Running head: WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL?

Why do young people misbehave in school? Exploring

community opinions

Jayden B. Lach

Western Sydney University

102082 - Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments

WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL? 2

Why do young people misbehave in school? Exploring

community opinions

Understanding the causes of student misbehaviour can allow educators to create

practices that address the challenging behaviour (Johnson, Goldman, & Claus, 2018) in a way

that encourages learning, and prosocial behaviours. Misbehaviour is considered as socially

unacceptable behaviour, and not respecting the rights of others (De Nobile, Lyons, & Arthur-

Kelly, 2017). In the schooling context, this can be defined as disrupting the classroom (De

Nobile at al., 2017; Duchesne, McMaugh, Bochner, & Krause, 2015), or more explicitly as

interfering with the learning of themselves or others, and preventing educators from teaching

or doing work (Beaman, Wheldall, & Kemp, 2007).

All behaviour, anti-social or otherwise has a purpose (Young, Caldarella, Richardson,

& Young, 2012). Studies have shown that many children with behaviour problems, exhibit

these problems at school or at home, but not always both (Coleman et al., 1966), suggesting

behaviour can be considered situational (Charlton & David, 1993). Inappropriate behaviours

can be categorized into primary and secondary behaviours. Primary behaviours are generally

self-initiated, in response to motivating influences (De Nobile et al., 2017), whilst secondary

behaviours are displayed when a student responds to being challenged for displaying primary

behaviours by an authority figure (Rogers, 2011), and is regularly intended to distract or

entice arguments with educators (De Nobile et al., 2017). De Nobile et al. (2017) argue that

secondary behaviours are commonly exhibited to preserve their sense of autonomy, or to

“save face in front of their peers” (p. 18).

Establishing these origins requires consultation from different fields of research;

particularly psychology, and sociology (De Nobile et al., 2017). Three categories have been

postulated to explain misbehaviour, including developmental, psychological, and

environmental factors (De Nobile et al., 2017). Developmental origins can include a student’s
WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL? 3

cognitive ability, and their social and emotional development. As such, a student with higher

cognitive and social abilities may be able to diffuse a situation, avoiding violence that a less

developed student may not (De Nobile et al., 2017).

Environmental issues can stem from situations such as a poor home life, the family’s

socio-economic status, cultural norms and religious values, or the school environment and

attitudes of teachers (De Nobile et al., 2017). Similarly, teachers distracted by other students

may involuntarily be triggering misbehaviour as a means for attention, particularly when

students discover that this is an effective means for attention (Charlton & George, 1993). The

psychological and environmental categories overlap, since environmental stressors like a

student’s home life may lead to psychological issues later in life (Graham, Rutter, & George,

1973), including emotional abuse and self-esteem issues. Other psychological origins include

disorders such as Attention deficit hyperactivity, and Autism spectrum disorders.

However, there are many identified structures that schools can adopt to positively

influence students and their behaviour, including good direction from school administration,

a shared policy amongst staff on expectations both academic and behavioural, an engaging

curriculum that meets students’ needs, and positive reinforcement for good behaviours rather

than punishment for bad behaviour (Charlton & David, 1993). Charlton and David (1993)

also argue that high standards must be held by staff regarding planning and content,

pedagogy and classroom management, and creating supportive and respective relationships

with teachers, students, and parents. These strategies can be generalized into four categories;

classroom climate, classroom culture, physical environment, and instructional practices (De

Nobile et al., 2017). These four categories are the components of the Lyford model: A model

for prevention of misbehaviour, creating a positive earning environment (De Nobile et al.,

2017; Lyons, Arthur-Kelly, & Ford, 2015).

WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL? 4

Expectations, consequences, and responsibilities make up the culture of the

classroom, which is crucial since students need to be provided with boundaries, acting

accordingly to these expectations (De Nobile et al., 2017; Lyons et al., 2011). The physical

environment that students are subjected to daily must be favourable for learning, which

requires resources, seating arrangements, and lighting to be considered (De Nobile et al.,

2017; Lyons et al., 2011). The final component of the Lyford model, instructional practice, is

made up of curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment; which is considered as the mechanisms of

teaching (De Nobile et al., 2017). For positive learning environments to be achieved, these

concepts must be viewed ecologically, and addressed together, since they are interconnected

(De Nobile et al., 2017).

Methods

Participants

Interviews were conducted with six participants from the community. The participants

were 50% male, 50% female, and 50% were teachers with varying experience. A parent, pre-

service teacher, and someone with no education ties were also interviewed. After reviewing

the ethics protocol, members of the community were approached to take part in the

interviews. The interviews were conducted privately, and brief notes taken during the

process. All interviews were initiated by the question “Why do you think young people

misbehave in school?” and followed the style of a conversation, with no scripted questions,

however participants were prompted to elaborate on their answers which led to further ideas

explored.

Although half of the participants are employed as teachers, they were sought out as

participants as they encounter students in schooling settings more than other persons, thus it

should follow that they would possess greater perspectives into student misbehaviour. To

reduce teacher bias, teachers of differing years of experience and rank were sought, so
WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL? 5

alternate perceptions and experiences could be explored. Descriptive details about the

individual participants are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Participant information

Name Age Sex Group Job Title Experience

Laura 27 F Teacher 2IC Science faculty and teacher 6 years

Jerry 60 M Teacher Classroom mathematics teacher 21 years

William 46 M Teacher Deputy principal (former 18 years

English head teacher)
Sarah 48 F Parent Sales representative 23 years

Tom 22 M Pre-service teacher Student 4 years

Sally 22 F Non-education Administration officer 4 years

Note: All names are pseudonyms

Data Analysis

The data were thematically analysed, using an inductive approach (Clarke & Braun,

2017), whereby the notes collected from interviews were coded, merged into categories, and

organised into themes. The coding framework (Seers, 2012) was formulated from a

combination of the literature, and the prompts from participants that originated in the

interviews.

Results

When analysing the data, a multitude of beliefs of why students misbehave were

explored by the participants. The data were placed into six categories based on the context of

opinions divulged, and coding undertaken subjectively. Using the literature as a guide for

emergent themes (De Nobile et al., 2017), it was concluded that the main themes explored by

the participants were developmental issues, environmental issues, psychological issues, and

instructional issues.
WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL? 6

Developmental issues. Only William, the deputy principle, offered a potential source

of misbehaviour stemming from being too cognitively and socially underdeveloped to

understand why certain behaviours are unacceptable in different contexts.

Environmental issues. The majority of views of misbehaviour could be categorised

under environmental matters. Five of six participants considered that problems could have

stemmed from the home environment or upbringing of the students, including the three

teachers, whilst all six participants suggested that the classroom environment may have been

responsible also.

Classroom environment. Participants described many concerns regarding the

classroom leading to misbehaviour with the majority alluding to the lack of consistency in

classroom management practices, and a lack of authority. Others like Sally suggesting that

too much authority led to school being “not an enjoyable environment” and that schools don’t

“cater to everyone, and are made for one type of student.” Conversely, Sarah suggested that

punishments weren’t harsh enough and “don’t fit the actions” of students. Laura, William,

and Jerry who are all teachers from Western Sydney suggested one of the best ways to curb

misbehaviour in the classroom was to build rapport with students, and to preserve a good

professional relationship with them.

Home life. The other concern was that of a poor home life, in which poor parental

influence contributed negatively to students’ opinions of school, and moreover, their

behaviour from having poor role models engraining poor behaviour due to their role models

exhibiting the same mannerisms. Other issues such as economic hardship, and feeling

disconnected to society were raised. William, a deputy principal from a school with a high

refugee population, suggesting the change in culture could cause students to act out, and that

many of these students struggled to find access to resources due to economic instability. A
WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL? 7

further concern for Jerry was that students were coming to school with a lack of sleep, which

contributed to the student’s disengagement in class.

External issues. Other concerns, mainly from the teachers, was that of situations

outside their control, such as the weather, suggesting unfavourable conditions can create

unexpected consequences for student behaviour.

Psychological issues. Students with learning difficulties was a concern for Sarah and

Jerry, suggesting this could be a basis for those students to act out. Other opinions were that

of a short attention during classes contributed to their anti-social behaviour and lack of “drive

to succeed.”

Need for belonging. Low self-esteem from peer and social media influences were a

concern for all the participants except one, whilst Jerry and Tom indicating some students

may feel a need for power, and misbehave or bully other students to gain it. Similarly, a

disconnection from society can be grouped in this category also, as William proposed violent

behaviours exhibited by students may be to “prove themselves,” citing refugee students as

particularly susceptible to this behaviour. Seeking attention was also mentioned to cause

behaviour issues amongst students.

Instructional issues. All of the participants suggested that teaching practices may be

causing students to exhibit anti-social behaviour, particularly when presented with boring and

unending tasks leading to disengagement of students. Sarah even suggesting an irrelevant

curriculum in the present context contributed to this issue also. Similar to economic hardships

in home life, these pressures can also be seen to lead to a lack of resources in schools as Tom

suggesting from firsthand experience. Since the teachers and Tom were familiar with the

concept of differentiation, they were the four to suggest the lack of differentiation to

contribute to these issues.

WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL? 8

Discussion

Since all the participants are from west and south-west Sydney, it is possible that these issues

are in the context of place. However, as Charlton and David (1993) argue, behaviour is

situational, which is confirmed by De Nobile et al. (2017) describing different situations that

these students may be facing, each with its own opportunity of causing misbehaviour. Since

behaviour can be dependant on a multitude of things, it is extremely difficult to isolate the

exact causes of misbehaviour, instead, the many possibilities of misbehaviour must be

considered to reduce problem behaviour.

It is interesting to note that the two participants that had no ties to education, Sarah

and Sally, had the most negative views on schooling and misbehaviour, despite having

opposing explanations to why students misbehave. Whilst Sarah viewed punishments as not

harsh enough, research suggests that punishments don’t work as well as intended, as they are

often poorly executed (Lerman & Vorndran, 2002), or are too or not harsh enough to be

effective (De Nobile et al., 2017). Instead positive reinforcement could be used when

appropriate, which leads to recurring positive behaviour. It is of note also that whilst

classroom environment was a main theme explored by participants, all of them failed to

allude to the physical environment of the classroom, only referring to classroom culture,

perhaps suggesting they didn’t see that as a factor.

Implications for praxis

Since behaviour can differ across different environments, different strategies may need to be

implemented across different classrooms (Little, 2005). Also, research suggests that most

behaviour is minor (Fields, 1986; Little, 2005), and as such only require simple methods of

positive behaviour strategies (Wheldall & Merrett, 1988). Further to this point, it has been

stated that one strategy for behaviour management may not work in all situations for each

student (Keller & Tapasak, 1997).

WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL? 9

Student-teacher relationships are noted as some of the most influential in producing

good students (Hattie, 2008; Pianta, Hamre, & Allen, 2012), which can potentially reduce

student misbehaviour due to assumed mutual respect. Using this approach, it may also help

students to feel a sense of belonging in the classroom, and create a positive classroom

climate. By engaging in positive relationships with students, it may also make it easier to be

more explicit in having high expectations for students, since they can understand why your

expectations are, not just being told them.

It seems obvious that to increase student engagement in the classroom, interesting and

engaging lessons need to be planned and implemented. In the mathematics classroom, an

effective way to do this is by using a constructivist approach to learning, building on prior

knowledge through interacting with the “real-world” (Davis, 1990). This can be done

individually, or in small groups which allows students to collaborate during problem solving

activities. Another approach could use scaffolding (Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976) to allow for

differentiation amongst students so that students are constantly challenged, and thus less

likely to be bored and present with misbehaviour.

Conclusion

This study provided an insight into opinions of some members of society regarding

student misbehaviour. Since behaviour is fluid and situational, it is extremely hard to pinpoint

causes for misbehaviour, the participants opinions reflected much of the existing literature.

Whilst some suggestions were made to reduce misbehaviour, further research is required to

provide more adequate links to its origins.

WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL? 10

References

Beaman, R., Wheldall, K., & Kemp, C. (2007). Recent research on troublesome behaviour: A

review. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 31, 46-60.

doi:10.1080/1030011071189014

Charlton, T., & David, K. (1993). The theoretical background. In T. Charlton & K David

(Eds.), Managing misbehaviour in schools (2nd ed., pp. 3-16). Retrieved from

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Charlton, T., & George, J. (1993). The development of behaviour problems. In T. Charlton &

K David (Eds.), Managing misbehaviour in schools (2nd ed., pp. 17-52). Retrieved

from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2017). Thematic analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology,

12(3), 297-298. doi:10.1080/17439760.2016.1262613

Coleman, J. S., Campbell, E. Q., Hobson, C. J., McPartland, J., Mood, A. M., Weinfeld, F.

D., & York, R. L. (1966). Equality of educational opportunity. Washington, DC:

Government Printing Office.

Davis, R. B. (1990). Discovery learning & constructivism. In R. B. Davis, C. A. Maher, & N.

Noddings (Eds.), Constructivist views on the teaching and learning of mathematics

(pp. 19-29). Reston, VA: NCTM.

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

Creating and maintaining productive classrooms. South Melbourne, Australia:

Cengage Learning.

Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A., Bochner, S., & Krause, K. (2012). Educational psychology: For

learning and teaching (4th ed.). Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL? 11

Fields, B. A. (1986). The nature and incidence of classroom behaviour problems and their

remission through preventive management. Behaviour Change, 3, 53-57.

doi:10.1017/S0813483900009116

Graham, P., Rutter, M., & George, S. (1973). Temperamental characteristics as predictors of

behaviour disorders in children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 43(3), 328-

339. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.1973.tb00802.x

Hattie, J. (2008). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to

achievement. London, England: Routledge.

Johnson, Z. D., Goldman, Z. W., & Claus, C. J. (2018). Why do students misbehave? An

initial examination of antecedents to student misbehaviour. Communication

Quarterly. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/01463373.2018.1483958

Keller, H. R., & Tapasak, R. C. (1997). Classroom management. In A. P. Goldstein & J.

Close (Eds.), School violence intervention: A practical handbook (pp. 107–126). New

York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Lerman, D. C., & Vorndran, C. M. (2002). On the status of knowledge for using punishment:

Implications for treating behaviour disorders. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,

35(4), 431-464. doi:10.1901/jaba.2002.35-431

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

Educational Psychology, 25(4), 369-377. doi:10.1080/01443410500041516

Lyons, G., Arthur-Kelly, M., Ford, M. (2015). The Lyford model of classroom management:

Authentication through continuing reflections from the field. Creative Education, 6,

2063-2076. doi:10.4236/ce.2015.619211

Lyons, G. S., Ford, M., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2011). Classroom management: Creating

positive learning environments (3rd ed.). South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.

WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE MISBEHAVE IN SCHOOL? 12

Pianta, R. C., Hamre, B. K., & Allen, J. P. (2012). Teacher-student relationships and

engagement: Conceptualizing, measuring, and improving the capacity of classroom

interactions. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of

research on student engagement (pp. 365-386). New York, NY: Springer.

Rogers, W. (2011). You know the fair rule (3rd ed.). Melbourne, Australia: ACER Press.

Seers, K. (2012). Qualitative data analysis. Evidence-Based Nursing, 15, 2.

doi:10.1136/ebnurs.2011.100352

Wheldall, K., & Merrett, F. (1988). Which classroom behaviours do primary school teachers

say they find most troublesome? Educational Review, 40, 13-27.

doi:10.1080/0013191880400102

Wood, T., Bruner, J., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of

Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17, 89-100. doi:10.1111/j.1469-

7610.1976.tb00381.x

Young, E. L., Caldarella, P., Richardson, M. J., & Young, K. R. (2012). Positive behaviour

support in secondary schools: A practical guide. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.