Positive Learning

ATTITUDES TO STUDENT MISBEHAVIOUR

1.0 Introduction

Student behaviours in schools have been perceived by researchers for years. Over the past twenty-five years, Sugai, (2009) states that Gallup Polls have specified, behavioural complications are on the top trials schools face. To establish and scan these behaviours, checklists of behaviours are available that included the most usual behaviours observed by te schools teachers (Algozzine, 2003). Such behaviours includes anxiety, disobedience, isolation, destructiveness and disruptiveness. Safran, Safran, & Barcikowski, (1985) states, such behaviours occupy teachers for an undue amount of time. Safran & Safran, (1984) reports that teachers normally spend sixty- ninety precent more time with misbehaving students than with the rest of the students. Johnson & Fullwood, (2006) states that teachers spend up to ninety precent more time with problematic students. Many new teachers have trouble dealing with persistent misbehaviour. They become exasperated because their previous responses had little impact. They spend substantial time distressing about the problem and often feel as if their authority and power is being challenged. A common way of consolidating behaviours is the division of internalising against externalising behaviours. Internalising behaviours such as anxiety, shyness, or inattentiveness mainly affect the student demonstrating the behaviour. Externalising behaviours such as fighting, aggression, and disobedience are outer-directed behaviours.

It is essential to understand student behaviour from an eco-systemic viewpoint. This principle highlights the composite, unified and co-dependent type of relationships between a variety of relational, intra-personal and environmental factors that impact the everyday behaviours of teachers and students. The behavioural change in social systems does not take place in the direct approach of the positivistic custom. Instead, behaviours should be observed as cycles of communication. In other words, the students’ behaviour is assumed to be affected and dependent on the behaviours of other people around them. (De Jong. 2005).

To learn the approaches and opinions of different people regarding student misbehaviour, a research was commenced through conducting informal interview of six people belonging to different groups in the society. The purpose was to get different views and perceptions on why students misbehave; interviewees included people from different groups such as practicing teachers, retired school teacher, parents, pre service teacher and a non-teaching professional. The interview consisted of several informal and open-ended questions in order to grasp the in-depth knowledge about various reasons of student misbehaviour and their solutions. The approach uses a series of questions intended to offer perspective on the student’s misbehaviour and assistance in creating responses.
2.0 Participants:
Following interviewees were selected for interview. Names have been kept confidential to maintain privacy.
1. Interviewee 1 (Female): is a full time teacher is her early 30’s.
2. Interviewee 2 (Female): is a pre-service teacher in her 20’s.
3. Interviewee 3 (Male): is a pensioned off school teacher in his late 50’s.
4. Interviewee 4 (Female): is a 38 years old mother of three children.
5. Interviewee 5 (Male): is a father of three children in his early 40’s.
6. Interviewee 6 (Male): is a non-teaching professional and postgraduate student in his early 30’s. During the interviews, many common themes regarding student misbehaviour, their reasons and impacts were discussed. Various researches and theories were also linked with the answers in order to analyse the root cause of such behaviours and the suitable responses.
3.0 Understanding the Reasons for Difficult Behaviour:
Understanding multiple causes of student misbehaviour can aid you to select the most applicable solution. Questions on physical, emotional and environmental factors were asked which helped in understanding the main grounds of problematic misbehaviours:

3.1 Question - What are the physical causes of misbehaviour?

Interviewee 1 suggested that the consumption of illegal Medication and Drugs by school students modify their behaviour in numerous ways. She once took students on an excursion, and one student arrived drunk showing extreme behaviours (drowsy, overly active). Students usually recall information when they are in the same state (drunk) as when they learned it (Eich, 1989). Interviewee 2 answered that students don’t take good care of their health and feeling unpleasant can make them irritable, although misperception and distraction may be more usual reactions. She also pondered that Fatigue is common in academic life and increases, when exams dates are near. When the pressure of exams increases, politeness is usually absent in students. Hearing and vision problems also result in student misbehaviour. A student with such debility may appear troublesome. Interviewee 3 answered that vision/hearing difficulty of student or even the teacher raises the risk of confusion thus leading to miscommunication and the possibility that student or teacher might get offended.
3.2 Question - What are the major Emotional Challenges?

Teachers have to choose if to get personally involved when emotional challenges are the reason for rude behaviour. Talking privately with associates or the counselling centre can benefit the teacher to choose when a student requires referral for professional assistance. Interviewee 6 specified that when school students reach an adults’ age, they’re usually given charge for their major decisions in life thus they might feel lonely once confronted with loss. Grief may be uttered as anger or guilt, depression and denial. Interviewee 3 believed that a small incident in the class (like forgetting the textbook) may activate a strangely big response and usually the teacher is merely an aim for the expression of the student’s sentiment.

3.3 Question - What are the major Environmental Factors?

Interviewee 1 discussed that class size and culture contribute to varying student’s behaviours. Big classes can buoy up a student or students to behave as if they were in a cinema or even a tv lounge. Interviewee further commented that supportive educational activities might aid in reducing the blockades that a big class creates among the teachers and the students. Every culture has a different standard regarding student’s unpunctuality to class or when it is suitable for a student to talk. If all every student is going to experience a specific cultural atmosphere after graduation, it may be easier to have classroom environment that matches with the work environment. Routine and Stimulation are other environmental factors identified by Interviewee 2 commented that excessive routine result in boredom, however too little creates confusion. A lot of motivation generates difficulties for the students who normally have trouble handling their activity level, and too little motivation results in disruption in the class. Interviewee 1 opined the importance of an unconventional learning environment. Some students require alternate flexible atmosphere but taking away students from the regular schoolroom should be the last alternative, and is grounded upon the belief that not all effective educational experiences happen in the classroom and thinking broadly about education is critical.
4.0 Importance of behaviour management:
4.1 Question - How important is behaviour management in effective teaching and learning?

For many teacher and school front-runners in the past, a silent and disciplined classroom was the symbol of effective teaching. There is no doubt that regimented classrooms and schools enable effective teaching and the decent behaviour management skills are essential for teachers to perform the primary task of improving students’ performance and learning outcomes. Interviewee 3 stated that behaviour management is a key skill for both experienced and beginning teachers. Interviewee 6 specified specifies that it is brilliance in teachers that makes the utmost difference. Hattie’s research about the key impacts on the variance in student success examined the differences between experts, proficient and experienced teachers (Hattie, 2003). Interviewee 1 suggested that the student behaviour is indissolubly associated to the quality of the learning capability and teaching skills. Active pedagogics is acute to student engagement. She advised that good quality of teaching increases the student engagement and reduces behaviour matters. She further recommended that optimistic relationships between students and teachers are significant to encourage correct behaviours and attaining learning objectives.
5.0 Role of parents:
5.1 Question - How can parents contribute in improving the behaviour is students?

Successful parent participation develops not only good student behaviour and attendance but also significantly affects student accomplishments. Parents can exhibit involvement at home by reading with their kids, assisting with homework, discussing school events and by attending functions or volunteering in classrooms. Being an experienced father, Interviewee 5 advised that parents are occasionally hesitant to get involved in school because they don't have spare time or because they don't speak smooth English. He said however "the biggest issue is the disconnection between the school and the parents”. Interviewee 4 on the other hand answered, "Parents consider that they are not welcomed. They often have had a lesser adequate experience with their own schooling". However she firmly believed that parents should remain open and supportive with teachers and other school staff when dealing with issues of student misbehaviour. Retired school teacher Interviewee 3 recommended that school staff should mediate with parents while dealing with behaviour and misconduct issues. He also suggested that parents should back the school’s Student Behaviour Management Policy and should work with their children to assist them to understand their responsibility and obligations towards others.
6.0 Effects of Teacher Gender:
6.1 Question - How teacher gender affect the student behaviour?
Interviewees were asked about the possible differences for teachers’ patience founded upon the gender of the teacher. Since both male and female teachers are present in the classrooms and the students are engaged in the classrooms with both genders, it is significant to recognise the characteristic differences. Teachers’ gender, teachers’ attitude, and the reporting of behaviour problem are found to have a connection (Ritter, 1989, Stake & Katz, 1982). Interviewee 3 believed that teacher tolerance and student behaviour have a give-and-take relationship, in that students’ behaviour influences the teachers’ patience levels for behaviours, teachers’ approach and opinion of the student, and the contagion influence of behaviour on the rest of the students in the class, resulting in academic achievement of the students. He also considered that students are more involved, behave more properly, and perform at a greater level when taught by teachers who shares their gender. On the other hand, Interviewee 6 suggested that the male teachers used more clarifications and general instructions than the female teachers. They also ask more questions and call for more student answers than female teachers.
7.0 Conclusion:

The interview with diverse group of people of both genders helped in identifying the main causes of student misbehaviours and efficient ways of addressing such behaviours. There are always students in classrooms who tend to meet their desires and wants through inappropriate behaviour. Having a range of alternatives (that are consistent with the needs and values of the teacher) can be exceptionally valuable when reacting to incidents of misconduct in complex classrooms. Both verbal and nonverbal communications are important when answering to persistent disobedience. Teachers should develop an “I mean it” demeanour by using firmness and clarity. Many student misconduct problems can be resolved by reorganising the environment. This might be done to ease proximity control, isolate students who cannot workout self-control, or eliminate students from an area where there are disruptions. Teaching students to adjust their own behaviour benefits students recognise their feelings and their wants and aiding them learn how to search for substitutes to unproductive behaviour. Teachers and parents need to be working together rather than being adversaries.