102082 Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments

Assignment 1 Essay
Jasmine Pina 18513064
Why do Young People Misbehave in School?

Many people have clear views and perspectives on why young people misbehave at school. For the
purpose of this report misbehave has been defined as, an activity that causes distress for teachers,
interrupts the learning process and that leads teachers to make continual comments to the student
(Sun & Shek, 2012, p. 1). Examples of misbehavior include daydreaming in class, not completing
homework, talking in class, lesson disruption, bullying and rudeness to the teacher (Sun & Shek,
2012, p. 1). For the purpose of this report young people has been limited to school students of
primary or secondary school age. Literature on this issue identify, academic ability, sleeping
patterns, family life and mental health and emotional well-being as all reasons for students
misbehaving at school. To further explore these theories, six people of diverse backgrounds were
further interviewed to get insight into their thoughts on why do Young People Misbehave in
School? There were some very clear similarities between their thoughts and the literature
identified in this report. In understanding this issue better there can be greater assistance for young
people that misbehave, classroom management and teacher wellbeing.

Literature Review
The literature assessed identified the academic ability, sleeping patterns, family life and mental
health and emotional well-being as all reasons for students misbehaving at school.
Landrum, Scott and Lingo (2011), identify academic ability particularly in the areas of reading, math,
and written language as a reason for students misbehaving at school. It is thought that students
suffering academic difficulties dont see school and learning as an exciting positive experience but
instead as a task at which they will never succeed (Landrum, Scott, & Lingo, 2011, p.32). Studies
have also shown that the amount of sleep a child receives can directly affect their conduct at school.
Adolescents who sleep six hours or less a week are considered more likely to have behavioural
problems than those students that slept seven hours or more (Lin, & Yi, 2015, p.432). The students
conduct was examined in terms of their emotional wellbeing, defiant attitude and poor academic
performance, which were all seen to diminish as a result of the students unhealthy sleeping patterns
(Lin, & Yi, 2015, p.432). A number of alternate theories for misbehaviour were also identified in a
recent study of 37 children aged 5-12 years, which had experienced exclusion from their school as a
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102082 Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments

Assignment 1 Essay
Jasmine Pina 18513064
result of their behavior. The study found that the majority of parents felt their children suffered
from underlying mental health and emotional well-being issues which they believe directly affect
their childs ability to cope at school. They felt that as a result of these issues their children were
misunderstood and unable to get the help they need to overcome their problems (Parker, Paget,
Ford, & Gwernan-Jones, 2016, p.141). The research also discovered these students were often
experiencing negative home/ family life and struggling to establish sound relationships with their
peers. These students often had difficulties with social communication and interaction and had
experienced being isolated or bullying, both as a victim or the bully (Parker, Paget, Ford, & GwernanJones, 2016, p.141).

Interview Process
The interviewees I selected included the following;

Recent graduate teacher, female, 30 years - The teacher being interviewed has been teaching
for a little over one year and is currently based in a remote western New South Wales central
school.

High school and TAFE Teacher, female, 40 years The teacher has been teaching for 10+ years
in both high schools and TAFE in regional and city locations. She is also a mother of two young
children.

Pre-service teacher, male, 42 years Currently completing the final year of a bachelor of
education secondary and has completed two professional experience placements in regional
NSW schools.

Parent and grandmother, female, 62 years mother of four adult children and grandmother of
five including two at high school age and one at primary school age.

Parent, female, 36 years Mother of three boys, two at high school age and one at primary
school age.

Friend and civil engineer, male, 31 years grew up in western Sydney in a culturally diverse
school environment.

All participants were interviewed in their home environment or over the phone and asked the
question, Why do young people misbehave in School? Participants were not prompted by the
interviewer in any way and were free to draw upon their own education and experiences to justify
their thoughts. Those that have experienced school environments as a teacher or parent were the
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102082 Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments

Assignment 1 Essay
Jasmine Pina 18513064
most vocal of all the participants.

Interview Findings
Some of the key reasons for misbehaviour that arose in the majority of interviews included; student
engagement and teachers inability to address the diversity of students, lack of academic ability of
the misbehaving students and the students desire for attention. Most argued that students were
bored and the teachers failed to make the content and classroom activities interesting and
engaging enough to hold their attention. A pre-service teacher I interviewed said that he felt many
students saw the classroom as a safe place and for this reason they felt empowered to speak out
inappropriately and misbehave when they were feeling disempowered by their lack of academic
ability or home life. Some other unique thoughts and reasons came from the teachers and parents I
interviewed. It was the attitudes of a recent graduate secondary teacher that were most interesting
and unique. The teacher blamed the low socio economic status for much of the bad behaviour she
has experienced from students. With many student coming from challenging home environments
her response to the questions was, how can I expect students to behave when they only receive
breakfast one day a week and have never had the luxury of a packed lunch? Another more
experienced teacher I interviewed elaborated on this further by saying that the students she had
taught from disadvantaged homes lacked strong role models when it came to social skills saying,
Some think its ok to call teachers and fellow students f#%k heads because it is clear that is the
type of language used at home. Another unique reason for misbehaviour, came from a parent I
interviewed with teenage boys. She thought that technology was a major distraction in the
classroom. She said that she has seen her sons become addicted to technology and attempt to
convince her that they are completing homework using their iPad when the reality is they are
surfing Facebook. She said that this would clearly be a distraction in the classroom and the
temptation these students would experience when having these devises included in class activities
would be too great.

Comparison
There were many similarities between the academic research findings assessed and also the
opinions of those interviewed. Firstly, the literature and both the pre-service and working teachers I

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102082 Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments

Assignment 1 Essay
Jasmine Pina 18513064
interviewed recognised a strong connection between the lifestyle and home life of the student and
their behaviour at school. One of the teachers I interviewed spoke of the lack of nutrition her
students experience on a daily basis and how this affected the students ability to remain focused on
tasks and comply with the rules of the classroom. Similarly, the research undertaken by Lin, & Yi
(2015) identified lack of sleep as a factor affecting student conduct. Another similarity was the
association between misbehavior and the home life of the student. As identified by Parker, Paget,
Ford and Gwernan-Jones (2016, p. 141) negative family experience were often evident in the homes
of children that had been excluded from school as a result of behavioural problems. Negative
experiences identified included; domestic violence, family break-down, parental mental health
problems, parental alcohol misuse, chronic illness or disability in family members, multiple moves,
bereavement and stressful life events such as a car crash Parker, Paget, Ford & Gwernan-Jones
(2016, p. 141). The Pre-service teacher I interviewed elaborated on this theory further by saying that
he felt students from disadvantaged homes often felt empowered in the safe classroom
environment, something they dont feel at home. For this reason he felt that this would lead to the
student speaking out and purposely straying off task as a means of taking control of the class
environment as they felt no control at home. Another similar theory identified in both the research
of Parker, Paget, Ford & Gwernan-Jones (2016) and the interviews was the connection between the
students ability to cope with the work and their behaviour. The long term teacher I interviewed said
that she felt a student was more likely to misbehave if they were unable to cope with their set work.
She felt that this could be a result of either a learning difficulty or lack of engagement in the
class. This was further confirmed by the research literature as they discovered that many parents of
children with behavioural problems believed their actions were a result of identity issues relating to,
mental health and emotional well-being issues that resulted in the student being misunderstood by
their teachers and the school (Parker, Paget, Ford & Gwernan-Jones, 2016, p. 141). It is fair to say
however that many theories on student behaviour expressed by those interviewed failed to be
confirmed in the literature on this issue. These theories included the theory expressed by one of the
parents interviewed about technology in the classroom. Although there is no official literature to
back up this point, I dont believe it is fair to disregard this thought. Technology is a new addition to
many classrooms and how it is managed and embraced is an ongoing issue for the teaching
profession.

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102082 Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments

Assignment 1 Essay
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Implications for praxis

Ineffective classroom management and resulting from student misbehaviour has historically been
linked to a number of school related issues including reduced academic achievement, school safety
and teacher attrition (Alter, Walker, Landers, 2013, p. 51). Managing student behaviour is
challenging for many teachers and can result in loss of instructional time and increased
frustration (Alter, Walker, Landers, 2013, p. 51). With greater understanding of the reasons why
students misbehave, better outcomes can be achieved for both students and the teaching
profession. Training for pre-service and in-service teachers can be designed to inform the teachers
of appropriate classroom management strategies to address students' challenging behaviors (Alter,
Walker, Landers, 2013, p. 52). Also in understanding more about challenging behaviours of
students in the classroom, current unrealistic perceptions of student behaviour held by school
stakeholders and the wider community can be eliminated (Alter, Walker, Landers, 2013, p. 52).
Research has shown that many people are under the impression that the classroom is full of
incidents of aggression and disruption (Alter, Walker, Landers, 2013, p. 52). Although this was
not a perception I identified in the friends and parents I interviewed, such thoughts can have a
negative effect on the teaching profession and may even deter some people from becoming a
teacher. These perceptions may even lead to political agendas that are misinformed and lead to
waisted resourcing. Also, by understanding student behaviour we can gain a greater insight into
the impact student misbehaviour can have on the teaching profession and the lives of teachers
including; job satisfaction, stress, self-efficacy, and teacher retention (Alter, Walker, Landers, 2013,
p. 52).

Conclusion
In conclusion it can be seen that although there were some differences in opinion overall there
were many similarities in the options of the interviewees and the literature on why young people
misbehave at school. A clear understanding on this issue can be most beneficial for young people
and the teaching profession. If teachers are better informed of ways to manage the behaviour of
young people in their classroom and meet the needs of their students, better outcomes can be
achieved for both the students and teacher.
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102082 Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments

Assignment 1 Essay
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Reference List

Alter, P., Walker, J., & Landers, E. (2013). Teachers' perceptions of students' challenging

behavior and the impact of teacher demographics. Education & Treatment of Children, 36(4), 51-69

Landrum, T. J., Scott, T. M., & Lingo, A. S. (2011). Classroom misbehavior is predictable and

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

Lin, W-h., & Yi, C-C. (2015). Unhealthy sleep practices, conduct problems, and daytime

functioning during adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44(2), 431-446

Little, E. (2005). Secondary school teachers perceptions of students problem behaviours.

Educational Psychology, 25(4), 369-377

Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Slee, J. (Eds.). (2014). Classroom management: Creating positive
learning environments (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning.

Parker, C., Paget, A., Ford, T., & Gwernan-Jones, R. (2016). '.he was excluded for the kind of

behaviour that we thought he needed support with...' A qualitative analysis of the experiences and
perspectives of parents whose children have been excluded from school. Emotional and
Behavioural Difficulties, 21(1), 133-151

Sun, R., & Shek, D., (2012). Student Classroom Misbehavior: An Exploratory Study Based on

Teachers' Perceptions. The Scientific World Journal, 2012, 1-8. doi:10.1100/2012/208907

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