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Why do young people misbehave?

Student behaviour is and has been a problem in schools for many years. The reasons behind

misbehaviour may vary from case to case but could include situational reasons or deeper underlying

reasons, as concluded by my research. This report will explore the question: “Why do young people

misbehave?”. A literature review is conducted and compared to the findings concluded from

interviews with 6 individuals of varying backgrounds. The report will conclude with the provision of

implications for praxis including my own personal awareness and teaching practice.

Literature review

Numerous factors act as contributors to young children misbehaving in schools. Extensive

research has addressed these contributors and determined their impact on students’ misbehaviour.

As Caspi, Lynam, Moffitt & Silva (1993) state, “The life course is punctuated by numerous biological

and social events that require individuals to organize their behavior [sic] around newly denned tasks.

Puberty is among the most profound of these biosocial transitions” (p.19). This determines puberty

as a significant contributor to changes in the behaviour of young people. This change in behaviour

may extend from home to school grounds as young people adapt to the biological and social changes

they are rapidly experiencing.

Expectations regarding behaviour and achievement from parents and other parties

contribute significantly to young people’s choice of behaviour in different environments. A

publication by Pediatrics [sic] Week (2015) concluded that parent behavioural expectations and

friend support were associated with less school misbehaviour. Young people become aware of the

repercussions of misbehaviour when expectations are explicitly laid out and therefore refrain from

displaying unfavourable behaviour.


Expectation of achievement also contributes to misbehaviour from young people. According

to Rubie-Davies, Peterson, Irving, Widdowson & Dixon (2010), the practice of streaming created a

barrier to the fulfillment of high expectations for school achievement. Students placed in lower

streams (low-ability), which is viewed as not always being accurate, receive work or tasks which are

barely challenging, impacting negatively on the self-efficacy and behaviour of young people.

Cognitive load is also a consideration to be made when asking why young people misbehave.

As defined by Tanaka, Ishii & Watanabe (2014), ‘mental fatigue’ is a “state caused by prolonged

periods of demanding cognitive activity and manifests as a reduced efficiency in cognitive

performance.” Where load is not taken into consideration, the amount or complexity of work which

is being provided may over- or underwhelm students leading to boredom or disinterest. Once young

people reach this point, they may become disruptive of their peers and teacher in attempt of finding

a sort of entertain for themselves, as opposed to actually completing the set work.

Research

Interviews were utilised as the primary method of research for this report. Individuals from

a wide range of knowledge and experience backgrounds were interviewed in an attempt to uncover

the thoughts and beliefs of different parties in regard to the underlying reasons behind young

people misbehaving in schools. The participants included:

Person A Male, 28, secondary teacher of 5 years

Person B Female, 36, secondary teacher of 13 years (head teacher of 5 years)

Person C Female, 32, secondary pre-service teacher

Person D Female, 21, marketing coordinator

Person E Male, 16, secondary student

Person F Male, 47, taxi driver, father of ‘Person E’


An ethics protocol was followed where participation was 100% voluntary and information

and consent forms were provided to and signed by participants. Participants were welcomed to

express any questions or concerns which were cleared, and were informed of the potential to

withdraw from the research at any stage.

Findings

The conducted interviews provided interesting insight into the thoughts and experiences of

individuals of different backgrounds. Common themes were concluded from the interviews which

included ‘attention seeking’, ‘disinterest’, maintenance of social status or ‘popularity’, and external

factors including ‘family’ and/or ‘home environment’, and ‘parental involvement or interest’.

‘Attention seeking’ and ‘popularity’ were two notions commonly used together and were

popular amongst those who have been exposed to schooling in the past 10 years. Persons A, B and D

felt strongest about these themes as according to their own experiences, students mostly misbehave

for these reasons. Person D captured these themes in one succinct statement: “The cool guy on the

playground can’t suddenly become a nerd or teacher’s pet in class”. Students who misbehave often

have a reputation to uphold. Persons A and B second this through their observations of students

who misbehave, often having many friends and displaying constant patterns of misbehaviour – ie.

disrupting others with smart or funny remarks, or displaying lack of interest of tasks at hand (also

falling into the theme of ‘disinterest’).

‘Disinterest’ was a theme common amongst all interviewees. “(Person E) hates doing the

dishes. If I or my wife ask him to do them, he’ll fight us before, during and after doing them. Same

thing with school – if he doesn’t like the work, he’ll wonder away from it” – Person F. This introduces

the challenge of keeping young people interested in the work or task at hand. In order to remain

entertained, young people may disrupt their peers or behave in a disruptive manner. Person D is
able to relate to this as she was a high achiever - “I never misbehaved per se, but the work was just

so boring sometimes. My friend and I would finish it in a fraction of the time and then we’d talk.

Some teachers didn’t like that. Consider our abilities and allocate work accordingly then, maybe?”

Person B, being a head teacher, had the most experience of the interviewees regarding the

reasons as to why students misbehave. One pairing of the themes she felt strongest about, was

‘family environment’ and ‘parental involvement or interest’. “One student would constantly

misbehave so he was referred to me. During our conversation, he eventually became emotional and

said something along the lines of “I’ve played footy every single weekend for 2 years and my dad has

never been to any of my games.”” – Person B. Person A is a young teacher who students confide in.

He said this: “I’d ask students how their parents would feel if I contacted them regarding their

(students’) behaviour. Too often they’d respond “They won’t care. They never have””. Disinterest

from parents or individuals who young people hold to a high standard, has the potential to impact

heavily on the motivation and level of interest in young people at school. Where young people feel

as though their achievements go unnoticed by family, they may not feel a necessity to succeed or

achieve, and therefore misbehave.

‘Home environment’ was another common theme amongst interviewees. Very many factors

fall into this theme, including relationships, culture, and socioeconomic status. However,

relationships was a popular one amongst interviewees. Person C recalls her own high school

experience. “I had a friend who probably confided in me a little too much. She would tell me about

all the times her parents would fight and the chaos that would happen in her house. She genuinely

thought it was normal so she’d come to school and not think twice about talking back to teachers or

completely disregarding the work we were given.” - Person C. Where young people do not

experience a stable home environment which encourages positive behaviour and achievement, they

may, like above, lack desire to achieve, and therefore misbehave.


Comparison

The literature gathered, focused mainly on developmental and social factors which young

people experience - these included biological, cognitive, and social changes. The interview findings

however, focused more on literal factors including attention seeking, home and family

environments, as well as boredom which fits into cognitive ability.

A similarity which surfaced amongst the literature review and interview findings is that of

disinterest as a result of cognitive ability. As person D stated, she and her friend were able to quickly

finish their allocated tasks and would then talk to each other to pass time. The literature by Tanaka,

Ishii & Watanabe (2014), address the vice versa of this issue where work is too challenging, causing

mental fatigue. This however, can be used to reiterate the notion that work which does not meet

the needs or the ability of students, may lead to disinterest and therefore lead students to entertain

themselves elsewhere, which to some teachers, may appear as misbehaviour.

Expectation of achievement can also be related between literature and interview findings.

Literature concludes that behavioural expectations are associated with less school misbehaviour

(Pediatrics [sic] Week, 2015). Interview findings however, list the impact of lack of expectations from

parents. Recounts from persons A and B determine that lack of involvement from parents, almost

excuse students from behaving appropriately as they do not expect any form of repercussion or

consequence for misbehaving. They may also feel as though they do not have any expectation to live

up to, and therefore hold back from attempting to succeed, falling into the trap of misbehaving.

Implications

In conducting this report, I have come to realise only a fraction of the answer to the question

“Why do young people misbehave?”. But what I have realised is no doubt beneficial. My own

personal awareness of the issue has increased significantly and will contribute majorly to my
teaching practice. Coming to the realisation that young people may misbehave for so many reasons,

has allowed me to realise the many considerations that must be made in the teaching and discipline

of young people, while remaining sensitive to any deeper-rooted issues which they may be

experiencing.

The most popular theme amongst interviewees was that of ‘disinterest’. This finding

reiterates to me the necessity to ensure that the learning needs of all students are met in attempt of

maintaining interest and motivation. The literature surrounding this matter also reminds me to

consider the cognitive abilities of the students being taught. This will include increasing the

interactivity of set tasks as opposed to presenting students with an overload of information and

expecting them to process it. I will also include students in deciding how they prefer information be

presented to them. By doing this, it is likely that students will remain interested and therefore

minimise misbehaviour in the classroom. In addition to teaching practices, I will maintain high levels

of communication with students. I will communicate to them high behavioural expectations such as

completing set tasks and not disrupting peers. Through this, students will realise that high standards

are expected from them which may promote respectful relationships between teachers and

students.

While not much can be done about those misbehaving in order to maintain ‘popularity’, the

‘attention seeking’ aspect can be addressed through teacher and student relationship and

communication. Maintaining constant and healthy relationship and communication with students,

provides students the satisfaction of recognition and respect by their classroom teacher. This will be

made possible through personal and individual interaction with students regarding their

experiences, interests, and behaviour. Recognition of positive behaviours from students who

normally misbehave, will act as a reassuring factor of the respect between teachers and students.

Carrying this through the school as a focus practice may contribute overall, towards a more
respectful attitude towards teachers, which minimises misbehaviour and therefore reduces the

disruption of classroom teaching.

‘Parental interest or involvement’ is a factor necessary in combatting the desire of young

people to misbehave in schools. As mentioned previously, where students feel as though their

parents do not care much for their achievements, they may refuse to attempt to succeed which may

lead to misbehaviour. Involving parents in the teaching and schooling lives of students will provide

students with the reassurance that they have the support of their teachers and school, as well as

their parents and family. This will be achieved through the invitation of parents to contribute their

own knowledge and experiences to the content being taught (eg. business owners providing insight

into operations in ‘Business Studies’). While probably unfavored by students, having parents sign

their child’s student diary will ensure that parents remain aware of their children’s progress,

achievement and behaviour in school. This will allow students the reassurance of their parents’

involvement and interest in their education, possibly encouraging students to decrease

misbehaviour. Involving parents in the learning experience of students as a whole school initiative,

will provide the school with insight into the environment and lives which students go home to on a

daily basis. This will allow the school to adapt practices and pedagogies which work towards the

improvement of the health and wellbeing of young people and their families.

While Capsi, Lynam & Silca (1993) argue that biological changes, mainly puberty, contribute

to changes in behaviour in young people, interview findings focused on the more literal factors of

home and family environments and the maintenance of social status. This leads to the conclusion

that more current literature is necessary in order to determine the increasing reasons as to why

young people misbehave. Where research includes and involves young people, the findings

concluded through the interviews may become more widespread in literature and offer a more

literal and relatable view as to why young people misbehave.


References

Caspi, A., Lynam, D., Moffitt, T., & Silva, P. (1993). Unraveling girls' delinquency: Biological,

dispositional, and contextual contributions to adolescent misbehavior. Developmental

Psychology, 29(1), 19-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0012-1649.29.1.19

Child and adolescent development; data on child and adolescent development reported by

researchers at arizona state university (A model of positive family and peer relationships on

adolescent functioning). (2015). Pediatrics Week. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-

com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/docview/1668304581?accountid=36155

Rubie-Davies, C., Peterson, E., Irving, E., Widdowson, D., & Dixon, R. (2010). Expectations of

Achievement. Research In Education, 83(1), 36-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.7227/rie.83.4

Tanaka, M., Ishii, A., & Watanabe, Y. (2014). Neural effects of mental fatigue caused by continuous

attention load: A magnetoencephalography study. Brain Research, 1561, 60-66.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2014.03.009

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