The purpose of this report is to generate a deeper understanding as to why young

people misbehave in school. This report will first present a literature review and then the

research findings from the interviews conducted with six participants, as to why young

people misbehave in school. This report will then compare and contrast the findings from

both the literature review and interviews, as well as present the implications that arise from

the findings. It is important to note, that the definition of ‘student misbehaviour’ that is

exemplified in this report is utilized from Nobile, Lyons and Kelly (2017), as they state that

misbehaviour is “socially and contextually unacceptable, and disrespects the rights of

students, including themselves to learn and feel safe” (p. 17).

Literature Review

This literature review will provide various factors as to why young students

misbehave in school; from current the research findings and suggestions. This includes the

‘origins of inappropriate behaviour’ which consists of developmental, psychological and

environmental factors. (Nobile, Lyons & Kelly, 2017, p.18). The most important factor that

will be discussed is environmental, as it includes home life, cultural backgrounds, school

environment, as well as climate settings that causes students to misbehave in school (Nobile,

Lyons & Kelly, 2017, p.18).

Environmental factors have a significant influence on why students misbehave in

school, particularly negative student-teacher relationships. The findings and implications

from McGrath and Bergen’s (2015) article, present how negative student-teacher

relationships cause students to misbehave in school. This is evident when they suggest that

based on their research, negative student-teacher relationships influence students to

misbehave socially, emotionally and academically through relationships with their peers,

attitudes towards school, attendance, engagement and academic achievement (McGrath and
Bergen, 2015, p. 10). Similarly, the findings and suggestions from Demanet and Houtte’s

(2012) article, exemplifies how teachers’ attitudes, low expectations and lack of support

within negative student-teacher relationships causes students to misbehave in school.

Correspondingly, Crosnoe, Johnson and Elder (2004) further demonstrate from their research

that students’ negative views of their teacher and lack of intergenerational bonding affected

students’ behaviour and achievement (p. 75)

Furthermore, Parker, Paget, Ford and Jones (2016) provide from the parent’s view,

that students misbehave in school because of their exclusion from the learning environment

and the lack of communication within the school. On the contrary, the findings and

suggestions from Cothran, Kulinna and Garrahy’s (2009) article, presents from the teachers’

perspectives, that students misbehaved because of home life, due to raising themselves,

having no respect or rules and troubled situations at home (p. 160). They also note that

students misbehave for attention from the teacher and peers in the classroom. Whereas,

students suggested in the study that they misbehaved because of being bored from the lack of

“meaningfulness of subject matter and class activities” (Cothran, Kulinna & Garrahy, 2009,

p. 160).

Sullivan, Johnson and Owens (2014) further support this notion, as they suggest from

their findings that disengagement and teachers’ poor behaviour management leads to

inappropriate behaviour and unproductive classrooms (p. 53). In contrast to this, Lin and Yi

(2015) present from their research that adolescents misbehave from unhealthy sleep practices,

because it affects their cognitive ability; and therefore causes “defiant attitude, poor academic

performance and low emotional well-being” (p. 442). It is therefore apparent, that based on

educational research, the main reasons as to why students misbehave includes the

environment, negative student-teacher relationships, home life, disengagement and poor

behaviour management, as well as cognitive factors.

The interviews were all conducted professionally and ethically, as all participants

were provided with a consent form to understand the purpose of the report. Participants were

also reassured that none of their identities would be identified. Once the question was

answered, further open-ended questions were asked. The participants that were chosen and

volunteered had different demographics in gender, age, education, as well as location.

F1. Female- 25. Graduate Teacher. Western Sydney.

F2. Female- 40. Parent and a previous accountant. South Sydney.

F3. Female – 30. Pre-service Teacher at Western Sydney University. Western Sydney.

M1. Male-22. Pre-service Teacher at Sydney University. North Sydney.

M2. Male- 50. Male parent. Construction Industry. South Sydney.

M3. Male-25. Engineering student at Western Sydney University. Western Sydney.

After the interviews were completed, all the responses from each interview were read

and carefully analysed to categorize the information. The most frequent responses from the

interviews were categorized into themes. The major themes that were found from the study

include home life, attention seeking and boredom.

All of the participants in the interviews believed that young people misbehaved at

school because of factors from their home life, such as family issues, neglect from their

parents and their upbringing. F1 presents from her experience “that students misbehave

because they have problems at home and they bring those issues to the classroom”. Likewise,
F2 stated that “students misbehave because of issues at home and they muck up in class as a

defence mechanism”. Similarly, M2 stated that “ongoing family issues takes its toll on kids

and because of this they don’t behave”. While, M1 found that students at his service centre

“misbehave because of being neglected from their parents at home”. Subsequently, M3 noted

that” if you are not taught to be respectful at home then you’re more likely to misbehave at

school because you don’t care”.

Attention seeking was another frequent belief as to why young people misbehave.

Four participants from the interviews believed that students misbehave because they want to

gain attention from their peers and the teacher. This is evident, as M1 stated that when

students get “no validation, love or attention from home than those kids act up and misbehave

to get attention from their peers”. While, F3 noted that students behave inappropriately “to be

accepted by their peers or to look cool”. In contrast, F1 noted that students misbehave “to try

to live up to an expectation and have power in the classroom by being the class clown”. F2

further stated that students “misbehave to seek attention from the teacher”. It is thus apparent,

that young people misbehave to seek attention from their peers, develop a social status in the

school and to gain the teacher’s attention.

In addition, boredom was another theme that emerged frequently from the

participant’s responses, as to why young people misbehave in school. This is apparent, as M3

illustrated that “when students are bored they have no interest and do not care about what is

happening and this makes them misbehave”. While F2 noted that “when students get bored

and the teacher is not engaging, students don’t behave”. Similarly, F1 stated that “if the

teacher does not meet students needs then they are going to misbehave because they are

bored and don’t feel stimulated”. Young people therefore misbehave because of boredom

from a lack of interest in the class, disengagement from the teacher and when their needs are

not being meet.

Furthermore, based on the literature review and interview findings, home life is one of

the main reasons as to why young people misbehave in school. As mentioned above, results

revealed from the teacher’s point of view that students misbehaved because of their home

life, having no rules and family problems at home (Cothran, Kilinna and Garrahy, 2009, p.

160). This corresponds to the results from the interview findings; as participants all noted that

young people misbehaved because of their home life. However, it is important to note that

both the research study and interview findings mostly provide teachers and pre-service

teacher’s perspectives. Interestingly, none of the participants blamed the teachers’ role in the

classroom, as to why young people misbehave. This is significant, as it presents that the

teachers have not recognised their role, or influence on students misbehaving in school.

Nevertheless, based on both research findings, home life is one of the main reasons as to why

young people misbehave in school.

In addition, as mentioned earlier, the finding from the articles revealed that negative

student-teacher relationships led to students misbehaving in school (McGrath and Bergen,

2015). Research also indicated that teachers’ attitudes and low expectations in negative

student-teacher relationships led to students misbehaving in the classroom (Demanet and

Houtte, 2012, p. 860). These findings are significant, as they differ from the interview

findings, where none of the participants, considered negative student-teacher relationships as

a reason to why students misbehave in school. This is surprising as the graduate teacher and

pre-service teachers have not recognised their role in influencing students’ behaviours. The

findings instead revealed that students seeking attention was one of the main reasons as to
why they misbehaved in school. Negative student-teacher relationships and seeking attention

are therefore contributing factors as to why young people misbehave.

As noted earlier in the literature review, disengagement in the classroom and teachers’

poor behaviour management led to students being bored, and they therefore misbehaved

(Sullivan, Johnson and Owens, 2014). Similarly, interview findings suggest that boredom and

students not engaging in the classroom caused misbehaviour. This is apparent, as M3 noted

that when students are bored it leads them to misbehave in the classroom. Subsequently, F1, a

graduate female teacher noted that if the “teacher does not provide needs for the students than

they are going to be bored and start to misbehave”. It is therefore evident, that boredom and

disengagement from the teacher is a common reason as to why students misbehave in school.

In contrast to boredom, research in the literature review revealed that cognitive factors

of adolescents lead to students misbehaving in school. As mentioned, this included the lack of

sleep adolescents have which affects their cognitive ability and behaviour (Lin and Yi, 2015,

p. 442). Interestingly, none of the participants, mentioned that adolescent development or

cognitive factors causes young people to misbehave in school. However, as the research

conducted by Lin and Yi (2005) is a larger sample study compared to six participants from

the interviews, it must be considered as a factor as to why young people misbehave.

Implications

The findings from the literature review and the interviews are significant, as it

presents that young people misbehave because of family life, negative student-teacher

relationships, seeking attention, boredom and cognitive factors such as lack of sleep. This

knowledge is important and useful for my personal awareness and teaching practice, as I now
know the main reasons why young people misbehave, and will therefore be able to

implement effective strategies to preclude misbehaviour.

Moreover, now that I know students misbehave because of negative student-teacher

relationships and to seek attention from their peers and the teacher; it is important that I

develop positive student-teacher relationships to know and understand my students, provide

support, attention and communicate expectations. Nobile, Lyons and Kelly (2017) note that

positive student-teacher relationships is where the teacher offers students’ support, and shows

“a genuine interest in their welfare” (p. 39). I would incorporate this by spending time with

my students individually in the classroom; in order for them to know that I care for them and

to meet their needs. I would also provide additional support and communicate expectations

for students. However, this may be difficult to apply for all students while teaching the

content in the classroom, because of the limited time available in classes. However, adopting

a whole-school approach where all teachers care, provide additional support, and

communicate expectations could create positive student-teacher relationships with all

students, and this could therefore decrease the manifestation of misbehaviour.

Subsequently, now I know that boredom is one of the main factors as to why students

misbehave, due to disengagement in the classroom and poor behaviour management. I will

thereby be able to implement strategies to prevent students from misbehaving. One of the

most important strategies would be to differentiate instruction in the classroom, based on

students learning needs, in order to make learning more meaningful for students and for them

to be engaged in the classroom. This will also provide the teacher with the ability to manage

the behaviour of the classroom. I would incorporate this in the classroom by differentiating

instruction in learning tasks and assessments, as well as providing students with options in

learning activities. However, students may not be used to this classroom dynamic, and

therefore adopting a whole-school approach where all teachers differentiate instruction and
provide students with options in their learning could assist in preventing misbehaviour in the

whole school.

Furthermore, I now know that it is important to consider adolescent development and

cognitive factors as to why students misbehave. I also know that it is important to be aware of

students’ family life and background, as this may be a reason as to why they are misbehaving.

Implementing activities that therefore do not cognitively overload students, such as a reading

task, rather than reading and writing at the same time, and providing support for all students

may help to decrease misbehaviour.

In conclusion, conducting research and interviewing diverse people is significant; as it

provides pre-service teachers with a deep understanding and a critical awareness of why

young people misbehave in school. Knowing this will therefore allow pre-service teachers to

implement effective strategies, in order to prevent misbehaviour in the classroom and in the

whole school.
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