Why do Students Misbehave in School

When evaluating appropriate pedagogical practices which include behaviour

management strategies, it is important to understand the initial and continuing reasons

why students misbehave in educational environments. Appropriate behaviour refers to

action that is accepted socially and contextually with respectful attitudes to peers (De

Nobile, Lyons & Arthur-Kelly, 2017), misbehaviour is the reverse of this. In a classroom

context, misbehaviour refers more specifically to behaviour that hinders student’s own

work, the work of others, and prevents the teacher from teaching (Beaman, Wheldall &

Kemp, 2007). Six interviewees, two pre-service teachers, one family member, one teacher,

and two non-teaching friends, participated in a semi-structured interview to discuss their

opinions on why students misbehave in school. These participants were provided with

informed consent and were three male, three female, from the ages of twenty two through

to fifty one. These opinions were synthesised and evaluated against current scientific

literature with the purpose to understand why misbehaviour occurs in educational settings.

This analysis allows for a more informed understanding of why misbehaviour occurs

before implementing strategies to manage this behaviour. This paper will focus on the

reasons why student misbehaviour occurs in schools, and the initial steps for informed

teacher praxis.

Literature synthesis.

A common theme in the literature was categorising the factors of misbehaviour and

student needs. The origins of misbehaviour are the developmental, psychological, and

environmental aspects that cause disruption (De Nobile et al., 2017). Developmental

reasons for misbehaviour can be biological, social, and emotional needs (De Nobile et al.,

2017). Supporting this is the idea that behavioural change due to social systems is a

cause of student misbehaviour in schools (Jong, 2005). Psychological reasons for

misbehaviour can be medical reasons such as autism, emotional abuse, or self esteem

(De Nobile et al., 2017). When young people don't know how to manage social and

emotional environments, it can be damaging to their mental health (Vadeboncoeur &

Collie, 2012). Environmental reasons for misbehaviour include home environment,

socioeconomic status, cultural norms, and teacher attitudes (De Nobile et al., 2017). The

fundamental reason why young people misbehave is to fulfil a certain need (Wolverton,

Litcher & McCoy, 1999; De Nobile et al., 2017). Misbehaviour can fit into the

aforementioned categories in the form of passive and active misbehaviour (De Nobile et

al., 2017). This relates to a disruption in student’s own learning as passive, and the

learning of others as active.

Another common theme in the literature was about determining developmental,

psychological, and environmental factors when questioning why young people misbehave.

The Ecological Systems Theory (EST) (Brofenbrenner, 1994) provides a system based

view of the factors that cause misbehaviour in young people. The theory itself identifies an

individual at the centre of the system and layers interrelationships between other

individuals, and policies, laws and societal norms, which affect the individual. This theory

in the classroom allows the teacher to consider these interrelationships to find a reason as

to why the student is misbehaving (De Nobile et al., 2017). EST points to more than one

factor causing student misbehaviour in school (De Nobile et al., 2017) including the

relationships between the aforementioned developmental, psychological, and

environmental factors. EST intertwines causal factors with relation to each other and the

individual as a means for discovering why young people misbehave (De Nobile et al.,

2017). Understanding an individual is a complex process (Burns, Warmbold-Brann &

Zaslofsky, 2016), so Brofenbrenner’s (1986) theory is unrealistic as it calls to examine the

child, and the environment they live in and draw relationships from there to discover why

the student is misbehaving (Burns et al., 2016). Defining the origins of misbehaviour is a
more realistic and thus effective method for determining why young people misbehave,

because it is less intrusive, and more specific to developmental, psychological, and

environmental factors. Implementing EST into the classroom provides background

knowledge into individual issues and insight into what factor of student need the individual

is trying to fill (Burns et al., 2016).

Synthesis of main interview findings

The interview process was a combination of unstructured interviews for family and

friends, and semi-structured interviews for the teacher and pre-service teachers. Ethics

protocol was prioritised and the participants were approached within two weeks before the

interviews were conducted, and given informed consent forms. The identities of the

participants will not be revealed. Interviews were conducted over a three day period and at

the pace of the participant, some interviews went for up to fifty minutes, and others for as

little as five minutes, averaging about twenty minute interviews. The following is

information about the participants regarding age, gender, and relation to me:

Participant Male/Female Age Relation to me

1 Male 24 Pre-service teacher

2 Female 25 Pre-service teacher

3 Male 27 Montessori teacher

4 Male 22 Non-teaching friend

5 Female 28 Non-teaching friend

6 Female 51 Parent

Once these interviews were conducted, recurring comments were mind-mapped to find the

common themes that emerged from the interviews. Common themes were age and

gender, teacher-student relationships, social factors, and external factors.

Participant three initially stated that “young people misbehave to fulfil a certain

need”, this statement umbrellas the four themes that occurred throughout the interview
process. These needs vary but are an unequivocal place to start to identify the reasons

why students misbehave. Four of the six participants expressed the opinion that boys are

more likely to misbehave in class. Both pre-service teachers, and the Montessori teacher

expressed a relationship between misbehaviour and age, with adolescents aged twelve to

eighteen being more likely to misbehave in class. Participant two and participant three

both expressed that maturation was a key factor for misbehaviour in class.

Revisiting participant three’s initial statement, one of the fundamental needs for

appropriate behaviour in the classroom is a positive relationship between the teacher and

the student. Four of the six participants expressed opinions that affirm that misbehaviour

occurs when student and teacher relationships are weak, or negative. Both pre-service

teachers explained a personal experience where their misbehaviour stemmed directly from

controlling teachers, and the frustration of minimal to no leeway in the classroom. All four

of the participants that referenced these relationships explained the need for teachers to

understand the student and their circumstances, in order to understand why they

misbehave.

Social factors, such as peers groups, sexual interest, and social hierarchy were

commonly discussed in these interviews. Four of the six participants said students

misbehave for attention, and the validation of their peers. Participant four elaborated on

personal experience and said young people misbehave to “form their social character”.

External factors were discussed by the teacher and pre-service teachers, expressing that

home life, societal expectations, and medical conditions were a source of misbehaviour.

Participant three’s umbrella statement that students misbehave to fill a need aligns with

these themes and other, not discussed, reasons why young people misbehave in schools.

Findings from interviews and literature review

 The first theme that emerged from the interviews was that boys are more likely to

misbehave in class. This theme of gender playing a role in why misbehaviour occurs is

concurrent with the ideas from De Nobile et al. (2017). The origins of misbehaviour

stemming from biological changes aligns with the comments made by four of the six

participants. The idea that misbehaviour occurs to fill some sort of need also correlates

with the idea that boys are more likely to misbehave, in terms of developmental origins,

due to maturation and the need for social acceptance. This theme does not align well with

the Ecological Systems Theory (Brofenbrenner, 1994), where the participants viewed this

misbehaviour as a separate theme, and not an intertwined, or complex misbehaviour.

The second theme that was discussed by the participants are the teacher-student

relationships in the school setting. This theme correlates more closely with EST through

emphasis of relationships playing a large part in the way the young person will behave.

Four of the six participants expressed a need for positive student-teacher relationships,

and the absence of this was a cause of misbehaviour in the classroom. This theme

correlates with the origins of misbehaviour (De Nobile et al., 2017) and the factors of

environmental influence on the young person. This parallels the suggestion that teacher

attitude plays a fundamental role for the direction of the student behaviour (De Nobile et

al., 2017).

The third theme discussed by the participants was the social factors that play a part

in misbehaviour. This was more heavily emphasised in the interviews rather than in the

literature. Social factors, according to the literature, fall under the umbrella of development

in the origins of misbehaviour theory (De Nobile et al., 2017). Social relationships are

alluded to with EST (Brofenbrenner, 1994) where the interrelationships between the

individual and their peers is the first layer of this system (Brofenbrenner, 1994). The

participants said that misbehaving occurred to build social character which concurs with

the origins of misbehaviour and development (De Nobile et al., 2017).

 The fourth theme discussed by the participants were external factors that impacted

their behaviour in school. Factors that aren't influenced by the school such as

psychological needs (De Nobile et al., 2017) were discussed by one participant, and the

other participants focused more on home environments and culture. These needs don’t

align with the origins of misbehaviour as stated in De Nobile et al. (2017) but are more

aligned to the ideas with EST. This is because the interrelationships between

environmental factors, and psychological factors are often prevalent to some sort of

degree (Burns et al., 2016). The origins of misbehaviour separate environmental factors

and psychological factors as different, unrelated possible reasons for misbehaviour which

is one similarity which can be drawn between the interviews and the literature. This is

because participants usually discussed one reason for misbehaviour without the other,

alluding to a disconnect in the interrelationships between them.

Implications for praxis including your personal awareness and teaching practice.

Some students may misbehave in my classes when trying to fit the social

expectations of the class. I understand from this study, that these student’s aren't

maliciously acting out, and are acting to fulfil a need. Young people need validation and

acceptance from their peers as they develop and mature. The study of the developmental

origins of misbehaviour have helped me to understand some of the fundamental reasons

why young people misbehave, and that the importance of social acceptance is high

amongst adolescents. It will be important for me to recognise these origins and use it as

an opportunity to reshape teaching methods and teacher-student relationships in this

circumstance. I believe that showing interest in the student, and showing an understanding

of where this student may be coming from in terms of why they are misbehaving, will help

develop a positive teacher-student relationship in the classroom and eradicate some

avoidable inappropriate behaviour.

 It is important for me to understand that putting theory into practice will not work in

every circumstance, or take immediate effect. I think the most fundamental theme that

occurred in the theory and interview process were teacher attitudes and teacher-student

relationships. Promoting positive teacher-student relationships within the whole school

environment will help take long-term effect. Promoting this is as simple as greeting

students, acknowledging their achievements, and setting high expectations for behaviour

and learning. To put theory into practice, I will need to identify whether the student requires

psycho-educational or needs based, cognitive, or behavioural strategies to help them

achieve appropriate behaviour. To get to this conclusion, it is important to understand the

relationship between theory and practice to achieve my praxis. Having this ability to

understand student behaviour will help me achieve a successful learning and teaching

space.

Conclusion

When shaping teacher practice for classroom management strategies,

understanding why inappropriate behaviour occurs is fundamental. This is because an

effective practice requires understanding research, and the relationships between theory

and practice. Acknowledging that student needs are motivators for their behaviour will help

to begin the process of how to manage individual inappropriate behaviour.

References

Beadman, R., Wheldall, K., & Kemp, C. (2007). Recent research on troublesome

classroom behaviour: A review. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 31(1), 45-

60.

Brofenbrenner, U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. International

Encyclopaedia of Education, 3(2), 37-43.

Burns, M. K., Warmbold-Brann, K., & Zaslofsky, A. F. (2016). Ecological systems theory in

school psychology review. School Psychology Review, 44(3), 249. Retrieved from

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De Nobile. J., Lyons, G., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2017). Positive learning environments:

Creating and maintaining productive classrooms.

Vadeboncoeur, J., & Collie, R. (2012). Locating Social and Emotional Learning in

Schooled Environments: A Vygotskian Perspective on Learning as Unified. Mind,

Culture, and Activity, 20(3), 201-225. doi:10.1080/10749039.2012.755205

Wolverton, B., Litcher, J., & McCoy, L. (1999). Why do Students Misbehave in the

Classroom? Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED443814.pdf#page=152