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Research-based assignment: Key wider educational issues connected with behaviour in

educational settings

Introduction

Spend more than an hour around educators, and you will begin to hear stories about ‘naughty’

students. However, it is important to understand where this behaviour stems from.

Classrooms are highly diverse, with students form different socio-economic backgrounds,

upbringings, health concerns and learning challenges. Often what can be seen as being

‘naughty’ can be attributed to displacement behaviour, that is, misbehaving to diver

themselves, and those around them, from their inability to do a task, or understand the work.

When it comes to this sort of behaviour, there are several groups of at-risk students that can

often be mislabelled as ‘naughty kids’. Students from low socio-economic back grounds, with

mental health disorders, learning difficulties, neurological conditions and disabilities make up

a large amount of the at-risk students. As an educator it is important to understand these

groups, and how we can best engage and help them to foster positive academic and social

behaviours, which intern will help decrease displacement and negative behaviour in the

classroom.

Risk and protective factors for student conduct

There are many risk factors that may be associated with student conduct. One of these

primary risk factors is the students’ environment. A student may be disassociated with their

environment, whether it is the school, home or wider community. This aligns with the social

disorganisation theory, which associates community integration with stability, with the two

being important contributors to misbehaviour (Murrihy et al., 2010, p. 24). Within the

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school environment, this exclusion from the community can lead to students feeling isolated

and alone. This increases the risk of mental health and behavioural problems. Both

behavioural problems and mental health can impact the students’ academic performance

and cause a further distancing from the school environment and community.

Further building on environment, a student’s socio-economic background can also be a major

risk factor for students. Students from a poor or lower socio-economic background are often

subjected to more stresses and negative-behaviours while growing up (Oreopoulos et al.,

2017, p.948). Without intervention, these young individuals are more at risk of ending up

incarcerated, with poor health, unhappy and stuck in a cycle of poverty when compared to

students form a better socio-economic background (Oreopoulos et al., 2017, p.949). Some of

the at-risk behaviour stems from students from lower socio-economic backgrounds receiving

less parental investment. This may be due to parents having to work longer hours or shift

work to provide income for the family; the parents receiving less parental investment

themselves, so repeating the behaviour with their children; and parents with substance abuse

issues (Oreopoulos et al., 2017, p.950). Low socio-economic status can also impact the

resources a student has had access to or will have access to. Students may have to spend

more time locating and using resources, such as walking to a local library to use a computer,

compared to having a home device they can use (Piotrowska, Stride, Croft, & Rowe. 2015, p.

52). Further, if students fall behind, they have reduced access to private tutors or help

programs due to their economic background. Many of these risk factors often combine,

resulting in higher drop out rates for students from lower socio-economic background when

compared to students with a higher socio-economic background (Piotrowska, Stride, Croft, &

Rowe. 2015, p. 52-53).

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Another major risk factor related to poor student behaviour are neurological conditions and

students with disabilities. Many disruptive behaviours align with symptoms of students

diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These behaviours, such as emotional

regulation, interpersonal conflict and misunderstanding of social cues can result in what

appears to be hostile or defiant behaviour in a classroom (Gadow, Drabick, 2012, pp. 1161 &

1162). Due to the nature of ASD, and the fact that it is a spectrum disorder, students may

present with a large variety of different symptoms, which may vary depending upon

environmental factors and stimulations. It is further suggested in some studies that whilst

ASD is not related to oppositional defiance disorder or conduct disorder, students with ASD

have increased chance to develop these conditions (Gadow, DeVincent & Drabick, 2008, p.

1308). Likewise, students with disabilities, both physical and learning based disorders are

more at risk of preventing as having behavioural concerns. Often students with undiagnosed

learning difficulties, such as dyslexia or hearing impairment, will displace their lack of

understanding into disruptive or quarrelsome behaviours to not engage with work they are

struggling with.

Why mental health is relevant in a discussion of behaviour

Mental health is an important risk factor to discuss when it comes to students in an

educational setting as adolescent mental health is becoming a growing concern in schools

(Marsh, 2015, p. 1). A Report done by the Australian Government Department of Health in

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2015 showed around 14-15% of students between 4 and 17 were assessed as having a DSM

IV mental disorder (Lawrence et al. 2015 p. 12). The report further found that males are more

likely to have a mental disorder, with 16-17% of males experiencing mental disorders

compared to 11-12% of females (Lawrence et al. 2015 p. 11). Of these mental disorders

Depression and Anxiety were the two most prevalent. What is more concerning is that almost

30% of these individuals experienced two or more mental disorders at the same time

(Lawrence et al. 2015 p. 12).

Mental health can be impacted by many different factors. As can be seen from the Australian

Government Department of Health report, adolescent males are more likely to experience a

mental disorder than females. Further, parenting and the home environment also has strong

links between mental health for adolescents (Lauder et al., 2010, p. 1822). Parental mental

health, their perceptions of mental health and the use of physical punishment within a home

environment can all have a significant impact on adolescents (Lauder et al., 2010, p. 1822).

Mental health can have major impacts on learning in a classroom setting and can cause an

increased risk of dropping out of school. A 2018 study has found that students with symptoms

of depression had twice the chance of dropping out than students with no symptoms of

depression (Dupéré et al., 2018, p. 205). This can be built upon by looking at student

attendance, with students with depression missing on average 20 days of school per year, and

students with other mental health disorders averaging more than 10 absences per year

(Lawrence et al. 2015 p. 8-10). Further, students experiencing mental health disorders may

not know, or be able to put a voice to what they are feeling and will often externalise the

negative feelings as a way to express their emotions (Marsh, 2016, p. 319). This behaviour

can often be the beginning of developing an oppositional defiance disorder or conduct

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disorder; and often the externalised behaviour results in a disruption to the students learning,

through removal from the classroom, or a disruption to the entire class (Marsh, 2016, p. 319).

Besides absence from the class setting, being emotionally distracted, whether by anger,

anxiety or depression can also significantly impact a students’ understanding of the content,

leading to the student further struggling to engage with the class and school environment.

Unfortunately, when it comes to mental health, there still exists a large level of stigma and

social discrimination towards those who have a mental health disorder. Often this fear of

stigmatisation will prevent adolescents form talking about the problems they face, and

prevent them from seeking help (Milin et al., 2016, p. 383). It is also of note that male

adolescents have a more negative view towards mental health, and to talking about and

seeking help (Lawrence et al. 2015 p. 9). Therefore, it is important for educators to have a

positive mindset when it comes to mental health and reinforce this to students. Teachers

attitudes towards students with mental health disorders can have a major impact on the

students well being and acceptance of services provided by schools; teachers engaging with

training and personal development towards positive mindset and how to teach positive

mental health can help positively impact students and foster self-efficacy in students

(Armstrong, 2013).

Key recommendations for ethical and effective educational practice and policy

The Australian Human Rights Commission states that everyone has a right to education, as

listed in ICESCR Article 13 ("Right to education | Australian Human Rights Commission", 2018).

It also states that “…education shall be directed to the full development of the human

personality and the sense of its dignity, and shall strengthen the respect for human rights and

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fundamental freedoms” ("Right to education | Australian Human Rights Commission", 2018).

In this way, it is part of an educator’s role to make sure that all students have the potential to

develop and grow within a school setting, and that students at-risk aren’t allowed to ‘slip

through the cracks’ of the education system. Further, the Department for Education highlights

the importance of reducing barriers to participation for all learners and increasing inclusion

within a class room for all students, including those at risk ("Supporting students |

Department for Education", 2018). In this way, inclusion is the process of increasing the

“…presence, participation and achievement of all children…”, which is why educators need to

have effective educational practices and policies ("Supporting students | Department for

Education", 2018).

In this way it is important to engage at risk students. It is important for educators to account

for and accommodate a student’s socio-economic background as they may be balancing

financial pressures, family responsibility, and employment which can all impact on their

learning and behaviour (Piotrowska, et al 2015, p. 52). This can be done in multiple ways.

Allowing for additional class time for assignments, and minimising homework time is one

key way to support lower socio-economic students. Further, readjusting and altering the

ways in which students work on their classwork, or giving them a variety of assessment

methods to choose from help in reducing the impact of students who have less resources at

their disposal. Offering additional support time outside of classroom time can also be a

positive support for students, as they may be unable to gain academic support elsewhere.

At a school level, providing support is also important as an institution wide approach. After

hours homework clubs, peer mentor and tutoring programs and the access to loan

equipment such as tablets and laptops can really help with student engagement, reduce

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behaviour concerns and, most importantly, allow the student to gain the most from their

education (Devlin et al., 2012, p. 7-14).

This approach is similar to the approach used to support students with disabilities. For

example, teachers can modify content for students with dyslexia, reducing the amount of

reading required or using custom fonts, such as Dyslexie on any required reading worksheet

or handout. Altering the class layout, allowing students with learning disabilities to sit in

locations that will help their engagement, such as towards the front for sight or hearing-

impaired students, will also reduce the chance of displaced behaviours. On the larger,

school wide approach an implementation of a PBIS framework three-tiered approach can

aid students with disabilities (Brandshaw et al, 2008, p. 463). This three-tiered PBIS

framework is designed to positively enhance students’ academic and social outcomes,

further helping and reducing negative student behaviours (Brandshaw et al, 2008, p. 463-

465).

For students with ASD, the practices employed vary significantly from student to student.

One of the most important aspects to help with fostering positive social and academic

outcomes, is teacher training. Teaching staff constantly engaging with new theory and

practices for how to integrate and support students with ASD is one of the primary factors

that will help academic and social engagement. Within a school environment, there are also

many ways to support students with ASD, such as use of visual cues for nonverbal students,

social skills and development programs, support staff, such as education/learning/student

support officers, modification to assessment to suit learning needs, engagement with

specialists, such as speech pathologists in a school setting, and a myriad of other strategies

that are dependent on a student by student basis.

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As with ASD, teacher awareness and training in regard to mental health disorders is also key

to ensuring positive student outcomes (Marsh, 2015p. 321). One way to help students with

mental health disorders is to implement the concept of belongingness into their educational

practice (Baskin et al, 2010, p. 629). This is a concept that focuses on reducing the impact of

negative feelings associated with decreased peer acceptance and fostering a sense of

belonging within the school environment. This aligns with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs,

where humans have a desire “…to herd, to flock, to join, and to belong” within community

(Maslow, 1987, p. 20). This can be done with he implementation of support programs

focused on peer relationships and interaction to help build bonds and decrease the impact

of the mental health disorders, which in turn will create positive learning and social

engagement, reducing negative and displacement behaviours (Baskin et al, 2010, pp. 643-

644). It is also important for educators to understand the signs and symptoms of mental

health disorders as “[schools] play a major role in supporting young people with emotional

and behavioural problems and are often where symptoms of mental disorders are first

identified.” ("Leadership for Inclusion", 2018). By understanding the signs, educators begin

the process of helping students get the help they need but may not know how to ask for. In

this way, it is important for all schools to have mental health services available to all

students (Dupéré et al., 2018, p. 205-6)

Conclusion

There are many risk factors that may affect students within a classroom. Every student

comes to school with their own virtual backpack; all students have forces which impact their

behaviour, their engagement, and their academic success. As a teacher it is important to

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understand these factors, and to help students to get the most out of their education,

supporting both academic and mental health. It is key for educators to remember that

students don’t misbehave for the sake of it, most forms of misbehaviour come from

displacement; using the negative behaviour in place of something that is bothering,

troubling or difficult to them for a range of reasons. It is our role as educators to make sure

that we keep up to date with current theories and practices, and to make sure we account

for every student within our class, doing as much as we can to account for the diverse needs

of all of our students.

Bibliography

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