BEHAVIOUR

Case Study Solution: Behaviour in School



Case Study Solution: Behaviour in School

Introduction

Behavioural theories and models have been presented by numerous researchers have and have traditionally helped to facilitate understanding and improve upon the conduct of students of primary school. Child behaviour especially a disability have largely been found in many parts of the world. Models and theories that explain behaviour have been perfected over the years to fully understand issues and problems that school-going children are confronted with (McLeod, 2011). This helps to ensure that they are provided the help they need as well as the required treatment. The purpose of this essay is to assess the most common problems that students of primary school face pertaining to behaviour. For this purpose, the case of a student named Ellie will be analyzed who is in third grade and six years old. The paper presents several behavioural theories and models to explain the problems faced by Ellie.

Case Study

Numerous factors can help to explain the eccentric behavioural patterns of Ellie. One of the most common factors that affect the behaviour of young students is improper handling of inappropriate behaviour. It is true that many teachers lack the aptitude to tackle children who exhibit improper behaviour (McLeod, 2011). Apart from this, difficulty in maintaining family relationships very early in a student's life also takes a toll on them and affects their behavioural pattern. In many cases, a traumatic experience such as a near-death experience or the death of a relative also affects children's behaviour. Ellie's teachers insist that she is energetic and lively. They cite this as the main reason why she is unable to sit still in class (Gosling, 2003). The teachers also state that Ellie lacks the motivation to attend class. Several reasons can be attributed to this lack of interest; classroom/school environment, teaching methods etc.

However, majority of the behavioural disabilities faced by school children fall under either of two broad categories. The first category basically explains how children have a natural tendency to escape an environment or activity that they find boring (Gosling, 2003). On the other hand, the second category explains how children search for 'desirable' alternatives to tasks and activities that they find boring and repetitive. When looking at the case of Ellie, it is clear that she tries to cause trouble in class by disrupting lessons because she does not take genuine interest in them herself. In fact, most of Ellie's teachers have revealed that she looks forward to spending time in the “time-out corner” because she is able to enjoy reading books or watching nature, birds etc. which she finds more interesting and appealing compared to mundane lessons and activities of the classroom (Gosling, 2003). Another important observation that the teachers have made regarding Ellie's behaviour is that she also does a very good job at distracting other students. For example, she makes funny noises during lessons, bullies other students, and makes them laugh. Teachers believe that Ellie does this to garner attention of the teacher and ...