on the social climate of the school

(Zirpoli, 2012). Referring back to DeJong (2005), culture is essential to creating an environment that

reduces misbehaviour and fosters positive learning outcomes. Establishing these cultures through

positive reinforcement can facilitate the creation of a classroom where learning social and fun for

students (Zirpoli, 2012). Furthermore, building positive relationships with students creates an

environment that allows learning to occur, as does providing students with opportunities to respond

with feedback (Mitchem, 2005).

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Interview process and findings:

The interviewees ranged from ages 23 65. Two were males and four were females. Two

interviewees were parents (F, 50; M, 65), one was a pre-service teacher (F, 30), one was a teacher (F,

23) and two were employed in non-teaching fields (F, 24; M, 25). Of the non-teaching, one was a

chemical engineer, the other working in health promotion for/with adolescents. Four were educated

in Australia, whilst the other two completed their schooling in other countries; one in the United

States of America (engineer) and the other in Vietnam (pre-service teacher).

Before the interview, interviewees were informed of their rights and told that they can stop the

interview at any time. None of the interviews were recorded, though notes were taken during the

conversations. A consent form was provided to interviewees, who then were given the opportunity to

read the information provided and ask questions before signing it. The interviews followed the same

general protocol, as outlined by figure 1. Interviewees were initially asked the question, In your

opinion, why do you believe young people misbehave in school? The response was then listened to,

and probing questions were used to allow the interviewee to explain or elaborate on their

statements. Examples of probing questions include: could you elaborate on your comment about

attention seeking? or what do you mean by negative energy? The interview then followed on as a

conversation and, where possible, interviewees were asked to provide examples.

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 In your opinion, why do you believe young poeple misbehave in school?

Describe what you mean by ___?

Interviewees respond with a number How do you think behaviour can be

of reasons addressed?
Probing questions tto elicit
informaiton. Interviewees are asked
to elaborate on the different reasons Interviewees were asked what they
they provided to garner meaning. believed helped in addressing
misbehaviour
Interviewees were asked to provide
examples where possible

Figure 1 Interview protocol

Common themes that emerged were attention, relationships, consequence and health. Attention was

cited by five out of six participants and fell into two general categories: attention seeking or

attentiveness. It was identified that young people want attention from both peers and adults, though

the type of attention (positive or negative) that they want from these two groups may differ. As the

health promotion officer stated, negative behaviour may come from a desire to fit in with peers.

Alternatively, students may want attention from the teacher as they lack mentoring or guardianship

at home. The teacher participant pointed out that because young people crave attention, they will

seek out negative attention if they cant get positive attention. This may occur in particular because

negative behaviour is more likely to get a response from an adult then positive behaviour. Both

parent participants pointed out that students might misbehave in class if the activity is too hard or

too easy for them, demonstrating boredom or dis-ease with their environment.

The relationship between the young person and adult was determined as a factor of misbehavior. The

pre-service teacher highlighted an incident from her experiences in Vietnam, where students dont

have much power. Existing within a culture where student voices are not listened to, poor

relationships resulted and students would misbehave to annoy or anger the teacher.

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Consequence was also noted, and the chemical engineer and pre-service teacher both stated that

consequences do not matter if the feeling inside the student is strong enough. The engineer identified

an idea of positive and negative energy within a person, which has to be let out regardless of

punishment. Students therefore may misbehave because the consequences do not seem severe

enough to perturb them.

The final theme that emerged was health, including diet, exercise and diagnosis. According to the

health promotion officer, if students have a more active lifestyle and eat healthy food, they are better

able to concentrate on the task and burn off active energy. The teacher identified that of her

students, one has Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) and another who has ADHD. She responded

that students misbehave due to these disorders.

Comparison of interviews and literature

Common themes between the literature and interviews were attention seeking and relationships.

Seeking attention was mentioned by most participants and agreed with the findings of Cothran et al.

(2009). However, according to Greene (2011) adults who claim students are seeking attention are

taking the behaviour out of context and aligning it with personality traits (Greene, 2011). It is thus

important to recognize what pre-conceptions or misconceptions educators and individuals may have

about behaviour and how they relates to either personality or context. Concurrently, the concept of

lagging skills identified by Greene (2011) was mentioned by the parent participants. Both parents are

over the age of 50 and recognized that students may misbehave when they find the activity too hard.

This was not identified by the pre-service nor in-service teachers, who are both younger (aged 23 and

30) and thus may have less experience in dealing with young people as an adult, despite their

training.

DeJong (2005) emphasised promoting school environments to have a health-promotive culture with

a healthy psychosocial culture. In this framework, there is a focus was on social and emotional health.

The interview likewise identified health as key, though articulated health from the physiological

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standpoint of exercise and diet. Whilst these are not identified by DeJong (2005), nutrition and

exercise do have a direct impact on social and emotional wellbeing and therefore should be seen as

essential in understanding and counteracting challenging behaviour. Thus, these factors should be

considered necessary if schools are to create a health-promotive culture.

Connected to health was the diagnoses brought up by the teacher, who highlighted that one of her

students has ODD whilst another has ADHD. Her responses indicated that she accepted these

behaviours were a result of these diagnoses. This concept was challenged by Greene (2011), who

highlighted that diagnoses has become the standard way to communicate about and categorise

problem behaviour, asserting that this could be a potential distraction from the real problem of

lagging skills. Recognising the environmental context surrounding a student is thus essential if

teachers are to try and understand the reasons for student misbehaviour, particularly those students

with diagnoses.

Connectedness was likewise identified as part of this ideal school culture, and relationships has been

consistently recognized as crucial to behaviour patterns in both the literature and interviews (DeJong,

2005). None of the respondents identified the classroom environment explicitly, including the

concept of general environment and modifications that can be made to this environment. However,

the teacher identified the concept of positive reinforcement, stating that students rarely get positive

attention and therefore seek out negative attention instead. Creating classrooms where positive

reinforcement is common was identified as essential in the literature (Zirpoli, 2012) and can be seen

to be necessary in the context of this participants response.

Concepts of home life or factors external to the classroom were present in both the literature and

interview responses. The idea of energy present within students that must be released despite

consequence could be related to the idea of home-life stress, where students have bigger problems

and the punishment does not seem to be a great threat.

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Implications for praxis

From this research it is evident that I need to be aware of the environment I create, both physically

and culturally, as well as the relationships I build and the attitude I take towards my students.

Modifying the classroom physically has been shown to be effective in the literature (Trussell, 2008). I

will therefore take these lessons into my classroom, taking note of the space and modifying it to be

more welcoming and facilitative to the processes or actions that will take place. This is particularly

important in a science classroom, where there will be traffic around the room as students conduct

practical investigations.

Likewise, I will focus on creating safe spaces and cultures of inclusion and respect so that students

feel at ease and are able to participate in the class. Positive reinforcement and acknowledgement of

student input can help students feel more confident and proud of their ability, thereby fostering a

space where they can feel safe to explore and engage. Such positive reinforcement can be shown

through the modifications to the space discussed above, such as displaying student work (Trussell,

2008). Likewise, praising appropriate behaviours and allowing students provide feedback can

demonstrate respect and build reciprocal relationships (Mitchem, 2005).

Inability to participate and lagging skills were identified in the literature as reasons for challenging

behaviour. It must be remembered that students are people and that an individual approach must be

taken when engaging with students. Therefore, knowing students and pre-empting potential issues

they may have with content knowledge or skill utilization can help prevent behaviour issues from

arising. Furthermore, getting to know students and understanding their home-life may provide

context to their behaviour and as such appropriate measures within class planning may be taken.

As some students may lack discipline and not know how to control their behaviour, I will be mindful

to include explicit teaching of expectations. Repetition of explicit expectations to the student can help

provide them with the tools necessary to self-manage their behaviour in class, thereby giving students

the chance to do the right thing when previously they may have genuinely struggled to do this.

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Furthermore, I will maintain an awareness of the role and importance of health and wellbeing of

students. This includes social, emotional and physical wellbeing. Being creative in planning and

facilitating dynamic activities that involve movement or expression may facilitate positive behaviour.

As such I will engage in an active cycle of reflection, action and observation in order to try and best

know my students and the content so that I can facilitate classrooms that foster learning for all

students.

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References:
Cothran, D., Kulinna, P., & Garrahy, D. (2009). Attributions for and consequences of student

misbehaviour. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 14(2), 155-167.

DeJong, T. (2005). A Framework of Principles and Best Practice for Managing Student Behaviour

in teh Australian Education Context. School Psychology International, 26(3), 353-370.

Greene, R. (2011). Collaborative problem solving can transform school discipline: Adults,

students, and schools benefit when behavioural challenges are viewed through accurate

lenses and students participate in resolving them. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(2), 25-29.

Lundrum, T., Scott, T. M., & Lingo, A. S. (2011). Classroom misbehaviour is predictable and

preventable. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(2), 30-34.

Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Slee, J. (2014). Classroom management: creating positive learning

environments. South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning.

Malmgren, K. W., Trezek, B. J., & Paul, P. (2005). Models of Classroom Management as Applied to

the Secondary Classroom. The Clearing House, 79(1), 36-39.

Mitchem, K. J. (2005). BE PROACTIVE: Including Students With Challenging Behavior in Your

Classroom. Intervention in School and Clinic, 40(3), 188-191.

Trussell, R. P. (2008). Classroom Universals to Prevent Problem Behaviours. Intervention in

School and Clinic, 43(3), 179-185.

Zirpoli, T. J. (2012). Behaviour management: positive applications for teachers (6th ed.). Upper

Saddle River, NJ, USA: Pearson Prentice Hall.