18918928_102096_1H_Assessment 2

WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE AT SCHOOL

Introduction

“Behaviour is essentially an act of communication” – when students misbehave, they

are trying to communicate something (Moran, 2015, p. 140). The knowledge of why students

misbehave, what drives them to act in a certain way and how it affects their learning, shapes

the vision of an educator for an effective teaching practice (Mackay, 2011). By examining the

academic literature and exploring diverse social perspectives, this report attempts to go

beyond the surface manifestations to understand underlying causes of misbehaviour. Finally,

it synthesises the insights and evaluates their implications for refinement of personal

philosophy and teaching practice.

Literature review and synthesis

Often referred to as problematic, misbehaviour is “socially and contextually

unacceptable” way of communication which impedes students’ own learning and interferes

with the classroom environment by disrupting the teaching and learning process and affecting

student-teacher wellbeing (De Nobile, Lyons & Arthur-Kelly, 2017, p. 17). Examination of

the literature reveals numerous studies that have been carried out since decades to obtain

perspectives on student misbehaviour (Crawshaw, 2015; Aloe, Shisler, Norris, Nickerson &

Rinker, 2014; Dalgic & Bayhan, 2014). While, the majority of these studies primarily focus

on perceptions on types of misbehaviour and their impact, only a few attempt to understand it.

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As asserted by Kalat (2014), the events in a student’s environment stimulate their

response and they misbehave either to get something or escape out of something. Studies

suggest that the environmental factors like, ineffective teacher communication (Omoteso &

Semudara, 2011), lack of explicit instructions and expectations (Grubaugh & Houston, 1990),

lack of interest/ inability to see relevance of the content (Mazer, 2012; Jong, 2005) and

ineffective classroom design (Guardino & Fullerton, 2010), directly affect student

engagement resulting in disruptive behaviour.

In addition to environmental factors, studies also attribute students’ misbehaviour to

be an outcome of their own thought process (De Nobile et al., 2017). As asserted by

Odhayani, Watson & Watson (2013), negative emotions and life experiences like child abuse

result in development of negative beliefs which further result in emotional distress and

inappropriate behaviour. Geidd (2012) also links inappropriate behaviour with increased

sensation seeking and reward seeking during the cognitive development of adolescents.

Extending this belief further, research suggests that students’ cognitive behaviour is

also influenced by their social experiences (Cavanaugh, 2009). It has been recognised that

students learn to behave by observing others - parents, teachers, peers and society (De Nobile

et al., 2017). Deprivation of emotional support from parents, neglect and low behavioural

control has also been reported to have a positive correlation with misbehaviour

(Broeckelman-Post, et al., 2015; Little, 2005). Studies on teachers’ perceptions on

misbehaviour attribute disobedience, rudeness and aggression to the lack of values and

attitudes in students (Crawshaw, 2015; Sun & Shek, 2012). However, students’ perceptions of

teachers’ misbehaviour point towards low emotional support from teachers, offensiveness and

incompetence as reasons for inappropriate behaviours (Broeckelman-Post, et al., 2015).

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Studies on adolescence also attribute misbehaviour/ risk taking behaviour with the contexts of

high arousal such as the presence of peers (Steinberg, 2005, p. 72).

Researchers also ascribe needs, desires and goals as the main reasons that drive

misbehaviour in students (De Nobile et al., 2017). Studies in this area suggest that adolescents

have compelling desires of “recognition” and “belongingness” which drive them to develop

mistaken goals of – attention, power, revenge and escape, thus resulting in misbehaviour

(Ballou, 2002, p. 155). Misbehaviour as also been identified as an attempt to satisfy needs of -

survival, belonging, freedom and fun (Loyd, 2005). However, lack of research in this area

suggests that misbehaviour does not occur in a vacuum and cannot only be determined by an

individual’s goals and needs. It is the interaction of both ecological and psycho-educational

factors that drive students to misbehave in school (De Nobile et al., 2017).

Perceptions around student misbehaviour: key findings and synthesis with research

In order to develop a deeper understanding on students’ misbehaviour, semi-structured

interviews were conducted individually with parents, teachers and pre-service teachers. The

selection of interviewees (see below) involved “purposeful sampling” to include diversity

(gender, age, occupation, origin) and obtain rich data (Gall et al., 2015, p. 159). In accordance

with the ethics protocol, the purpose of the study was duly explained to the interviewees

before the consent forms were signed. The interviews were conducted in the form of

conversations using open-ended questions to obtain the emic perspectives and notes were

taken to record their opinions. The data was subjected to “interpretational analysis” for

formation of categories, which were then interpreted to identify themes (Gall et al, 2015, p.

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162). To ensure the credibility of the collected data, participants were allowed to read the

notes (Anderson, 2010).

Theme One: Parents’ neglectful or authoritative upbringing

This emerged as a common belief among all the interviewees. Half of them believed

that lack of parental monitoring/ emotional support in child’s adolescent years when “they are

not emotionally mature” (I2) and have poor decision-making abilities, “leaves them confused”

(I1) resulting in inappropriate behaviour. I2 also believed that over-protective/ authoritative

parenting can result in rebellious adolescents who misbehave in school. From his own

experience, I2 said, “children need someone to listen to them, not fix their problems”.

This belief is supported by the social learning theory which recognises that young

people learn to behave by observing others - parents, teachers, peers and society (De Nobile et

al., 2017). Examination of both the research and interview findings (henceforth, ‘both the

sources’) clearly point out the influence of neglectful parenting on student behaviour and link

it to attention-seeking, disconnection, verbal aggression and disrespect in young people

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(Broeckelman-Post, et al., 2015; Little, 2005). However, the interview findings also highlight

authoritative parenting as one of the reasons for noncompliance in young people (Hoskins,

2014). Overall, both the sources link negative parenting with higher levels of externalising

problems and misbehaviour in adolescents (Pinquart, 2017).

Theme Two: Teacher’s bad behaviour and poor management

Four out of six interviewees believed that students expect respect and support from

their teachers, lack of which results in demoralisation and disobedience. I2 said that “a teacher

makes you or breaks you”, “when a teacher doesn’t care students get frustrated and misbehave

in class”. I5 stated that a “teacher’s poor class management and disorganised nature leads to

issues in class”. I4 commented that “if a teacher hasn’t built good repo’ with the kids, they

won’t listen”.

Both sources link teachers’ low support, incompetence and mismanagement with

student misbehaviour. However, the interviews have highlighted ‘the need to be respected’ as

one of the major factors in a classroom that are responsible for the generation of inappropriate

behaviour. Though the literature recognises and strongly points towards the influence of

teachers’ quality of communication and relationships with student behaviour, there is not

much research done on teachers’ misbehaviour and the role it plays in generating students’

reactions (Broeckelman-Post, et al., 2015; Sullivan, Johnson, Owens, & Conway, 2014).

Theme Three: Disengagement and boredom

All the participants had a common belief that students lose interest if the class content

is irrelevant, presented poorly, age inappropriate or is repetitive. As a result, they get bored/

frustrated and hence engage in misbehaviour to have fun. As per I3, “disengagement is the

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major cause of misbehaviour”. However, others attributed misbehaviour to boredom. I6 said

that “youngsters go to school to socialise, if they get stuck in class, they will find ways to

have fun”.

Disengagement and boredom as the reasons of misbehaviour are reflected in both the

sources. However, the interviews feature ‘the need to have fun’ as the motive behind this

boredom. On one hand where the literature identifies meaningless content, ineffective

resources, disinterest in subjects and traditional classroom designs for causing

disengagement/boredom (Mazer, 2012; Jong, 2005), the interviewees on the other hand point

towards the students’ inability to satisfy their’ need to have fun’ and escape out of boring

situations as the hidden reason for misbehaviour (Loyd, 2005).

Theme Four: Adolescent needs not fulfilled

Interviewees believed that misbehaviour is due to students’ developmental stage. I2

believed that adolescents are “highly sensitive to emotions”. Comments indicated that

adolescents need to be treated as adults and want autonomy and they misbehave to “test

boundaries” (I4). Both the parents emphasised on adolescents’ need for respect. I1 said “they

are also like us, if you respect them, they will respect you”. While I3 stated that “they want to

be recognised and listened to” and so they resort to attention-seeking behaviour. I1 stated,

“Teenagers are curious” and find different ways to satisfy their curiosity.

Adolescence, as the age of socio-emotional development has been recognised in both

the sources (Steinberg, 2008). Interviewees’ beliefs of autonomy in adolescents directly

correspond to the literature on needs and goals of recognition and power (Loyd, 2005; Ballou,

2002). In line with Geidd’s (2012) view of sensation seeking, the interviewees also share the

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perspective that the need to experience new things and satisfy their curiosity drives student

misbehaviour. However, parental voices among the interviewees again draw attention

towards the need for respect as the major reason behind adolescents’ misbehaviour, which is

overlooked by the literature.

Theme Five: Peer pressure

All interviewees believed that adolescents want to be accepted by their peers and they

misbehave to show off. While I5 stated, “they want to impress others”, I2 and I4 believed that

as per students it is “not cool to be kind to teachers”. Commenting on differential behaviours

across genders, I4 stated, “Boys misbehave to show their macho side, whereas girls

misbehave to impress boys”.

Both the sources acknowledge the presence of peers as a motivating factor for student

behaviour in school. The perceptions complement each other by linking need for peer

attention as a driving force towards inappropriate behaviour (Ballou, 2002). Overall, the

analysis of interviewees’ perspectives and literature on “social neuroscience perspective”, link

the brain’s socio-emotional changes with increased reward seeking in the presence of peers

resulting in inappropriate behaviour during adolescence (Steinberg, 2008, p. 76).

A thorough examination of literature and interviewees’ perspectives suggest that

misbehaviour in students is a result of complex interactions between a range of

“environmental, interpersonal and intrapersonal factors” and should thus be understood with

both ecological and psycho-educational perspective (Jong, 2005, p. 357; De Nobile et al.,

2017).

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Implications for praxis

Analysis of research and beliefs on the underlying causes of student misbehaviour has

multiple implications for developing a responsive pedagogy and a positive learning

environment (De Nobile et al., 2017). A deeper insight into the factors that trigger

misbehaviour has not only allowed me to develop informed thinking for tackling such issues

but has also forced me to reflect upon my dispositions to refine my practice (Phillips, 2011).

In line with the Australian professional teaching standards (APST) and my personal

experience, I have realised that a teacher’s thorough awareness and acknowledgement of

students’ needs, builds trust among the parents and students. It allows a teacher to create a

welcoming environment for the students and build positive relationships which are crucial for

their educational attainment (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership,

[AITSL] 2011).

Parents’ perceptions of teachers’ role in shaping students behaviour (“a teacher makes

you or breaks you”) have stuck with me. They have made me realise the importance of my

words and behaviour and the impact they can have on students. Effective communication by

actively listening to the students and giving them opportunities to speak and share their views

not only motivates learning but also guides them towards appropriate behaviour (De Nobile,

2017). I have inferred that appreciating individual potentials/ efforts through verbal

(discussions and feedback) and non-verbal communication (gestures) is a way of providing

students with emotional support and fulfilling their needs of recognition and attention.

Providing explicit instructions and setting up high-expectations for the desired conduct in the

classroom not only gives students’ clarity of the consequences but also the freedom to make a

choice and regulate their own behaviour (Dias & Cadime, 2017).

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Shared perceptions interlinking misbehaviour with student engagement point towards

the adoption of student-centred learning. In line with the Quality teaching model and APST,

teaching strategies that cater for student interest, build meaningful connections and support

social interactions enable effective learning and contribute towards their socio-emotional

development (AITSL, 2011; Gore, 2007). This implies that the development of the socio-

emotional skills in adolescents directly relates to their social cognition and can elicit positive

behaviour (Cavanaugh, 2009).

Finally, the analysis of reasons behind misbehaviour has allowed me to reflect on my

own beliefs and made me realise that an appropriate behaviour in class is not just a

requirement for students who can show it by sitting still and reluctantly submitting to the

traditional teacher-centred learning. However, it is a mutual relationship set up on some

common grounds in which students and teachers engage together in learning, comply with the

classroom ethics, appreciate each other’s efforts and reciprocate respect and empathy for

building a positive learning environment.

Conclusion

Synthesis of research with existing social perceptions on student misbehaviour allows

educators to focus on why a certain type of behaviour occurs and how to prevent its

reoccurrence. Knowledge of the reasons behind misbehaviour is imperative to take a multitier

approach for developing an understanding of students’ characteristics and needs within the

educational contexts.

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