Blog 8: Common Causes For Misbehavior

There are many reasons why children choose to misbehave (Boredom, lack of emotional outlets, unclear limits, etc.) but misbehavior can also be caused by “interactions between the person and the environment” (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Webber, 2012, p.348). I see misbehavior happening a lot in the classroom and physical, psychosocial, and environmental factors can also be the cause of that (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Webber, 2012, p.349).

For example, physical factors like the child not getting enough sleep, poor nutrition, or being sick can cause students to misbehave in the class compared to when they have adequate health conditions (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Webber, 2012, p.349). For example, I have seen children in my own classroom putting their head down while they are supposed to get classwork down or being off task and bouncing up and down in their seats. This may be due to physical factors that are not being met to allow them to focus in class.

Psychosocial factors can be the cause of misbehavior as well. I see that in the classroom, boys are usually getting in trouble more frequently in class than the girls. This may be due to the boys in the class adapting to the behavior of their peers in the classroom. The boys in the class are more rowdy and pay less attention in class than the girls. If the more prominent students in the class changed their behavior, how would that affect the behavior of the other students?

I think a major cause for behavior in the classroom would by the environment that they are learning in. I have realized that some of the areas in my CT’s classroom can be very messy and unkept especially where there is supposed to be free space like counters and desk space. There is a lot of information all around the room and the board. This type of environment can lead to children not being able to focus on their work due to overstimulation in the classroom. Also, the children sit in cluster seating arrangements that cause the students to pay less attention to the instruction of the teacher and more attention to the peers around them (Bohlin, Durwin, & Reese-Webber, 2012, p.348). What type of seating arrangement could be implemented in the size of my CT’s classroom that could cause students to pay more attention in class?

Bohlin, L., Durwin, C.C., & Reese-Webber, M. (2012). Edpsych Modules (Second Edition). New York. Mc Graw Hill Higher Education.

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