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It is difficult to define student misbehaviour due to its highly contested nature. What
teachers, parents, students and the community characterise as misbehaviour changes depending on
their socio-economic status, cultural values and beliefs as well as personal perspectives and
experiences. It is therefore suffice to say that misbehaviour is defined by acts that create a
disruption to an individual’s learning, the classroom environment, the school climate and the wider
community. This report will delve into the literature surrounding student misbehaviour and try to
discern the common issues associated with it. This will form a basis for the analysis and synthesis of
the data collected from six interview responses. This data has been gathered from a range of
stakeholders in the school community in order to collect the most diverse and evenly distributed
perspectives on the issue. These include teachers, parents, and pre-service teachers as well as
student learning support officers and other people within the school community. This report will
consider these findings and present the implications that this not only has for teachers and the
school community but also the implications this will have for my own teaching methodology and
practice.
Literature Review
This literature review has incorporated many articles and synthesised these down to 4
categories that look at varying factors which aid or disrupt classroom behaviour. These include
stakeholder perspective, ownership of actions and roles in misbehaviour, student social and
emotional wellbeing as well as behaviour management strategies and interventions. The literature
presents the argument that student misbehaviour is highly dependent on how it is perceived. Fish,
Finn and Finn (2013) suggest that the literature on misbehaviour is limited in the sense that it is
generally focused upon in three forms of misconduct these being truancy, violence and drug use.
However, disruptive acts such as talking within the classroom, disobeying teacher instructions and
throwing objects also pose a serious threat to creating a cohesive and safe environment for students
that impacts upon their learning. Furthermore Crawshaw (2015) highlights that the literature in
general does not reflect the reality of misbehaviour in schools particularly how much it has
increased. Furthermore, he suggests that the two most commonly reported dimensions of
misbehaviour within the literature is that of frequency and seriousness. Crawshaw states that how
these dimensions are perceived by teachers is dependent upon their cultural values and beliefs and
their socio-economic status and could therefore, benefit from using an operational definition that
pinpoints and focuses on the actual description of the behaviour as to avoid ambiguity (2015).
Fish et.al. (2013) and Crawshaw (2015) highlight that inattention, lack of focus, tardiness and
absenteeism are regarded as the most troubling aspects of misbehaviour for teachers and school
administrators. However, Fish et al. presents an argument that demonstrates little understanding of
the antecedent factors that play a role in a student misbehaviour and instead focuses on the
perspective of the teacher. Thompson (2011) in contrast, highlights the significance of students’
inner lives suggesting that students who suffer social or emotional difficulties often experience
markedly poorer outcomes. It is evident that this article takes on a far more wholistic view of
behaviour management that considers the antecedents and consequences for student
misbehaviour. Thompson (2011) and Crawshaw (2015) suggests that students with behavioural and
emotional disorders have much lower grades and are significantly less likely to attend university or
tertiary education and are far more likely to have trysts with the law. In concurrence with
Thompsons findings Bonella, et. al. (2017) and De Jong (2005) suggests that students are less likely
to engage in risky and disruptive behaviours if they experience a school and classroom environment
that is engaging and creates a sense of belonging. Bonella et.al. argues student behaviour can be
shaped through “Value Added Education” which enables students to develop critical reasoning skills
and positive affiliations with social norms promoted by the school and community (p.207, 2017). De
Jong (2005) like Thompson, also champions a focus on the inner and outer lives of students by
modelling democratic values, personal responsibility and self-control when engaging with behaviour
management strategies. De Jong also suggests that greater student autonomy like providing
students with more choice and aa greater understanding and engagement with social justice
thinking can also lead to greater affiliations with the school and wider community (2005).
According to Thompson minor disruptions within the classroom can lead to an increase in
class room stress and an increase to teacher burnout (2011). Killu (2008) agrees that ill equipped
teachers and understaffed schools also play a huge role in poorer teacher experiences. However,
Killu goes further to say that this also equates to less effective behaviour management not only in
individual class rooms but across the whole school (2008). Thompson (2011) highlights a range of
intervention strategies that directly target student behaviour and academic success. These include
instructional based interventions, like momentum strategies which involve scaffolding smaller more
enjoyable task to eventually complete less enticing and more intensive tasks. Another intervention
could also be response card systems which allow all students to engage with the class discussions,
task modification strategies which consists of making tasks more engaging and relevant to the
students needs and academic level. Cothran et al. suggest that creating a greater sense of belonging
for students is a very effective way to curb misbehaviour this coincides with the arguments
presented by De Jong (2005) and Bonella et. al. (2017), as a greater sense of connectedness to the
Methodology
of informal interviews with varying stakeholders within the school community. These interviews
followed a set of ethical protocols as such all participants were volunteers and could withdraw at
any time. Furthermore, participants were each provided with an information sheet and any
questions regarding the interviews and how their information will be used were answered. The
interviews were conducted in private at various locations. They were conducted in a conversational
style and notes were taken, no recordings were made. To protect the identities of the participants
the names of the interviews will be presented under pseudonyms. The interviewees were selected
for their diverse insights into the education system as stakeholders within it. The participants key
Fig.1
To aid in greater synthesis participants responses were sorted into themes these are:
antecedent factors, Consequences and effects, and strategies and responses to misbehaviour.
The Antecedent factors revealed in these interviews highlighted three main themes these
being: social and emotional factors, home life factors and class room content. All participants
interviewed believed that misbehaviour stemmed from factors at home. As Bernadette relays “I
think parents play a huge role in shaping how their kids behave”. Harriett elaborates on this further
saying “often in my experience I’ve found that parents no longer have the time to assist students
with their home work and struggle to provide students with the attention or guidance a teenager
needs from home”. This is evidence to support the key argument in Crawshaw’s (2015) article that
being how culture and values shape how teachers and other stakeholders in the community view
misbehaviour. Another key issue identified by some of the participants was that the content offered
in the classroom was either too hard or not hard enough. In Dianna’s experience she found students
were disengaged when tasks were too difficult “Students on my prac often would play up when they
didn’t understand the task or concept. I found myself having to simplify my activities” this
demonstrates how important differentiation is to providing students with the optimal opportunity to
engage with the tasks at hand. Max found that in his case the content presented in class was not
hard enough, “I got a call from the teacher saying that my son was misbehaving at school particularly
during reading groups, turns out he was capable of reading like ten levels ahead of what the teacher
had set for him”. Vera also touched on how important social image and peer groups are in shaping
student behaviour. Vera said, “it didn’t happen quiet as much in senior years but a lot of kids just
mucked up cause they were with their friends and thought it would be funny”. This suggests that the
underlying factor in this behaviour is a need for connection, that these students are looking to
It is clear from the literature that misbehaviour has a huge effect on how teachers carry out
their lessons and teach their students. Harriett found that settling a class “…sometimes takes 10 to
15 minutes” this could be extremely troubling for teachers when you consider that a majority of
lessons are 45 to 60 minutes long. In Gordon’s opinion this is precisely the students aim; “I think a
lot of the time kids are just trying to avoid work by distracting the teacher”. Cothran et.al. and De
Jong argue that often a consequence of misbehaviour is a student searching for a meaningful
connection within the wider community as Dianna observed; “I think students who misbehave, do so
because they are trying to find an adult that can guide them and provide them the emotional
support they crave”. However, students often end up alienating themselves in the process, therefore
teachers need to take on a more democratic approach to student behaviour and see the behaviour
from the student’s perspective. These interviews have also presented data highlighting the diverse
ways teachers combat students misbehaviour particularly those who suffer from mental and
emotional difficulties. Bernadette in her experience as an SLSO has had the opportunity to see this
diversity in action drawing from her observations of how two different teachers address their
student’s behaviour. she states that “the classroom teachers have very different ways of dealing
with their students, one is very strict and instructs the students a lot and the other encourages and
rewards students”. This response demonstrates two forms of behaviour management employed at
the same school one that is teacher centred and another that uses intrinsic and extrinsic rewards
both to varying degrees of success. However, it could be more prudent to take a more wholistic
approach to behaviour management by implementing a whole school strategy instead. Both Dianna
and Harriett point this fact out in their responses. As Dianna states in her experience that a whole
school approach “models and reinforces behaviours that are socially acceptable”. This is a clear
argument made by Thompson (2011) and Bonella et. al. (2017) which suggests that through
strategies such as value added education or strategies that model appropriate behaviours, students
Implications
The literature and research suggest to me that all of these factors play a part in behaviour
management. Perspective plays a huge role in determining why these behaviours take place within
the classroom. This has highlighted the notion of self-reflection as a key issue to consider when
determining behaviour management plans as well as being willing to reflect on my own practice and
teaching methods, so that I consider how this plays a role in shaping student behaviour. Another
major aspect to consider is the social and emotional issues that can play a role in a student’s
behaviour. Every participant in the interviews highlighted the significance of students’ home lives as
an influence in how they behave. Furthermore, two participants recognised how behaviour is also
influenced by a student’s inner personal feelings and the social stress they experience. Therefore, in
my own practice I will approach student misbehaviour from a non-bias perspective and use empathy
to gauge a greater understanding of my students lives and point of view. A key skill that I will aim to
improve will be my emotional intelligence. This will hopefully foster a greater sense of belonging and
connectedness within my classroom and amongst my students. This could also be employed through
lessons and strategies that focus on student connectedness and allows students to further develop
the social skills needed to foster greater relations with their peers.
Conclusion
This report has delved into the various opinions that pervade the literature and ideas
surrounding student misbehaviour. It is clear that misbehaviour is highly dependent on the world
view of those who come across it. This report has attempted to highlight this fact through the
interviews it presents. These interviews have provided a sounding board for analysing the legitimacy
of the dense literature that highlights the factors, consequences and strategies that play a role in
References
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student smoking, drinking and misbehaviour. Health Education Journal, 76(2), 206-220.
doi:10.1177/0017896916657843
Cothran, D.J., Hodges Kulinna, P., & Garrahy, D.A. (2009). Attributions for and consequences of
student misbehavior. Physical Education and Sports Pedagogy, 14(2), 155-167.
doi:10.1080/17408980701712148
De Jong, T. (2005). A Framework of Principles and Best Practice for Managing Student Behaviour in
the Australian Education Context. School Psychology International, 26(3), 353-370.
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Fish, R.M., Finn, K.V., & Finn, J.D. (2013). The Problems Public Schools Face: High School
Misbehaviour in 1990 and 2002. Education Research and Perspectives, 38(1), 59-80.
Retrieved April 2018
Killu, K. (2008). Developing Effective Behavior Intervention Plans: Suggestions for School Personnel.
Interventions in School and Clinic, 43(3), 140-148. Retrieved April 2018
Thompson, A.M. (2011). A Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Interventions for Students with
Challenging Behaviors in School Settings. Journal of Evidence Based Social Work, 8(3), 304-
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