Student Behavior in Schools - Coursework Example

Behavior in Schools normally exhibit varying behaviors despite the fact that they are supports to act according to the regulations of their schools. In as much as some behaviors are inherent in the students, some students have demonstrated certain kinds of uncommon behavior that have surprised their teachers and parents/guardians (Hooper 2012, p. 28). Undoubtedly, students behave the way they do due to some reason that may not necessarily be perceived by those around them. Perhaps this phenomenon justifies the famous quote, “students’ behavior in schools does not occur in a vacuum” (Wearmouth 2005, p. 111). Whenever students are behaving in a certain way, the authorities need to investigate and employ the appropriate approach to deal with the situation. This paper comments on Wearmouth’s quote, drawing upon the core reading to help understand student’s behaviors. Student behaviors have elicited mixed reactions among educational experts, especially in regards to the unusual or unbecoming behaviors of students. Behavioral psychologists have also weighed in on the matter and the result has been the submission of various theories, some of which tend to conflict. Students portray unique behaviors at school because of the social interaction and diversity that they have to deal with (Wearmouth Glynn & Berryman 2005, p. 73). Although inherent characters heavily influence some students’ behaviors, most of the students acquire certain behaviors, probably because of the environment that they find themselves in. Student behavior can be either admirable or objectionable, depending on the prevailing circumstances and the people involved (Porter 2006, p. 6). Student behaviors can be classified into two categories namely positive behaviors and negative behaviors. Positive behaviors are the admirable behaviors that students develop in school through the support of various persons. It means that the behavior of any given student does not occur without any effort or commitment from the student and those around him/her (Roffey 2011, p. 67). Relationships founded in classrooms and the whole school usually support and develop positive relationships in an effective manner. When school administrators and staff clearly communicate the behavioral expectations of students, such students are bound to develop positive behaviors. On the contrary, negligence and ignorance at school can lead to the development of negative behavior (Wearmouth 2013, 162). When the right people fail to infuse the necessary character in the students, then the students are likely to portray negative behavior. Such challenging behavior may not necessarily result from the students’ undertaking or ignorance, but because of reasons out of control for both parties. Any student who shows a behavioral challenge should be accorded the necessary support that he/she requires (Roffey 2011, p. 67). Intervention for behavioral challenge may come in the form of additional support that aims at developing a positive behavior. More often than not, the behavior of students, whether positive of challenging, ‘does not occur in a vacuum.’ It essentially means that there are certain behavioral expectations that will motivate or demotivate certain kinds of student behaviors (Hooper 2012, p. 28). In order to communicate certain behavioral expectations in students, it is important to adopt certain approaches that have been proven by various specialists and scholars. Many approaches exist to help develop positive behaviors (Wearmouth, Richmond, Glynn, & Berryman, 2014, p 34). The implication of this statement is that certain consequences will follow the breach of behavioral expectations. Since most of the behavior that students portray is schools are challenging behavior, it is important to delve into the matter to find out the root causes, the manifestation of such behavior, and the best approach to dealing with such challenging behavior. It is so considering the fact that all schools anticipate to develop positive behavior in their students while suppressing the negative ones that could tarnish the name of the school (Porter 2006, p. 6). A challenging behavior can take various definitions, depending on the circumstances, although certain benchmarks qualify a behavior to be called challenging or negative.in essence, any unbecoming behavior is a challenging behavior that school administrations need to address. Subsequently, every school has its own definition of a challenging behavior, depending on its behavioral expectation (Wearmouth Glynn & Berryman 2005, p. 73). No group of behaviors can pass the universal test of challenging behavior, but they range according to customs and culture. Government schools have not formulated a common ground for determining which behaviors are challenging and which ones are positive. Therefore, many schools have unique behavioral expectations that form the basis for their decision of expelling or suspending students (Ayers, Clarke, & Murray 2000, p. 47). Primarily, challenging student behavior is an activity and/or utterance by a student that tends to compromise the conduciveness of the learning environment of other students. It can make learning to be unsafe for other students within the classroom or in the whole school (Lever 2011, p. 88). A student’s behavior can also inhibit the safety of the school as a whole of the staff of a school. It means that a challenging behavior is undesirable and against the behavioral expectations of all schools (Eccleston & Hayes 2009, p. 17). Since so schools is safe when it comes to cases of challenging behavior, all schools ought to equip themselves with the necessary facilities that would enable proper handling of such cases without infringing on the rights of the victims (Hooper 2012, p. 28). Challenging behavior comes in many forms, depending on the causative and encouraging factors. In essence, four major examples of challenging behavior are commonplace in government schools irrespective of the schools disciplinary measures. The first one is withdrawn behaviors that include staring, shyness, anxiety, truancy, rocking, social isolation, school phobia, and hand flapping (Etherington 2012, p. 56). More often than not, withdrawn behaviors come from psychological or social problems and they need a special approach. The second challenging behavior comprises of all the inappropriate social behaviors such as masturbation, being over-affectionate, inappropriate conversations, inappropriate touching, and stealing. The disruptive behaviors include screaming, being-out-of-class, refusing to follow instructions, and calling out in class (Eccleston & Hayes 2009, p. 17). When it comes to violent behavior and other unsafe behaviors, it is worth mentioning that most schools fall under this category. This category involves such heinous categories such as punching, running away, kicking, smashing equipment, head banging, and biting. Students who exhibit this kind of behavior may have a mental case or personal problems resulting from poor upbringing (Porter 2006, p. 6). Since the behavior of students ‘in schools does not occur in a vacuum, it is important to consider the behavioral triggers that make students behave the way they do. Behavioral triggers can help understand certain challenging conditions and the appropriate action that would negate such behavior or promote the growth of positive behavior in students (Rogers 2012, p. 28). By definition, behavioral triggers include all the events and actions that are responsible for the development of certain behaviors (Dupper 2010, p. 75). Triggers can be undesirable actions that the students engage in, or intentional activities prompted by teachers in order to correct an objectionable behavior of a student. For example, the teacher may signal the students to be quiet while he/she is teaching the students (Faber & Mazlish 2010, p. 12). This action could prompt an attentive behavior from the students, which is desirable although not all the students may acquire the behavior. Some may have challenges being attentive to the teacher (Wearmouth 2013, 162). Although students behave differently at any given point, the issue of behavioral triggers cannot be wished a way because students cannot just decide to act without any prompt, especially when it comes to the challenging behaviors (Solter 1989, p. 73). In some instances, the behavior or actions taken by the teacher can trigger either positive or challenging behavior. For example, the teacher may give to many instructions to a student with learning difficulties thus triggering an unresponsive behavior (Bowen, Clark, & Jenson 2004, p. 30). It implies that both teachers and students can be responsible for triggering certain behaviors in student. No behavior can occur without a trigger and perhaps this is the point that Wearmouth was insinuating (Hooper 2012, p. 28). Since students’ behaviors are prompted by certain triggers, it is important to identify such triggers and deal with them appropriately in order to negate challenging behaviors. Although groups of students can behave in a certain manner because of a single trigger, it is necessary to underscore the fact that behavioral triggers may elicit various behaviors in students, depending on a number of factors (Wearmouth, Richmond, Glynn, & Berryman, 2014, p 34). Teachers and other school administrators need to adopt the right approach in response to the challenging behaviors that students may show while in schools (Rogers 2011, p. 94). If the teachers do not act appropriately, then it is highly likely that the problem of undesirable behavior will persist in the students that are affected. All student behaviors, whether positive or challenging, result from behavioral triggers that can be constructive or destructive (Porter 2006, p. 6). Before the commencement of any process to correct the behavior of students, a functional behavioral assessment is necessary in order to establish the triggers of such behavior and the best approach to correct it, if necessary. Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) was developed to deal with students who express extreme behaviors that border mental health. Such students usually have communication and cognitive problems that lead them to develop a challenging behavior (Rogers 2011, p. 94). Some students could be expressing outrageous behavior because of their disability status, particularly mental disability. Therefore, it is imperative that such students receive the necessary attention that they deserve without undergoing any punishment for the consequences of their behavior (Ayers, Clarke, & Murray 2000, p. 47). In the recent past, many schools, especially in the United States, have reported a number of behavioral issues among their students. Perhaps the contemporary society has accumulated too much problems that have culminated in undesirable student behavior, more so in government schools. It may be because of inaction, ignorance, or tolerance of the trigger factors (Rogers 2012, p. 28). In as much as the school administrators and the teachers are not entirely to blame, it is worth mentioning that a great responsibility lies on their shoulders. It is so because they spend most of the time with students and ought to report, if not correct, any unbecoming behavior among the students (Wearmouth 2013, 162). Many reasons justify the existence of various types of student behavior, most of which range from admirable to the most objectionable ones. The primary cause or trigger factor is family status/problems. Students who come from single parent families are more likely to portray challenging behaviors than students who have both parents staying together (Walkup 2011, p. 32). It means that divorce or demise of one parent can lead to emotional and social instability of their children in school. The situation may even be worse in orphans who have no one to comfort them. Isolation is the worst form of inhumanity, especially to school going children and it can have far-reaching repercussions (Simson & Straus 2003, p. 123). Any form of instability in the family can be the recipe for the numerous cases of challenging behavior in schools. Such cases range from mental retardation, mental illnesses, anxiety, to restlessness (Hooper 2012, p. 28). Some students may have both parents but still lack the necessary attention that they require in order to develop in a wholesome manner. Parents are instrumental as far as the passage of morals and other important life skills are concerned (Gobel 2008, p. 73). In this respect, students who spend little or no time with their parents are likely to develop antisocial behaviors that they can exhibit schools (Wearmouth, Richmond, Glynn, & Berryman, 2014, p 34). They may resort to bullying, truancy, and laziness because they do not have any sense of responsibility. Since schools contain students from diverse backgrounds, the students who practice rogue behavior on their victims are likely to face suspension or even expulsion. The implication of this statement is that parental guidance is a crucial component of behavioral development both at home and in school (Cefai and Cavioni 2013, p. 86). Perhaps modern technology has significantly contributed to poor communication skills in modern students. Subsequently, poor communication by students has led to many cases of misunderstanding between the teachers and the students (Walkup 2011, p. 32). Such behaviors as excessive social media usage have affected students on a considerable scale since many students prefer to communicate via the internet instead of physical communication (Wearmouth Glynn & Berryman 2005, p. 73). It has not only made many students to social media addiction and time wasting, but also it has reduced the time that students interact with their parents and with each other. Without the discovery of the internet and social media, maybe some of the students would not have developed challenging behaviors (Hooper 2012, p. 28). Owing to the prevalence of behavioral problems in schools, it is imperative for teachers, parents, and the government to work together towards alleviating the challenging behavior in students (Grossman & Grossman 2003, p. 26). It will improve cooperation among the students and lead to better performance by the students. In addition, intervention will bring a favorable environment in schools so that students can learn easily without fear of disturbance by other students with behavioral problems (Roffey 2011, p.33). The correction of one student’s behavioral problem will lead to peace in other students’ personal and academic lives. Annoying behaviors may sometimes persist into adulthood and it is important that the concerned parties deal with such behavior before the occurrence of a fiasco (Ayers, Clarke, & Murray 2000, p. 47). Various approaches to dealing with students’ behavior exist and each is unique in its own sense. It means that no individual approach can solve all behavioral problems in students invariably. In this regard, parents, teachers, and disciplinary panel should take caution whenever they engage students with challenging behavior (Simson & Straus 2003, p. 123). If they do not act appropriately, then they may end up worsening the student’s situation instead of helping him/her. Depending on the nature of behavior that the student is showing, on can select the most suitable approach that will ensure maximum effect on the student’s behavior (Wearmouth 2013, 162). Apart from government intervention in schools, parents should also receive the necessary education that will enable them to deal with their school-going children in an efficient manner. Educational programs will enable parents to be aware of the behavioral triggers and choose the best approach of dealing with such behaviors (Wearmouth, Richmond, Glynn, & Berryman, 2014, p 34). Children with difficult behaviors in schools may extend such behavior at home and it is important that they receive the attention and care that they deserve so that they can be able to develop the positive behavior and attitude (Canter 2009, p. 49). Besides, schools should also provide the required support for students with behavioral challenges. Where necessary, such students can receive specialized support so that they can learn how to coexist with other students without causing mayhem (Hooper 2012, p. 28). Communication can also be a primary technique of managing the behavior of students, especially challenging behavior. When there is effective communication between the teachers and the students, students with behavioral challenges can learn how to behave in schools through learning and understanding (Walkup 2011, p. 32). Proper communication channels within the schools will enable students with behavioral challenges to find proper avenues of venting their problems. Other students will also report on any other queer incidents that could hinder effective learning in schools (Wearmouth 2013, 162). In order to create awareness of acceptable behaviors in schools, schools ought to spell out acceptable and unacceptable behaviors and provide the repercussions of engaging in certain behaviors. Every student should have a copy of school rules that must be enforceable and realistic to the students (Cefai and Cavioni 2013, p. 86). If necessary, students can instill disciplines through punishment of students who behave badly in schools, particularly if such behavior is triggered by ignorance and other personal inadequacies. Extinction involves ignoring an irritating behavior as long as it is not dangerous to other students so that such behavior can die naturally. Another way of managing behavior in school includes positive reinforcement that works perfectly for students who portray positive behavior while in school (Hooper 2012, p. 28). 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