DISRUPTIVE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

Disruptive Classroom Behavior



CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Educational researchers report that the lack of order and discipline in public school classrooms are significant obstacles to academic excellence. Students who are trying to learn in disruptive classroom environments are more likely than peers in stable classroom settings to experience negative outcomes. Grades, school retention rates, and future educational and vocational opportunities are all influenced by the stability of the classroom environment. One of the most persistent challenges to maintaining order and discipline in any classroom is learning how to manage disruptive students effectively (Wehlag & Rutter, 1986).

This study is intended to examine the strategies teachers use to manage disruptive behavior in their classrooms and their perceptions regarding the efficacy of their preferred classroom management strategies. In this chapter, the researcher provides the background of the problem, statement of the problem, the purpose, significance, and nature of the study, the research questions and hypotheses, and the theoretical framework. Terms used in the study are defined, and the researcher identifies the assumptions, scope, limitations, and delimitations of the study.

Background of the Problem

The distractions students introduce to the classroom, thereby disrupting the learning environment, include both overt distractions and covert disruptions. Talking during class, playing with toys or other objects during a lesson, or interrupting other students are just three examples of overt distractions. Covert disruptions are more subtle, and include arriving to class late or leaving early, using the bathroom frequently without a medical need to do so, or sleeping during class. Both overt and covert disruptions and distractions inhibit learning opportunities not only for the student who is being disruptive, but also for other students, whose attention is being diverted away from the learning material. Distractions also affect students' motivation, thereby inhibiting their achievement of learning objectives.

The consequences of disruptive behavior in the classroom are short-term and long-term, and must not be underestimated. Disruptive behavior, if not managed effectively by the teacher, can result in measurable effects that are detrimental to children's learning, including a decline in grades. Students who perceive the classroom to be unsafe may increase their absences from school. Persistent disruptive behavior may threaten learning so much that students' scores on assessment tests may decline markedly.

Many students act in ways that disrupt the educational process. Stakeholders in the educational system must find methods for motivating disruptive students to change their behaviors, for those students' own benefit as well as for the benefit of all students. Teaching disruptive students also means finding ways to discipline them that are appropriate and are likely to bring about desired changes in their behavior. The challenge facing educators is to find effective classroom management strategies.

In the past, disruptive students were often left by the wayside. As dropouts, chronic truants, or those whom the education has pushed aside, these students were left to their own devices to make it in the world. Blame for academic failure fell directly on the student and his or her ...