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Students' Behavioral Problems and Teachers' Discipline Strategies in Class

2022, International Journal of Open-Access, Interdisciplinary & New Educational Discoveries of ETCOR Educational Research Center (iJOINED ETCOR)

Aim: The research was concerned with finding students' most common behavioral problems inside the classroom, the greatest barrier that hinder discipline implementation in class, and identifying teachers' commonly used classroom discipline strategies with an end of developing material in addressing behavioral problems in the classrooms. Methodology: The study is descriptive research utilizing quantitative approaches. Survey questionnaires were given to 128 randomly selected grade 7 to grade 10 students at Canda National High School for the school year 2019-2020. Weighted mean was used to analyze and interpret data. Results: The results revealed that the most common behavioral problems inside the classroom are not paying attention to teachers and being the source of distraction (standing, shouting, changing seats); being late, cutting classes, and absenteeism; and verbal bullying (throwing jokes, giving nicknames, insults, etc.). Furthermore, the influence of media, technology, and networking sites, the influence of peers and classmates to misbehave in class, and parents' tolerating their children's wrongdoings ranked as the greatest barriers that hinder discipline implementation in class. When it comes to teachers' classroom discipline strategies, all used discussion, many used involvement, reward, and recognition, while few used hinting, aggression, and punishment. Conclusion: Apart from other discipline strategies, punishment and aggression have the most negative effects on children. Therefore, the education sector continued banning corporal punishments in the classroom and began using positive discipline strategies such as hinting, involvement, discussion, and giving rewards.

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Discipline plays an important role in the success of every learner and is considered as a crucial part of the educational process. Undesirable behaviors in the classroom should be interrupted to ensure a smooth flow during the educational process. This study aimed to identify the undesirable pupils’ behaviors in the academic classroom of Oyan Elementary School. This paper, determines best practices of teachers of all content areas and grade levels to address misbehavior among elementary school pupils in the school where the researcher is presently engaged. The results of the study has shown that majority of the intermediate pupils observed were female aged 12-13. The intermediate pupils’ academic performance in communication Arts-English, Mathematics, EPP and HKS were found to below average while they had an average performance in Communication Arts-Filipino. The pupils’ undesirable behaviors were found by the teachers as sometimes manifested due to the ineffective practices used by teachers in meeting pupils with undesirable behavior. On the basis of the findings and conclusions, the school administrators are recommended to update teachers along the lines of meeting pupils with problems, the effective styles used and the possible outcomes so that there could be behavior modification among the pupils exhibiting behavior problem. Teachers may equip themselves with the necessary traits of being a guidance counselor through attending seminars related to guidance and counseling. Home visitations may be done by the teachers to afford a workable atmosphere between teachers and parents regarding pupils’ attitudes. Periodic evaluation on the degree of accomplishment of teachers as to behavior modification implementation may be undertaken.

EMEJIDIO C GEPILA JR

The society inside the classroom is very challenging most especially in the Philippines where the ideal classroom size remains untrue. This picture is happening from the basic education level to tertiary level and sometimes even in the graduate level. This is a generic description of public schools or state universities in the Philippines. It is also expected that the classroom environment is heterogeneous. Also, the researcher used both the quantitative and qualitative methods of research. He interviewed high school teachers and asked them to answer a checklist which was decoded and tabulated. The study concluded that the following prevent students' aggression in the classroom: strict implementation of rules and regulations, familiarization of the homeroom rules, consideration to the students' individual differences, teacher's punctuality and patience, motivation and reinforcement, and mastery of the subject. However, the following actions escalate students' aggression: teacher's unresponsiveness, numerous tasks, unmonitored classroom, corporal punishment, and unclear statements. Moreover, the following are the behaviors and actions that were observed in the classroom that may lead to aggression: social isolation, bullying, derogatory comments, verbal abuse, threats, theft, gossip and angry outburst to name a few.

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Psychology: Research and Review

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• Published: 04 June 2018

Behavioral problems of school children: impact of social vulnerability, chronic adversity, and maternal depression

• Ana Karina Braguim Martineli   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2549-5583 1 ,
• Fernanda Aguiar Pizeta 1 &
• Sonia Regina Loureiro 1  

Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica volume  31 , Article number:  11 ( 2018 ) Cite this article

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This study’s objective was to identify the predictive effect of indicators concerning social vulnerability, chronic adversity, and maternal depression on behavioral problems among school-aged children, according to the perceptions of mothers and teachers, considering the presence or absence of difficulties in the contexts of family and school. A total of 85 pairs of mothers and school children were distributed into three groups according to the behavioral problems identified. A General Questionnaire, the PHQ-9, the Chronic Adversity Scale, and the (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) SDQ were applied to the mothers; the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices were applied to the children; and the SDQ was applied to the teachers. Data were analyzed with descriptive, predictive, and comparative statistical procedures ( p  ≤ 0.05). The results reveal the presence of cumulative risks for children with behavioral problems; mothers more frequently identified behavioral problems than teachers; and maternal depression was a predictor for behavioral problems. Such findings are relevant for devising mental health programs.

The behavior of school-aged children is an important indicator of adaptation in this stage of development; however, not all children are successful and may present externalizing or internalizing behavioral problems, expressed within the family and/or school contexts (Achenbach, Ivanova, Rescorla, Turner, & Althoff, 2016 ; Linhares & Martins, 2015 ; Marturano, 2013 ).

Families present structural and internal dynamics that may contribute to either risk or protective outcomes in terms of child development (Macana & Comim, 2015 ; Walsh, 2016 ) so that adaptive difficulties associated with behavioral problems are frequent among children (Pizato, Marturano, & Fontaine, 2014 ). Considering the relevance of the influence exerted by the family context on school children, various studies have addressed the association of cumulative adversity present in the family context and the outcomes of behavioral problems among children (Duncombe, Havighurst, Holland, & Frankling, 2012 ; Leis, Heron, Stuart, & Mendelson, 2014 ; Pizeta, Silva, Cartafina, & Loureiro, 2013 ).

When analyzing the potential risk factors for the development of psychopathologies in 252 children and adolescents who are victims of domestic violence, Hildebrand, Celeri, Morcillo, and Zanolli ( 2015 ) verified that 92.8% of the participants were exposed to at least one risk factor. The authors also noticed that the association of two or more risk factors were present in 53.2% of the sample, namely family conflicts, mental health problems within the family, gender violence between parents, family involvement with drug trafficking and criminal behavior, and the abusive consumption of alcohol by parents or legal guardians, among others.

Therefore, among the events listed as conditions that predispose children to behavioral problems, we highlight indicators of chronic adversity and mental health conditions affecting the parents, especially maternal depression, as risk conditions acknowledged to have a negative impact on children. Additionally, the presence of variables related to social vulnerability is also identified based on conditions or events of life that may interfere in the course of developmental outcomes for children, contributing to the maladaptation of children in typical developmental tasks when experiencing risk conditions.

Considering social vulnerability in the population in general, low socioeconomic status and unemployment among mothers were identified as predictors of behavioral problems among children in situations of poverty, according to a study conducted by Bele, Bodhare, Valsangkar, and Saraf ( 2013 ) of children in India. In the Brazilian context, Correia, Saur, and Loureiro ( 2014 ) conducted a cohort study and identified an association of behavioral problems with low socioeconomic status for boys and low maternal education and larger families for girls. In the same direction, Pizato et al. ( 2014 ) verified association between improved socioeconomic conditions with fewer behavioral problems and more social skills in school-aged children; Saur and Loureiro ( 2015 ) identified associations between behavioral problems among 10-year-old children with low maternal educational level and low socioeconomic status and families with more than four members. It is also considered that the family socioeconomic condition can influence the cognitive performance of children, being this condition strongly related to other environmental aspects such as maternal depression (Piccolo et al., 2012 ).

In regard to the parents’ mental health, maternal depression, especially given its high prevalence and recurrence (World Health Organization [WHO], 2017a , 2017b ), stands out as a form of adversity in different periods of child development, impacting the behavior of school-aged children (Bagner, Pettit, Lewinsohn, & Seeley, 2010 ; Callender, Olson, Choe, & Sameroff, 2012 ; Edwards & Hans, 2015 ; Loosli, Pizeta, & Loureiro, 2016 ). Such a psychopathology, however, is associated with other adverse contextual conditions, favoring cumulative risk in the family context (Kessler, 2012 ). Note that the condition of cumulative risk has been acknowledged in the literature as having a greater impact for outcomes among children compared to the presence of a single risk (Evans, Li, & Whipple, 2013 ). Thus, this justifies the relevance of studying potential associations between maternal depression and behavioral problems, including other variables in the family environment, as proposed in this paper.

Indicators of social vulnerability and clinical characteristics of maternal depression have been identified as relevant factors to understanding risk conditions for child development. Barker, Copeland, Maughan, Jaffee, and Uher ( 2012 ) monitored children from their first year of life up to the age of 7 and verified that, in comparison to children of mothers without depression, children of mothers with depression were more frequently exposed to 10 out of the 11 risk factors assessed in the study, among which, low socioeconomic status, single parent, physical abuse, low maternal education, and drug and alcohol consumption. The frequency of exposure was at a significant level. Indicators concerning the severity of depression and anxiety were examined by Leis et al. ( 2014 ), in a sample of 2891 mother-child pairs, taking into account the perspectives of mothers and teachers. The authors found an association between severe depressive symptoms during pregnancy and more frequent behavioral problems at the age of 10 and 11 years old, according to the reports of teachers. Conners-Burrow et al. ( 2016 ), who took into account the assessment of mothers, determined that early contact with maternal mild depressive symptoms increased the risk of children presenting internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems during school-age years.

Still considering chronic risk and adversity and their influence on child behavior, we highlight the study by Wang, Christ, Mills-Koonce, Garrett-Peters, and Cox ( 2013 ), who found associations between externalizing problems among 4- to 12-year-old children and the use of more rigid control and low maternal educational levels. The study by Bouvette-Turcot et al. ( 2017 ) reports that exposure to more adversity and low family income during childhood was associated with the development of depressive symptoms in adulthood.

When addressing behavioral problems, one issue that arises refers to the source of assessments, considering that children and adolescents may present problems in a specific context but not in another, for instance, family versus school, indicating a need to obtain assessments from multiple informants, especially from parents or legal guardians and teachers (Martoni, Trevisan, Dias, & Seabra, 2016 ; Miller, Martinez, Shumka, & Baker, 2014 ). In this direction, some studies draw attention to the low to moderate level of agreement obtained between informants and to the relevance of such information to implementing clinical practices intended to address specific contexts in which children present problems (De Los Reyes et al., 2015 ; Martel, Markon, & Smith, 2017 ). Despite disagreement among the various informants, different observers provide different perspectives of the same problem (Miller et al., 2014 ). Each observer, though, can provide potentially valuable data in regard to the same patient (De Los Reyes, Thomas, Goodman, & Kundey, 2013 ; Clark, Durbin, Hicks, Iacono, & McGue, 2017 ), taking into consideration different contexts.

With school-aged children in mind, mothers and teachers have a privileged opportunity to observe the behavior of children, since the family and school are the primary contexts of development where competence in specific tasks inherent to this period is acquired (Achenbach et al., 2008 ), as previously mentioned. Some studies addressing the behavior of children according to the assessments of parents and teachers highlight the discrepancy between such assessments. Johnson, Hollis, Marlow, Simms, and Wolke ( 2014 ) used the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to assess 219 children aged 11 years old who were born prematurely. The authors verified that the parents considered their children to present more emotional, attention, and relationship problems compared to the assessments provided by teachers. The informants agreed only in regard to the assessment of problems related to hyperactivity, which indicates the importance of using combined assessments. Kovess et al. ( 2015 ) conducted a study with 9084 children between 6 and 9 years of age, from seven countries (Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Turkey), in which both teachers and parents were informants. The objective was to identify risks to the mental health of students. They verified that the teachers found the children to present more externalizing problems and fewer internalizing problems when compared to the parents’ assessments.

Even though assessments provided by multiple informants are considered relevant, the literature still lacks data. This study seeks to fill this gap and is intended to produce new data concerning the behavior of school children assessed by mothers and teachers, considering conditions in which children live with maternal depression and other adversities. Therefore, this study is intended to fill the gaps pointed out by De Los Reyes et al. ( 2015 ) concerning the need for further research using the assessments of multiple informants and addressing the specifics of contexts in which behavioral problems manifest, as a way to improve understanding regarding such problems, focusing on maternal depression. According to Goodman et al. ( 2011 ), there is a need for studies focusing on the multiple adversities presented in the family environment, taking into account the influence of maternal mental health when assessing the behavior of children, as indicated by Leis et al. ( 2014 ).

Therefore, the objective was to identify the behavioral profile of school children and associations between the evaluation of mothers and teachers, identifying the level of agreement among the informants. In addition, we aimed to evaluate the predictive effect of indicators concerning social vulnerability, chronic adversity, and maternal depression on behavioral problems presented by school children, according to the perspectives of mothers and teachers, considering the presence or absence of difficulties in both family and school contexts. The hypothesis guiding this study was that social vulnerability, chronic adversity, and maternal depression predict more frequent behavioral problems among school children in both developmental contexts, family and school, assessed by mothers and teachers, respectively.

A cross-sectional, correlational, predictive, comparative design was adopted using data obtained with different techniques from different sources, namely mothers, teachers, and children. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (no. 36415514.5.0000.5407) and complied with the ethical recommendations proposed by the Declaration of Helsinki.

Participants

A total of 85 mother-child pairs and 16 teachers from a public school located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, took part in this study. The participants were assigned to three groups, according to the children’s indicators of behavioral problems assessed by their mothers and teachers, namely G1 = 18 children with behavioral problems according to their mothers and teachers, G2 = 39 children with behavioral problems according to their mothers or teachers, and G3 = 28 children without behavioral problems according to their mothers and teachers.

According to the inclusion criteria, mothers were aged between 25 and 45 years old, 34.5 years old on average (SD = 5.51), and all were literate. The children were aged between 7 and 10 years old, 8.8 years old on average (SD = 1.06) and were homogeneously distributed into three groups. In regard to the children’s sex, 39 were girls and 46 were boys, making a balanced distribution according to sex impossible: G1 presented significantly more boys than girls when compared to the G2 and G3 ( p  = 0.05; p  = 0.02, respectively). In order to assess the weight of this variable for the presence or absence of behavioral problems among children, as assessed by both their mothers and their teachers, an ordinal regression analysis was performed considering the sex of the children, which revealed a model that did not present the minimum criteria regarding slope homogeneity [chi-square (1) = 5.285; p  = 0.022; D (1) = 5.524; p  = 0.019], that is, it is not a model that fits data under analysis.

The inclusion criteria are that the children live with their biological mothers, rather than adoptive mothers, and have attended at least 1 year of primary school. Institutionalized children or those with apparent physical or mental disabilities were excluded. The assessment of children was initiated after consent was obtained from their mothers, and only one child per family was included in the study. In regard to the teachers, only those who had had at least 3 months of contact with the children and taught the children whose mothers explicitly consented to the assessment of their children at school were included. In accordance with the principles of good research practices, the participation of mothers and teachers was voluntary, without incentive payment mechanisms that stimulated the involvement with the research. A lecture was offered to the school on the behavior and learning of school children.

Instruments

Raven’s colored progressive matrices (raven).

The Raven is an instrument standardized by Angelini, Alves, Custódio, Duarte, and Duarte ( 1999 ), to assess the intellectual level of Brazilian children between 5 and 11 years old. It is a psychological test of non-verbal intelligence; the objective of which is to assess one’s analogical reasoning as a general factor, composed of three series: A, AB, and B, each with 12 problems. It presents good psychometric qualities, inferred by construct validity, internal consistency, with item-total correlation between 0.30 and 0.80 for most items, as well as precision, inter-item coefficient of correlation for the total sample equal to 0.92 (Angelini et al., 1999 ). Children presenting potential cognitive deficits, who presented percentiles lower than 25, were excluded from the study (Muniz, Gomes, & Pasian, 2016 ), balancing groups according to the percentiles obtained by the children.

Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)

The PHQ-9 is a module directly based on the diagnostic criteria for major depression disorder from the DSM-IV, proposed and validated by Spitzer, Kroenke, and Williams ( 1999 ) and by Kroenke, Spitzer, and Williams ( 2001 ). The questionnaire enables both screening for signs and symptoms of current major depression, as well as classifying levels of severity, from mild to moderate or severe; the greater the score, the more indicators of problems the individual presents. It is composed of nine items assessed by an ordinal scale that measures the frequency of signs and symptoms of depression in the last 2 weeks. According to the instrument’s technical instructions, the total score was used so that scores greater than or equal to 10 indicate the presence of depressive symptoms, while scores lower than 10 indicate an absence of such symptoms. The Brazilian version used in this study was translated by Pfizer (Copyright  © 2005 Pfizer Inc., New York, NY), the reliability of which was verified by Osório, Mendes, Crippa, and Loureiro ( 2009 ), presenting satisfactory psychometric indicators.

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

The SDQ was developed by Goodman ( 1997 ) and is intended to assess the behavior of children and adolescents, aged between 4 and 16 years old, by screening their behavioral strengths and difficulties. There is a version for children and adolescents between 11 and 16 years of age, a version for parents, and another for teachers. The SDQ is composed of 25 items subdivided into five subscales: emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer relationship problems, and pro-social behavior, with five items each. It provides raw scores and cutoff points for each of the subscales, as well as a total score for difficulty that is obtained by totaling the four behavioral problem scales. Scores are classified as normal, borderline, and abnormal. It was translated to Portuguese and adapted for Brazilian sociocultural characteristics by Fleitlich, Cortázar, and Goodman ( 2000 ), while psychometric data, concerning validity and reliability, were described by Woerner et al. ( 2004 ), presenting good indicators. In this study, based on individual scores and cutoff points established for the Brazilian population, we considered the outcome variable for children classified as normal or borderline, according to the SDQ, to be “without difficulties,” while those who were classified as abnormal to be “with difficulties.” These outcomes were grouped with the assessments performed by the mothers and teachers, according to the distribution in the groups.

Chronic Adversity Scale (CAS)

The CAS was proposed by Marturano ( 1999 ) and is intended to identify recurrent adverse events that may have taken place in a child’s life and happened repeated times or lasted 1 year or longer. It is composed of 18 items addressing issues concerning chronic adversity regarding the child’s or the parents’ health, parents’ temperament, and potential family or marital conflicts. The scale is completed by the mothers based on a list of adverse conditions that may have developed in the lives of children since birth, specifying the duration in years and the child’s period of life at the time. Each item is scored either 0 (absence of recurrence or chronic nature of the event in the child’s life) or 1 (the event was recurrent or has a chronic nature); the sum of all 18 items results in the total score, which is used to identify the existence of chronic events.

General Questionnaire

This questionnaire addresses sociodemographic data and specific information concerning the mothers’ age, marital status, and educational level; the families’ monthly income and socioeconomic status; and the age, sex, and education of the children included in the study. The items from the Brazil Economic Classification Criteria, developed by the Brazilian Association of Survey Companies ( 2015 ), were used to assess socioeconomic conditions. Such information was used to characterize the participants and groups, as well as to identify social vulnerability indicators, including low maternal and paternal education, single-parent families, low socioeconomic status, and low family income, as well as being recipients of governmental financial support.

Data collection procedures

Preferably, data were collected at school in a private room, or in the families’ homes when requested by the mothers, in which case we sought to preserve the respondents’ privacy and convenience. All interviews were held by the first researcher, who is a psychologist and properly trained in the application of instruments.

Initially, 427 families received an invitation letter, which was delivered to the children in their classrooms. The 260 families who responded to the invitation were contacted by phone with the objective to provide clarification about the study’s objectives and schedule an assessment. A total of 154 families accepted the invitation to cooperate with the study, but nine of these were excluded because the grandmothers were the primary caregivers of these families’ children. Of the 145 mothers scheduled for assessment, 43 did not attend the interviews, resulting in 102 families. Seventeen of these did not meet the inclusion criteria: adolescent mothers or mothers older than 45 years of age, children exclusively living with their fathers, and children with characteristics that were not homogeneous with those presented by the groups. Thus, a total of 85 mother-child pairs were included and assessed.

Of the 427 families initially invited to participate in this research, 316 refused to collaborate with the survey and 26 were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria.

The instruments were individually and in-person applied to mothers in a single section according to the following order: General Questionnaire, PHQ-9, CAS, and SDQ, with an average duration of 60 min. The researcher read the instruments and checked the responses while the mothers had a copy of the instruments to accompany the reading. This procedure was adopted to deal with potential difficulties or fatigue that the reading could produce in the mothers, given their level of education or potential depressive symptoms, though the mothers presented a minimum level of literacy that enabled them to understand the questions posed by the instruments.

The children were assessed at school in individual sessions that lasted an average of 15 min. After briefly establishing rapport, the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices was applied. The three groups were compared according to the percentiles children obtained in order to balance the groups in regard to this variable. Note that there were no significant statistical differences between them in regard to the children’s cognitive performances (G1: \( \overline{x} \)  = 75.1; σ  = 19.12; G2: \( \overline{x} \)  = 76.0; σ  = 13.44; G3: \( \overline{x} \)  = 66.9; σ  = 14.97).

The 16 teachers collectively completed the SDQ, focusing on the behavior of 85 children who had been previously assessed by their mothers, at the regular time scheduled for a meeting concerning collective teaching work. Each teacher was supposed to assess up to five students per meeting, with an average duration of 50 min and approximately 10 min per child. The teachers filled in the questionnaire, and the researcher remained in the room during the assessment to clarify potential doubts.

Data treatment and analysis

The PHQ-9, Raven, SDQ, and CAS were coded according to the purpose of each instrument. The assessments concerning the behaviors of children performed by the mothers and teachers using the SDQ were used as distinct sources in paired samples, in order to assign the participants to one of the three groups.

Coded data were typed in an Excel® spreadsheet and checked by independent reviewers. The statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics (v. 23; IBM SPSS, Chicago, IL), and a significance level of 0.05 was adopted.

The reliability of the PHQ-9 was verified for this sample using Cronbach’s alpha, which presented good psychometric quality ( α  = 0.87). The reliability of the SDQ ( n  = 85) for the totality of items regarding difficulties was based on the mothers’ ( α  = 0.77) and teachers’ answers ( α  = 0.89), as well as items of the pro-social behavior scale answered by mothers ( α  = 0.71) and teachers.

Normality tests (Kolmogorov-Smirnov, with Lilliefors significance correlation, and Shapiro-Wilk) were performed to guide decision-making regarding the statistical tests used for each set of variables.

The behavioral profile of children, obtained through the assessments of mothers and teachers and represented by the raw scores obtained on the scales addressing problems and pro-social resources and the total scale of difficulties in the SDQ, was analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics by means of the Wilcoxon test. Indicators of the presence and absence of behavioral problems among children, assessed by the mothers and teachers using the SDQ, were compared using the McNemar test. Inter-observer agreement was also verified using the Kappa coefficient, while the criterion proposed by Landis and Koch ( 1977 ) was adopted.

The sociodemographic data and profiles of social vulnerability and chronic adversity were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while the groups were compared using chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests. After the univariate analysis, the predictive effect of cumulative adverse conditions on school children’s behavioral problems was assessed using ordinal regression analysis (Maroco, 2014 ), adopting criteria proposed by Field ( 2013 ) for the inclusion of predictive variables.

The weight of contextual adverse cumulative variables for the children’s behavioral problems was tested using ordinal regression analysis based on the significant variables identified in the comparison between groups. The predictive variables were included in the model (family income, mother’s education, and maternal depression were included as factors, and the score of chronic adversity was included as a covariant), independently tested, and combined with the sex of children, because the distribution of children in the groups according to sex was not homogeneous. Additionally, the contextual variables of cumulative risk were jointly tested in a multivariate model.

The analysis of the social vulnerability indicators (income and maternal education) and maternal depression, in one analysis disregarding the sex of children and then one considering the sex of children, showed that the models did not fit the data. The analysis of the models that included chronic adversity, as a single variable or associated with the sex of children, revealed statistically significant models, with very small effect sizes, in which independent variables did not predict the behavioral outcome among children, thus did not present relevant results. Afterwards, the multivariate model including maternal depression, social vulnerability indicators, and chronic adversity was tested and presented goodness of fit and is the model presented here.

Based on the objectives proposed, the results are presented taking into account the analyses concerning the children’s behavioral profiles according to the assessments of mothers and teachers as distinct sources, comparisons between G1, G2, and G3 regarding profile of social vulnerability, maternal depression, and chronic adversity, as well as the predictive effect of significant variables on the children’s behavioral problems assessed by mothers and professors, as combined sources of information.

The children’s behavioral profiles

Table  1 presents the behavioral profiles of the children assessed, according to the SDQ, by mothers and teachers as two different sources, adopting the presence or absence of behavioral problems verified by the SDQ and total difficulties as the outcome of the development of school children.

Significant statistical differences were found when comparing mothers and teachers in regard to the four specific scales of difficulties and total difficulties. Note that the mothers considered their children to present more emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer relationship problems, and total difficulties than the teachers. In regard to pro-social behavior, no statistically significant differences were found in regard to the comparisons between mothers and teachers.

In regard to the level of agreement obtained between assessments (mothers and teachers), note that reasonable agreement levels were found for conduct problems (kappa = 0.29 p  = 0.003) and total behavioral problems (kappa = 0.21; p  = 0.007), in addition to minimum indexes for hyperactivity (kappa = 0.19; p  = 0.035).

Similarly, the same differences were found for continuous scores. The means of the mothers were greater than those presented by the teachers for the total difficulties score (mothers: \( \overline{x} \)  = 17.5; σ  = 6.98; teachers: \( \overline{x} \)  = 9.33; σ  = 7.28; p  <  0.001) and for the four scales concerning symptoms: emotional symptoms (mothers: \( \overline{x} \)  = 3.19; σ  = 2.52; teachers: \( \overline{x} \)  = 2.26; σ  = 1.89; p  <  0.001), conduct problems (mothers: \( \overline{x} \)  = 3.32; σ  = 2.56; teachers: \( \overline{x} \)  = 1.59; σ  = 2.23; p  < 0.001), hyperactivity (mothers: \( \overline{x} \)  = 6.79; σ  = 2.76; teachers: \( \overline{x} \)  = 4.04; σ  = 3.23; p  < 0.001), and peer relationships (mothers: \( \overline{x} \)  = 2.20; σ  = 2.20; teachers: \( \overline{x} \)  = 1.42; σ  = 1.90; p  < 0.001).

The profiles of families in terms of vulnerability and risk variables

Table  2 presents comparisons concerning social vulnerability, maternal depression, and chronic adversities presented in the family context of children according to their distribution in the three groups.

Statistically significant differences were found between G1, G2, and G3 in regard to maternal education, family income, maternal depression, and chronic adversity. The comparison concerning maternal education revealed significant differences between G1 and G3 ( χ 2  = 5.660, p  = 0.017) and between G2 and G3 ( χ 2  = 12.075, p  < 0.001). Significant differences were also found in terms of family income between G1 and G2 ( χ 2  = 4.349, p  < 0.037) and between G1 and G3 ( χ 2  = 5.841, p  = 0.016). No differences were found between groups in terms of paternal education, marital status, socioeconomic status, or receiving governmental financial aid. Considering the variable maternal depression, however, statistically significant differences were found between G1 and G2 ( χ 2  = 13.876, p  < 0.000) and between G1 and G3 ( χ 2  = 22.489, p  < 0.001). G1 was the group in which mothers more frequently presented current symptoms of depression in comparison to the other two groups, while no differences were found between G2 and G3.

Comparisons concerning chronic adversities revealed significant differences between G2 and G3 ( F  = 363.000, p  = 0.016), but no differences were found between G1 and G2 or between G1 and G3.

The predictive effect of adverse cumulative variables on child behavior

Table  3 presents the weight of adverse cumulative contextual variables on child behavior, including data concerning coefficients and significance of the adjusted ordinal model.

Data suggest that the adjusted model is significantly better than the null model [ G 2 (4) = 24,792, p  < 0.001). Additionally, the multivariate model was statistically significant [chi-square (58) = 50,367, p  = 0.752; D (58) = 57,402, p  = 0.497] and showed moderate effect size (R 2 MF = 0.253; R 2 N = 0.288; R 2 CS = 0.139). According to the model, children are more likely to present behavioral problems when their mothers present indicators of depression, according to the assessments of both mothers and teachers ( b  = 1.955, p  = 0.001).

This study was intended to verify associations between indicators of social vulnerability, chronic adversity, and maternal depression, and the weight of such associations, with behavioral problems among school children, as assessed by their mothers and teachers. In this study, mothers and teachers were considered distinct sources of information, and the information they provided on the children’s behaviors was combined considering the presence or absence of difficulties manifested in the two developmental contexts of family and school. The hypothesis guiding this study that social vulnerabilities, chronic adversity, and maternal depression impact behavioral problems among school children was partially confirmed, as data analysis revealed peculiarities regarding such variables, which deserve to be highlighted.

The assessments of the children’s behavior from the perspectives of mothers and teachers in general showed that mothers identified more behavioral problems in children than did the teachers. This finding is in agreement with those reported in the studies conducted by De Los Reyes et al. ( 2015 ) and Martel et al. ( 2017 ), which indicate low to moderate agreement among informants. In this same direction, Clark et al. ( 2017 ) consider that agreement between assessments of parents, teachers, and children is rarely high, however, emphasizing that varied information enriches the understanding of the associations between academic conditions, personality, psychosocial functioning, behavioral aspects, mental health, and social adjustment of school children. According to the mothers’ assessments, a larger number of children experienced difficulties concerning emotional symptoms, while the teachers identified a larger number of children with externalizing problems expressed through conduct problems and hyperactivity. Such results are similar to those reported by Kovess et al. ( 2015 ), who note that externalizing problems are more visible to teachers than internalizing problems.

Analysis of this discrepancy between assessments should take into account that the interaction of mothers and teachers with children occurs in contexts that exhibit different demands, in addition to the fact that observers are guided by different criteria. In the family context, mothers have a more detailed picture of their children’s behavior due to the large range of daily situations, which are not always structured (Leis et al., 2014 ). In the case of the mothers, the parameter is one specific child. In the classroom, in contrast, teachers have more structured situations to assess children and the teachers’ references include comparing the behavior of a set of children with similar demographic parameters. In this sense, when the assessments of mothers and teachers were combined, we accessed a larger set of information concerning the behavior of children, focusing on aspects of contextual comparisons and individual and collective parameters, as proposed by Miller et al. ( 2014 ) and De Los Reyes et al. ( 2015 ).

The literature has recognized the relevance of assessments performed by teachers; however, few studies address behavioral difficulties of children using multiple informants and combined data as a strategy to identify the presence of problems in more than one context of life. The predominance of the mother as the only informant may compromise the results of assessments, especially when a mother presents a psychopathological disorder (Leis et al., 2014 ), such as depression. Such a disorder may influence the individual’s perception of child behavior, and avoiding this influence justifies the use of distinct and combined sources of information. Therefore, we note that one of the contributions of this study, in addition to including multiple informants, is the combined analysis of children’s behavioral outcomes, which enabled verifying problems in two contexts, family and school, to estimate how many children face these sorts of difficulties, information that is relevant for practices in the mental health field.

Another aspect to be analyzed involves social vulnerability, which was assessed considering different social and economic factors, among which are low maternal educational level and income. These are relevant social determinants associated with the presence of behavioral problems among children, according to the assessments by mothers and/or children, indicating aspects to be considered when planning preventive practices. Note that these findings are consistent with those reported by Correia et al. ( 2014 ), who identified association between child behavioral problems and low socioeconomic status and low maternal educational level, indicating a potential profile of cumulative vulnerability favoring behavioral problems among children. Families with low socioeconomic status generally have high rates of divorce, unemployment, and a larger number of members, while parents with a high socioeconomic level have a higher educational level and invest more in their children’s education (Carneiro, Meghir, & Parey, 2013 ; Piccolo et al., 2012 ).

The associations between mental health conditions and vulnerability indicators have been widely recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2017a , 2017b ), which highlights low schooling, lower income, worse material and economic conditions, and less social support, as possible determinants that negatively influence health mental health of adults and children, favoring the accumulation of vulnerability and risk conditions. This developmental scenario focuses on the relevance of the present study, which encompasses diverse and competing contextual variables that influence children’s developmental outcomes in the perception of different informants.

The presence of current depressive symptoms among the mothers was associated with behavioral problems among the children, as indicated by the mothers and/or teachers, characterizing problems in two contexts, family and school. Such an association was also verified by Leis et al. ( 2014 ) and Conners-Burrow et al. ( 2016 ), who noted an increase in behavioral problems among children who had early experience with maternal depression. In this sense, when we considered the behavior of children from the perspectives of mothers and teachers together, we verified that, regardless of the informant, children living with maternal depression more frequently experienced behavioral problems, including in the school context, characterizing the need for specific mental health practices directed to this group, which was identified as the most vulnerable.

The presence of chronic adversities was also verified to identify variables with a potential negative impact on school-aged children. This study reveals that children facing behavioral difficulties, according to the combined assessments of mothers and teachers, lived in family environments that presented more chronic adversities, indicating cumulative and recurrent adversity in these children’s contexts of life. These findings corroborate the study conducted by Hildebrand et al. ( 2015 ), who identified an association of two or more risk factors for more than half of the sample under study.

The identification of differences among groups, especially for children facing problems in the family and school contexts (G1) in regard to social vulnerability, current maternal depression, and chronic adversity, characterizes a group that requires greater attention, as it is exposed to multiple risks. This information highlights the relevance of investigating the presence of cumulative risk in the family context to understand developmental outcomes among children (Evans et al., 2013 ; Goodman et al., 2011 ).

In regard to the identification of the predictive effect of cumulative risk variables and vulnerability, as potential predictors of behavioral problems among children, only maternal depression appears as an explanatory variable for the presence of behavioral problems among children in the context of multiple adverse conditions. These findings are in agreement with Bagner et al. ( 2010 ), who stress that living with maternal depression increases a child’s likelihood of presenting externalizing and internalizing behavioral problems up to the age of 12 years old. Therefore, maternal depression was the only adverse condition with the power to predict the behavioral problem outcome, confirming the relevance of considering such a variable when addressing child behavior, especially considering the high prevalence of depression among women of childbearing age (World Health Organization [WHO], 2017a , 2017b ).

As the positive aspects of this study, we highlight the presence of multiple informants, the methodological care adopted in the systematic assessment of the participants, and the use of validated instruments, in addition to the inclusion of diverse variables to identify, in the same sample, vulnerability indicators that potentially impact the behavior of school children. It is highlighted as the main strength of the study the inclusion of children in the groups considering the presence or absence of behavioral problems in the two main development contexts for the school period, namely, family and school, thus highlighting relevant variables associated with vulnerability and to developmental resources in both contexts, which may favor preventive care and target groups with potential risks.

This study’s limitations include the sample size, lack of a homogeneous distribution between groups in regard to the sex of children, and the identification of depressive symptoms using a screening instrument, which limit the generalization of results. Further studies adopting longitudinal designs, considering the influence of contextual risks over the course of a child’s development, including other sources of information, in addition to the reports of mothers, are needed, as well as observational measures. The relevance of inclusion in new studies of parents’/stepfathers’ evaluations, as well as studies that address the characteristics of the various family configurations in which children are inserted as conditions that can influence the behavior of the school-aged children, is also highlighted. Another relevant point to be considered in new studies is the inclusion of variables that may function as protective factors, which in a cumulative way to vulnerability and risk conditions may favor a more complete and complex analysis of the mechanisms that favor or hinder children’s behavioral problems.

Conclusions

In this study, low maternal educational level, low family income, the presence of more chronic adversity, and living with current maternal depression are factors associated with the outcome of behavioral problems among children in both family and school contexts, showing the importance of including such factors in assessment protocols intended to address the mental health of school-aged children. Note, however, that among these indicators, current maternal depression emerged as the most relevant variable in comparison to the remaining adversities analyzed here. Therefore, this condition requires specific care when implementing mental health actions.

Finally, these results can contribute to and have implications for the planning of mental health programs, confirming the relevance of identifying maternal depressive symptoms and multiple adversities, including social vulnerability indicators as conditions or events that demand attention.

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Martineli, A.K.B., Pizeta, F.A. & Loureiro, S.R. Behavioral problems of school children: impact of social vulnerability, chronic adversity, and maternal depression. Psicol. Refl. Crít. 31 , 11 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41155-018-0089-9

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Teachers' views about school students' behavioral problems in the Emirate of Sharjah: An exploratory study

Bushra alakashee.

a College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Fakir Al Gharaibeh

b Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (RIHSS), University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Abdalla El-Mneizel

Semiyu aderibigbe.

c Institute of Leadership in Higher Education, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

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The authors do not have permission to share data.

This study explored teachers' views on the behavioral problems among school children in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The population comprised cycles one (grades 1–4) and two (grades 5–8) teachers in the Emirate. In collecting data from the teachers, a survey questionnaire was administered, and a total of 378 were returned. After analyzing the major scales using SPSS version 26, the findings suggest no critical concern on behavioral issues for students in the study. However, further analyses of the subscales reveal students finding it challenging to concentrate, lateness in assignment submission, and less motivation concerning students' behavioral problems. Drawing on the results, we conclude that students' behavioral issues in the Emirate are surmountable with active collaboration and involvement of school leaders, the Ministry of Education, teachers, and parents.

behavioral problems; school students; teachers; Emirate of Sharjah.

1. Introduction

Studying students’ behavioral problems is vital to educators as an educational procedure is not limited to leading students’ learning and providing them with information. Instead, as a process, it ensures the stability of students’ behavior and their emotional, spiritual, cognitive, and social wellbeing. It is also concerned with finding solutions to possible students’ behavioral problems, which may negatively impact their education and relationships with others. Besides, our experience as parents and educators led us to believe that exploring students’ behavioral issues is an indispensable enterprise for educators as the longer they are left untreated, the worse they become.

In ensuring smooth learning processes for students with behavioral problems, stakeholders, including parents, government, and schools, play significant roles in setting and enforcing rules to instill conforming values in students. This is essential as undesirable actions such as aggression, disobedience, and destruction of properties cause disruptions at schools, homes and may even impact the local community. Students' behavioral problems have also been reported to cause other social and emotional issues, including suicide, depression [ 1 ], and impairments [ 2 ]. Furthermore, these problems negatively impact students’ psychological and social development, which may be detrimental to their learning and academic progress and their ability to engage in positive interaction with others [ 3 ]. Not surprisingly, a study concluded that behavioral problems among children could have both immediate and remote negative consequences [ 2 ]. In this sense, behavioral issues may affect school children from learning effectively at their formative stages in schools within the immediate context [ 1 ], which may hinder them from developing skills for thriving as adult learners and professionals in the future remote context.

From our experience, learning environments for promoting general and customized learning experiences require systematic planning, implementation, and monitoring process where potential learning obstacles and behavioral issues are addressed. It might be safe to assume that students cannot overcome their behavioral problems alone, hence the need for constant guidance and support from their families and teachers. However, practical guidance and care for students’ academic and wellbeing might be a lofty and tall dream without a contextual evidence-based approach to understanding behavioral problems and strategies for reducing them. The literature indicates that young children are socially vulnerable and efforts should be intensified to understand issues capable affecting their wellbeing and future growth, including behavioral and emotional problems [ 1 ]. In our view, this moral enterprise is of particular importance now since these problems have taken various forms and pose severe challenges to all the stakeholders involved in the educational processes of young people. As such, we conducted this study to determine the magnitude and possible impacts of behavioral problems among young school children to reduce the issues and promote their wellbeing using a research-informed practice. We relied on the views of teachers being the front liners spending more time with the school-aged children in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including behavioral and emotional problems [ 1 , 4 ]. In particular, we focused on the experience of teachers leading students’ learning in cycles 1 and 2, being those in grades 1–4 and 5–8. Based on these views, the study highlights the importance of exploring the patterns of negative behaviors exhibited by students and the methods of dealing with them, especially among primary school students who have their first schooling experiences. Thus, the study offers insights into measures to reduce behavioral problems among young school children within a specific cultural context and complements the international literature.

2. Theoretical background and related literature

Several psychological theories attempted to explain the causes and motives behind students’ engagement in abnormal behaviors and suggest ways to measure them, as will be discussed subsequently. Generally, human behavior is divided into normal and abnormal behavior [ 5 ], which may be linked to mental health [ 6 ]. Most people display normal and acceptable behavioral patterns, which reflect their individual’s ability to effectively adapt to their social environment and conform to societal norms. An abnormal behavior, in contrast, signifies internal and social discord experienced by individuals in society. Some proponents of this perspective studied the effect of physiology on the adaptive behavior of individuals through the study of hormones present in the endocrine system, which have a significant and direct impact on the bloodstream. They also observed the effect of the pituitary gland as the link between testosterone and behavioral problems in several studies. Others focused their studies on neurotransmitters as catecholamine and cholinergic neurotransmitters have long been associated with behavioral issues.

In contrast, serotonin and GABA aminobutyric acid deficiencies have been linked to hyper-stimulation and affect psychological functions [ 7 ]. In his psychoanalytic theory, Sigmund Freud considered the origin of behavioral problems. He concluded that they were part of human psychology, which he called life instincts, a product of a force with which a person is born and directly attributable to the instinctive desire to destroy. Based on this view, he concluded that this intuitive destructive energy could be displayed as actions, games, or activities that conform to acceptable social values and mores or as undesirable behavior. In the same vein, it is asserted that indiscipline, and other actions that contravene school and social norms, are a mechanism used by the individual to overcome feelings of inefficiency and fear of failure [ 8 ]. The inability to overcome these feelings would make these negative behaviors the usual response to these feelings [ 9 ]. The behaviorist, B.F. Skinner based his theory of operant conditioning on the assumption that most behavior is learned and acquired through the individual’s environment.

Consequently, behavioral problems result from watching the behavior of the individual's role models, such as the parents or film characters. Not surprisingly, teachers and parents are described as agents of socialization with significant influence on students' personality development [ 2 , 6 , 10 ]. Based on this view, it can be assumed that any unwanted behavior can be modified and corrected [ 11 ] through well-thought-out social learning processes and tools [ 12 ]. The social learning theory proposes that learning occurs through observing other people's behavior and reinforcements (rewards and punishments). Therefore, the acquisition of undesirable behavior is explained through the reinforcement type received from the family, peers, or even symbolic models. In addition, the theory proposes that behavioral problems may result from threatening or insulting a child, obstructing a purposeful behavior, or withdrawing reinforcement [ 8 ]. A study reported that behavioral problems are usually observed by the parents and other caregivers and require a unified approach to deal with them [ 13 ]. This is why modern psychology pays particular attention to the behavioral problems displayed by students using systemic techniques to explore the roles of different agents of socialization in children's personality development. For example, a large-scale study examined the factors responsible for behavioral problems among school pupils and reported parents' marital status and health care as determinants of young children's behavioral issues [ 10 ]. Another study suggested a link between school start time and the rate of behavioral problems among primary school children [ 14 ]. In the research, it is further explained that an early start might reduce these children's sleep. The researchers collected all relevant behavioral problems related information, including school start time in the Kentucky area, USA, from school websites and offices and student demographics from the state's education office. This information confirmed the link between early school start times and severe behavioral issues such as harassment and school suspension or expulsion.

Another study compared the exposure rate to private and government school students' health, social, emotional, and behavioral problems [ 15 ]. The study sampled students from 58 government schools and five private schools, and found that students in private schools performed better on 23 of 32 indicators than their public school counterparts. On the other hand, government school students suffered from such problems as smoking, carrying weapons, and online bullying. Although these results may suggest that private schools are safer learning environments, students in these schools were also exposed to some problems related to their physical, social, emotional, and behavioral wellbeing. Therefore, the study recommended implementing preventative programs in both schools, just as other scholars indicate that schooling status determines children's behavioral problems [ 4 ]. A survey conducted and reported in 2017 focused on the link between the length of sleep primary school children in Japan get and the prevalence of such problems as snoring, obesity, and undesirable behavior [ 16 ]. The study concluded that there was a clear link between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and behavioral issues.

Scholars also explored the relationship between parental negligence and emotional and behavioral problems among school children in Tanzania [ 17 ]. The results of the study indicated that abuse results in negative emotional and behavioral patterns among the subjects. Reinforcing this result, a recent study found that the rate of scolding at home impacts children’s behavioral problems [ 6 ]. Although child abuse is one of the most common types of parental negligence, it has received very little academic attention, especially in developing countries. In another study that focused on correcting undesirable behavior, the researchers concluded that participation in extra-curricular activities for 3–4 h per week might be a promising strategy to counter negative behaviors such as school violence and bullying [ 18 ].

The prevalence of behavioral problems among primary school students in Kuwait from the point of view of their teachers was also examined. Three sixty teachers completed a questionnaire that divided behavioral problems into five major areas: lack of attention, frequent absenteeism, fractious relationships with teachers and peers, disobeying teachers’ instructions, and hyperactivity. The findings revealed that the students under study suffered medium-level behavioral problems. Essentially, behavioral problems were more prevalent among male students and those at the age of ten than 11 and 12 years old [ 19 ]. Similarly, scholars explored the behavioral problems suffered by primary cycle students and their link to some demographic factors such as gender and level of education [ 20 ]. The behavioral problem list for primary school students was applied to a systemically selected sample of 116 students. It was found that the subjects suffered mild behavioral problems, and there was a direct correlation between the gender and level of education of the students and the prevalence of behavioral problems among them.

Several other studies focused on the causes of behavioral problems. For example, the research found that psychological factors were among the leading causes of behavioral problems among primary school students: movement in the classroom, making loud noises, and speaking out of turn [ 21 ]. Another study aimed to identify the various forms of behavioral problems displayed by students from the point of view of 164 teachers. The study's findings indicated that the most common forms of problematic behavior were verbal aggression (sarcasm, swearing, and shouting at others), vandalism, unruly behavior, and theft [ 22 ]. An attempt was also made to identify problematic behavior among primary school students from the point of view of 280 teachers in a study. It was found that the most common forms of inappropriate behavior were verbal, emotional, and aggression. It was also revealed that middle school students suffered these forms of behavior more often than students in other levels of schooling did [ 23 ]. In a similar study that involved 832 teachers, the following are identified as frequent manifestations of negative behavior: graffiti, speaking without permission, swearing, and kicking other students.

On the other hand, the least common forms of negative behavior were wandering around the classroom, calling other students, making disturbing noises, and using foul language. The study also found that the teachers employed social, psychological, and educational methods to deal with negative behavior. The teachers frequently ignored the misbehaving students, isolated or engaged them, used attractive teaching aids to attract their attention, and attempted to build interpersonal relationships. In addition, it was found that the teachers rarely resorted to joking, exploring the causes of the negative behavior, punishment, guidance, or cooperative learning [ 24 ].

Two leading schools of thought explain students’ negative behavior from the literature reviewed. On the one hand, several scholars attribute undesirable behavior to natural causes: either instinctive or biological. On the other, some assert that negative behaviors are learned, and that modeling, reinforcement, observation, and imitation contribute to the display of undesirable behaviors. However, we believe that these two opposing theoretical explanations are complementary. This sentiment is because problematic behavior, like all other patterns of human behavior, is the product of the interaction of various psychobiological and environmental factors. That said, issues affecting school-aged children may be contextual, and generalization based on the existing literature may not help to understand and devise strategies to reduce behavioral problems fully. It is not a surprise that studies indicate the need for a regular examination of behavioral problems among young children to devise tailor-fit strategies for reducing them and strengthening children’s wellbeing [ 2 , 10 ]. And this explains why we undertook this research drawing on teachers’ views as salient stakeholders in the educational processes of students in elementary and high schools.

3. Research problem and questions

This study aims to identify the behavioral problems among primary and secondary students in the Emirate of Sharjah and how to deal with them from the teachers’ perspective. In this study, behavioral problems are defined as a group of adaptive behaviors viewed by the teachers as undesirable and find challenging to deal with. The current study aims to explore the extent to which these patterns of behavior are common among the students concerned and include academic problems, aggression, moral and behavioral problems, emotional problems, hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, and class interaction. These problems may disrupt students’ education. In particular, this study aims to answer the following questions:

• 1. What behavioral problems do cycle one and two students in the Emirate of Sharjah exhibit from teachers’ perspectives?
• 2. Are the teachers’ perspectives of students’ behavioral problems in the Emirate of Sharjah based on their demographic characteristics (gender, class taught, school type, and qualifications)?

4. Methodology

4.1. method and instrument.

This exploratory study was conducted using a survey method. We adopted the approach to seek an understanding of the behavioral issues for students in cycles 1 and 2 in the Emirate of Sharjah. The approach was adopted to reach out to as many teachers as possible in cycles one and two in the Emirate of Sharjah’s schools. The questionnaire used has three elements, and it was designed to identify the common patterns of problematic behavior among school students drawing on some publications and trustworthy tools [ 1 , 14 , 19 ].

To craft the questionnaire, we developed a working definition of problematic behavior. We clarified the various dimensions of its associated issues, which were then used to design the different articles of the scale to ensure coherence. The questionnaire includes 66 items under six sub-scales, i.e., unruly class interaction, impulsive behavior, hyperactivity, emotional problems, aggression, behavioral and moral problems, and academic problems. For participants to respond to the questions, they had options ranked 1 to 5, with five being highest and one being lowest in value.

4.2. Data collection procedure

To understand the teachers' views about school students' behavioral problems in the Emirate of Sharjah, we collected data for this research using a questionnaire sent to school teachers electronically and by research assistants who visited them at their schools. In completing the process, we followed the basic research ethical standards. For instance, we sought ethical clearance and approval from the Ministry of Education to reach out to and engage with school teachers in the Emirate during the fall semester of 2019/the 2020 session (pre-COVID 19 pandemics). Please see the research grant number in the funding section. We also informed the teachers that participation and completion of the questionnaire in the study indicate their consent for us to use the data collected for the research purpose alone. In addition, we did not mention their names or identify their schools in any parts of the report.

After the approval, the questionnaire was distributed electronically to the teachers through the Ministry of Education with 226 teachers responding to the questionnaire. An initial analysis of the demographic data indicates that most of those who responded are from the private schools. So, we administered the questionnaire manually to teachers in the public schools with the help of a research assistant. As parts of the ethical factors considered, the teachers were assured in the questionnaire written instructions that their responses would be treated confidentially and only used for the research purpose alone.

After the second round of the questionnaire administration process, the total response to the questionnaire is 378 with their demographics clarified in Table 1 .

Table 1

Distribution of respondents according to study variables (n = 378).

4.3. Validity, reliability, and trustworthiness

To ascertain the validity of the research instrument, we requested ten colleagues from the education and sociology departments at our university and experts from the Ministry of Education to review it. Based on their feedback, we amended the wording of some items and agreed on the language of the six primary subscales included. Also, the scale’s construct validity was checked. Each item was closely linked to its assigned sub-scale significantly more than other subscales.

On the other hand, the reliability coefficient of the sub-scale and the overall scale were calculated using the Cronbach Alpha method. The internal consistency coefficients for the subscales ranged between 0.905 and 0.958 and for the scale as a whole 0.98, which reflects the degree of its trustworthiness. In addition, we read and revised the initial draft at different intervals, which lends credibility to the study.

4.4. Data analysis

We calculated the Means, standard deviations, and the relative importance (rank) of response on the scale that measures students' behavioral problems to answer the research questions. In addition, we conducted a T-test for two independent samples by using SPSS version 26 to determine whether some behavioral issues should be considered concerning by stakeholders in the school students' attitudes and education. We decided that any mean score of 3 on the critical scale or subscale should be considered more seriously as a significant issue. We also paid attention to figures close to 3, which could also impact students' behaviors and teachers' responses even though they may not be as severe as those classified as 3. We presented the findings in tables and discussed the mean scores of 3 and above, highlighting their implications for reducing the behavioral issues among school children.

5.1. Research question 1

The first research question was ‘ what behavioral problems do cycle one and two students in the Emirate of Sharjah exhibit from teachers’ perspectives? In answering this question, we calculated the statistical averages, standard deviations, the percentage, importance, and the rank of performance for each of the items that comprise the sub-scales of the scale of the behavioral problems, in addition to the overall performance on the sub-scales and the broad scale.

We calculated the Means, standard deviations, and the relative importance (rank) of response on the scale that measures students' behavioral problems to answer the research questions. In addition, we conducted a T-test for two independent samples by using SPSS version 26 to determine whether some behavioral issues should be considered concerning by stakeholders in the school students' attitudes and education. We determine that any mean score of 3 in the critical scale or subscale should be considered more seriously. We present the findings in tables and discuss the mean scores of 3 and above, highlighting their implications for reducing the behavioral issues among school children.

As shown in Table 2 , the mean score (M) on each sub-scale ranged from 2.05 and 2.94. As these Mean scores were below 3.0, the findings suggest that the areas covered by these sub-scales did not pose severe behavioral problems in the research context’s schools. However, the issues ranked 2.50 to 2.94 call for some attention of stakeholders, including teachers, parents, and school leaders, given that mean scores are close to 3.0. In fostering understanding of the issues and also promote evidence-based practices, we meticulously analyzed the subscales one after the other and reported the findings below:

Table 2

Participants’ response on the 6 sub-scales of the behavioral problems scale.

An analysis of the participants’ response on each of the sub-scales revealed that the overall Mean score on the class interaction score was 2.68, which indicates that cycle one and two students in the Emirate of Sharjah did not have serious problems in this area. Most problematic items under this sub-scale ranked as follows in the highest to the lowest average score: students find it difficult to concentrate for an extended period (M = 3.12), students find it difficult to complete assigned work on time (M = 2.81), and students have low levels of motivation to learn (M = 2.77). On the other hand, the items that received lower scores were poor class participation (M = 2.48), students find it difficult to follow the lessons (M = 2.49), and students mostly feel unenergetic in class (M = 2.63).

On the impulsive behavior subscale, the Mean scores ranged between 2.53 and 3.49, with an overall Mean score of 2.93. This indicates a low tendency for students in this context to suffer from this type of behavioral problem. The data also shows that the highest-scoring item (students need the teachers’ constant guidance and supervision) received a Mean score of 3.49. The second-ranked items were ‘students rush to answer the teacher’s questions and ‘students do not wait for their turns to answer questions’ with a Mean score of 3.08 each. Another problematic area under this sub-scale ‘consistently complaining about their classmates’ (M = 3.02, rank = 4). In contrast, the following areas ranked low on this sub-scale: students annoy their classmates (M = 2.53), students display a selfish behavior (M = 2.62, rank = 8), and students do not regularly complete assigned tasks (M = 2.62, rank = 7).

For the hyperactivity subscale, the mean scores range from 2.29 to 2.68 with an overall Mean score of 2.55, which indicates that the target students did not suffer from this problem. The item that ranked first under this subscale was ‘students ask to go to the toilet when they do not need to’ with a Mean score of 2.86, followed by ‘students seem fidgety in class’ (M = 2.71, and ‘students are ‘impatient’ (M = 2.67). The lowest ranking item was ‘students tend to move items and drop them’ (M = 2.29), followed by ‘students usually wander around the classroom’ (M = 2.32), and ‘students display signs of anxiety and worry’ (M = 2.36).

Moreover, the analysis revealed that Mean scores on the emotional problems sub-scales ranged from 1.75 to 2.40 with an overall Mean of 2.05, which indicates that this is not a very common problem among the target student population. The most common problem in this area was that students seemed oversensitive with a Mean of 2.40, followed by that they felt inferior compared to their peers (Mean = 2.13), and they displayed poor personal hygiene (M = 2.09). The least common issues were ‘many students sometimes practice finger sucking, nail biting, and lip biting’ (M = 1.75), ‘students often feel they are failing academically’ (M = 1.96), and ‘easily feel guilty for minor infractions’ (Mean = 1.79).

The data showed that the Mean scores on items listed under the aggression and behavioral and moral problems subscales range from 1.53 to 2.80, with an overall Mean score of 2.19. This indicates that this was not a very common problem among cycle one and two students in Sharjah. Based on the analysis, the most common problem was that ‘students tend to speak loudly when talking to their peers’ (M = 2.80), followed by ‘students tend to use illogical arguments when discussing any issue with their classmates’ (M = 2.39), and ‘use foul language’ (M = 2.35). In comparison, the least common problems were ‘students’ interaction with their teachers is characterized by aggression’ (M = 1.88), followed by ‘students tend to clap their hands in class to annoy others’ (M = 1.85).

As for the academic problems' subscale, the Mean scores ranged from 1.66 to 2.95 with an overall average score of 2.52, which is a low score. However, the following items ranked the highest in the subscale: 'poor parental supervision of the student's academic progress (M = 2.95), 'some of the students in class are slow learners' (M = 2.83), and 'students neglect their homework' (average = 2.80). In comparison, the following items ranked the lowest: 'students drop out of school' (M = 1.66), 'usually fail exams' (M = 2.11, rank = 11), and 'inconsistent parental supervision at home and outside.'

Drawing on the above, it is clear that educators and other stakeholders like parents need to intensify efforts in ensuring that students are adequately supported, motivated, and guided. Doing this will suggest that the likely problems are not underestimated, reduce the possible impacts of the behavioral problems and enhance collaborative learning engagement with respect for one another considered by the students. In the subsequent portion, we present the findings related to the second research question.

5.2. Research question 2

The second research question is, Are the teachers’ perspectives of students’ behavioral problems in the Emirate of Sharjah based on their demographic characteristics (gender, class taught, school type, and qualifications)? To answer the second research question, we calculated the statistical averages, standard deviations, percentage, importance, and the rank of responses for each item concerning the teachers’ demographic characteristics. The results are shown in the following four tables.

As shown in Table 3 , there are statistically significant differences between the participants’ responses to each of the sub-scales and the overall scale according to their gender. The T Values were found to be 4.10, 3.75, 4.42, 3.32, 6.14, 5.71, and 5.70, which are statistically significant at (α = 0.05). In general, the data indicate male teachers appeared to feel that students in their schools displayed undesirable behavior more than their female counterparts.

Table 3

Teachers’ response to the behavioral problems scale according to their gender.

Table 4 shows how the teachers’ responses on the scale of the behavioral problems and each of its sub-scales varied according to the school cycle they taught. As the data indicate, there are statistically significant differences between the responses of teachers of cycle one and cycle two as the T Values on each of the sub-scales and the Total scale were -4.63, -4.89, -3.76, -2.82, -6.02, -5.69, and -5.46 respectively; all statistically significant values at (α = 0.05). Overall, cycle two teachers believed behavioral problems were more common among their students than cycle one teachers.

Table 4

Teachers’ response to the behavioral problems scale according to school cycle.

As Table 5 revealed, there are statistically significant differences between teachers’ responses on both the subscales and the overall scale according to the type of school they worked in (state or private), where the T Values were 7.22, 8.28, 7.08, 5.06, 8.70, 8.37, and 8.85 respectively; all statistically significant values at (α = 0.05). In this sense, the results indicate that teachers in state schools reported behavioral problems among their students more than their counterparts who worked in private schools. This finding may be connected to the fact that the private schools may have been putting some disciplinary measures in place to ensure that students’ behaviors are encouraging. This may be important to them as they need to keep their clients happy if they need more students in their schools to stay in business. On the other hand, the state schools do not need to be concerned about student numbers as the government fully funds them. That notwithstanding, the result has implications for school leaders and ministry officials. The need to ensure that all students conform and stay away from any form of behavioral problems is essential irrespective of their school type.

Table 5

Teachers’ performance to the behavioral problems scale according to the type of school.

Table 6 illustrates teachers’ responses to items included in each of the sub-scales of the behavioral problems scale according to their educational qualifications. From the data, it is clear that there are no statistically significant differences between the two groups of teachers as the T Values were 1.19, 1.54, 1.84, 0.97, 1.11, 1.71, and 1.60 respectively which are not statistically significant values at (α = 0.05).

Table 6

Teachers’ response to the behavioral problems scale according to their educational qualifications.

Based on the findings reported above, the demographic characteristics of teachers in the Emirate of Sharjah impact their take on students’ behavioral problems in the Emirate even if not in all ramifications. Thus, stakeholders need to have a good understanding of the students’ behavioral issues considering teachers’ demographics for effective planning and implementations to enhance pedagogical practices while students’ behavioral issues are reduced.

6. Discussion

In this section, we discuss our findings in line with the research questions. So, for the first research question, we sought to understand the kind and magnitude of behavioral problems among school children in the Emirate of Sharjah in the UAE. The findings suggest non-prominent concerning behavioral issues among the school children in this context as all critical scales’ mean scores are less than 3. Perhaps, this could suggest that the school children are well catered for by their parents and teachers are doing their best to ensure a safe learning environment for the pupils. As understood, home and parental guidance help children to develop normative and acceptable behaviors through a socialization process. That said, issues like hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, and unruly class interaction ranging from 2.50 to 2.94 need to be taken seriously by teachers and other stakeholders involved in the school children’s education. This is essential; as earlier mentioned, if behavioral issues are not mitigated on time, it could lead to a more severe problem with catastrophic impacts. These issues may also be experienced due to inadequate guidance and insufficient knowledge to manage the behavioral problems among students by inexperienced or novice teachers and possibly young and inexperienced parents. It is also not a surprise that a further thorough analysis of the subscales of each significant scale indicates the need for attention to be paid in some spheres of students’ behavioral attitudes. For instance, we found that students could find it challenging to concentrate for an extended period complete assigned work on time, and some are less motivated to learn in the class interaction spectrum. This finding reinforces the sentiment that some behavioral problems could result from teachers not having enough experience and skills to motivate students and personalize their learning experiences based on their personalities and needs. Judging from these findings, it is apparent that most of the students are intrinsically motivated, participated, and engaged in-class lessons. However, a few did not feel motivated or unenergetic to complete some tasks on time. The challenging aspects of the results align with previous studies problems common to children at this stage include shorter attention spans, difficulty concentrating and following instructions, boredom, and inability to complete assigned tasks [ 25 , 26 ]. The findings, therefore, underscore the need for teachers to devise different strategies for stimulating students’ interest and concentration in-class activities for a reasonably long period in their classes. It is also essential for parents to complement teachers’ efforts in instilling values for developing positive attitudes into their wards and reinforcing them to abstain from behaviors that can negatively impact them or their peers.

Additionally, teachers need to work with parents to ensure that students are regularly reminded to complete their assigned tasks on time in school or at home. This approach is essential as the literature indicates parents and caregivers easily detect behavioral issues, and therefore collaboration between schools and parents is indispensable [ 7 ]. Other scholars also found a connection between home activities, such as waking up time due to school start period and students’ behavioral issues [ 8 ], and sleep disturbance and behavioral issues with school children [ 27 ]. So, teachers need to plan meaningful and authentic activities to motivate students to engage and learn from them with the active involvement of parents in supervisory roles for their wards. Perhaps, this explains why the highest score in impulsive behavior is that students need constant guidance and supervision in the impulsive behavior scale. In addition, we found students rushing to respond to teachers’ questions, not waiting for their turns to answer questions, and always complaining about their classmates on the same scale. The data indicate that these students suffer from impulsive behavior. This can be attributed to the fact that children are generally overactive at this stage and try to assert themselves, copy others, and draw attention to themselves. In addition, this may result from social isolation, inadequate group activities in the school, or the inaccurate application of educational best practices in the classroom by teachers and adequate parental guidance. Not surprisingly, the literature suggests that the issues could be informed by upbringing style, parental neglect and emotional deprivation [ 11 , 26 ], and feelings of depression [ 28 , 29 ]. Thus, teachers need to strategize on the modalities for reducing the possible behavioral problems, including working with other stakeholders such as parents, school leaders, and classroom assistants. Also worthy of teachers’ consideration to reduce behavioral problems among school children is well-thought-out and implemented extra-curricular activities for a reasonable timeframe [ 12 ]. Besides, teachers need to constantly provide clear guidelines [ 30 ] and remind students that the class is a safe learning space, and they should feel free to ask them for help at any time [ 31 ]. In addition to saying this, teachers need to demonstrate compassion by asking students how they feel and reassuring them of their support on any issues or concerns. For this to be done effectively, teachers and parents may need some short training on reducing violence, which may be orchestrated by problematic behaviors among school children [ 32 ].

In determining whether we can explain school children's behavioral problems in terms of the demographic characteristics of the participants in this study. We found a significant difference in the participants' responses based on gender, drawing on the analyzed data. Specifically, the male teachers expressed concerns more than their female counterparts. In a previous study, gender was reported as impacting behavioral problems among school children [ 14 ]. As for this study, this finding can be attributed to the intuitive, caring nature of the female teachers than their male counterparts being mothers. Based on this sentiment, the female teachers may easily detect and understand students' behavioral problems, hence finding it easier to deal with them than male colleagues. Perhaps, this explains why a few students exhibited behavioral issues, as earlier reported. With this sentiment in mind, male teachers may need more support in dealing with school children's behavioral problems. For this to happen effectively, they will need to indicate their willingness to attend professional development programs honestly. They also need to be supported by their school leadership, who may need to provide incentives for them to take development activities seriously, including funding, being freed from official duties, and providing teaching aids. Similarly, our findings reveal a significant difference in teachers' perceptions in cyle1 and cycle 2 in relation to students' behavioral problems. As the data indicate, the more mature students in grades 5–8 seem to have more behavioral issues than their counterparts who are much younger and are in grades 1–4. In alignment with this result, it was reported that behavioral problems are more prevalent among male students around age ten [ 13 ], falling in cycle 2 in this study. This finding may be unconnected with students in cycle one more young, still understanding the school systems and easily controlled. Therefore, it could be fair to suggest that teachers in cycle two may need more training and support on managing challenging behaviors among school children. This finding correlates with the previous one related to the need for teachers to get assisted with professional development training to develop novel strategies for dealing with behavioral issues and promoting students’ learning.

In the same vein, we found a significant difference in teachers’ take on students’ behavioral issues based on the type of school they teach. Essentially, the findings suggest that teachers in public schools expressed more concerns than their colleagues in private schools. Consistent with this result, the literature indicates that private schools are safer and have low behavioral problems among school children compared to their counterparts in public schools [ 9 ]. In our view, this finding may be connected to the fact that the private schools may have been putting some disciplinary measures in place to ensure that students’ behaviors are encouraging. This may be important to them as they need to keep their clients happy if they need more students in their schools to stay in business. On the other hand, the state schools do not need to be concerned about student numbers as the government fully funds them. That notwithstanding, the result has implications for parents, school leaders and ministry officials. The need to ensure that all students conform and stay away from any form of behavioral problems is essential [ 1 ], irrespective of their school type. However, the data indicate no significant difference in teachers’ perceptions of behavioral problems among school children based on their educational qualifications. This means that both groups of teachers hold the same views regarding the behavioral issues that their students experience. As such, teachers’ academic qualifications do not impact thinking about students’ behavioral problems, which needs to be considered when planning training programs for teachers. In this sense, it does not matter what educational qualifications teachers in the Emirate of Sharjah possess. They all need to be supported equally and provided with relevant resources to manage students’ behaviors in their various schools. These include collaboration with other professionals, such as counselors and school health practitioners [ 4 ].

7. Conclusion and implications

In this study, we explored the behavioral problems among school students from teachers' perspectives. We contend that having knowledge about the issues has not been more critical given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' psyche well-documented in the literature. Our findings indicate no significant concerns on the critical scale measured in the study, such as class interaction, hyperactivity, and academic problems. However, further analyses of the subscales of each essential scale suggest the need for proactive attention to be considered by stakeholders to nip some issues before getting escalated. Thus, our study has implications for stakeholders, such as school leaders, teachers, and parents. For instance, school leaders need to constantly work with teachers to evaluate students' behavioral states and challenges to determine how to support them using an evidence-based approach. They also need to allow and encourage the establishment of the community of practice groups across the different spectrum in schools, e.g., women, men, cycle one teachers, cycle two teachers, and field of specialization/interest. Ministry of Education and school leaders should also provide in-house training or support teachers to attend external training programs.

On their part, teachers should constantly devise strategies for encouraging students' motivation and engagement using the community of practice models where experiences are shared. They need to involve parents in coordinating students' academic activities and development plans for strengthening their moral values. They should consider using extracurricular activities and gamification mapped to learning objectives. Additionally, they should regularly attend professional development events on strategies for regularly managing students' behaviors.

Besides, parents will need to volunteer time to work with children at home and some time in schools through collaboratively designed activities and enroll children in extracurricular activities, including sporting activities and drama. They should also engage children in community-focused endeavors to enhance their knowledge of communal values and empathy for one another.

With the points above being considered by the salient stakeholders mentioned, we contend that behavioral issues among students can be mitigated and their learning and well-being enhanced. That said, we acknowledge that drawing on the number of teachers’ sampled lenses alone without exploring reasons for their responses through a qualitative means and reporting based on quantitative data are limitations to the study. As a result, the findings cannot be generalized to the larger UAE population. Future studies may consider larger sample sizes and inter-Emirate contexts using a mixed-methods approach. Students’ perspectives may also be considered in future studies and other stakeholders, including parents and school leaders, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Declarations

Author contribution statement.

Bushra Alakashee; Fakir Al Gharaibeh; Abdalla El-Mneizel: Conceived and designed the experiments; Performed the experiments; Performed the experiments; Analyzed and interpreted the data; Contributed reagents, materials, analysis tools or data; Wrote the paper.

Semiyu Aderibigbe: Interpreted the data; Contributed reagents, materials; Wrote part of the literature review for the paper.

Funding statement

This research was supported and funded by SHARJAH EDUCATION COUNCIL [39221], Government of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Data availability statement

Declaration of interest’s statement.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

No additional information is available for this paper.

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

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College of education and human sciences: dissertations, theses, and student research, parental child rearing beliefs and children's behavioral problems: the mediating role of parental involvement in elementary school.

Catalina Correa Ramirez , University of Nebraska-Lincoln Follow

First Advisor

Date of this version.

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial Fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

Major: Educational Psychology

Under the supervision of Professor Eric Buhs

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2024

Copyright 2024, Catalina Correa Ramirez. Used by permission

The contributions that parents make to child development have been heavily investigated but the potential links between parents’ child rearing beliefs and school involvement levels have been overlooked. In this study, a model was proposed where parental involvement was examined as a potential mediator in the relationship between parents’ child-rearing beliefs and internalizing and externalizing outcomes in children. Using data from the NICHD SECCYD study, these constructs were examined in first, third, and fifth grade ( N = 1128). SEM analyses supported our hypothesis regarding the mediating effect of parental involvement and it appeared to act as a potential mediator through which parental child rearing beliefs may be associated with children’s externalizing behavior. However, parallel mediating pathways for the internalizing behavior outcome returned non-significant estimates. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of home-school relationships and the need to examine interventions designed to promote and facilitate student support among/between parents and educators.

Advisor: Eric Buhs

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Covering Innovation & Inequality in Education

OPINION: As a mental health professional, I can’t single-handedly fix student behavior

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A month ago, at one of the schools I serve in East New York, I found myself in a challenging situation that highlighted the misconceptions surrounding the role of school mental health professionals.

A teacher, visibly frustrated, approached me after struggling with a student in her class. Despite my three counseling sessions with the student, she said she saw no discernible changes and was disappointed.

The teacher’s anger was palpable, and her words stung. This encounter was a poignant reminder of the prevailing narrative that school support staff, including mental health professionals like me, are “fixers” tasked with resolving all student issues. But students do not require “fixing”; they need guidance and support.

This mistaken narrative often portrays school social workers, counselors and psychologists as unsung heroes who are perfect at de-escalating volatile situations and can magically transform student behavior.

While the sentiment of the narrative is well-intentioned, it perpetuates unrealistic expectations and undermines the complexity of our roles as professionals — providing social and emotional support to students and helping them navigate challenges and foster healthy relationships.

Related: Become a lifelong learner. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive our comprehensive reporting directly in your inbox.

The teacher’s outburst prompted me to reflect on the broader implications of such perceptions. The pressure to “fix” students can inadvertently pathologize normal developmental behaviors, such as emotional regulation and impulse control issues.

Labeling students as broken or in need of fixing can undermine their sense of self-worth and exacerbate feelings of inadequacy and isolation. Instead of positioning ourselves as fixers , school support staff should advocate for creating a nurturing environment, one that allows students to heal at their own pace.

By reframing our role as facilitators rather than fixers, we can provide tailored tools and resources to support their emotional growth and well-being. Every student, regardless of their background or personal circumstances, deserves access to the kind of compassionate, personalized support that acknowledges their unique needs and strengths.

However, many public schools struggle to provide sufficient mental health student support . School counselors, social workers and psychologists often face overwhelming workloads due to high demands and limited resources.

Students should not receive our support only when they exhibit challenging behaviors, and support should not be viewed as a punitive measure. Rather, getting support to foster growth, resilience and well-being should be recognized as a fundamental right.

As facilitators, we can focus on celebrating the growth and strengths of our students, cultivating open and respectful communication and embracing the diverse perspectives and experiences of students and staff.

It is crucial to engage in open, honest conversations with educators, administrators, parents and students about the realities of our roles. By redefining the expectations placed on us, we can create collaborative relationships that prioritize students’ collective well-being.

Related: Mental health: Is that a job for schools?

Returning to the interaction with the teacher, it became evident that her frustration stemmed from a lack of understanding about what I could actually accomplish with the student during counseling sessions.

I took the opportunity to clarify the nature of my role. We discussed how I seek to create a supportive environment for students. That means equipping them with coping strategies, monitoring their progress and acknowledging the boundaries and limitations of our sessions.

I emphasized that change is a gradual process, and that meaningful transformation requires time, patience and collaboration.

After that challenging initial conversation, I was able to foster mutual understanding. The teacher’s initial skepticism gradually gave way to curiosity and a willingness to work with me and help support the student.

This experience reminded me that we can support students, but we can’t always fix what is wrong. So let us embrace a more compassionate, humanizing approach that helps students to navigate their challenges with confidence, resilience and dignity, rather than making them feel like they need fixing.

Clementina Jose designs sustainable social and emotional learning professional development programs for over 10 schools, providing clinical support to students in collaboration with teachers and assistant teachers.

This story about school mental health professionals was produced by The Hechinger Report , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education . Sign up for Hechinger’s newsletter .

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The Kid Whisperer: How to deal with behavior issues on the school bus

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I am an elementary school administrator. I have five to 10 students who cause major problems on one bus almost every day. We’ve tried suspensions. I’ve tried yelling. I’m out of ideas because I’m not on the bus with them. Is there anything I can do?

Answer: First, you can’t make this bus driver’s job a great job. He or she does not have the Behavioral Leadership strategies and procedures to calmly create a positive, pro-social environment on the bus. If you have difficult kids on your bus and you have no strategies, you have an impossible problem.

However, what you can do is make this bus driver's life significantly better by teaching students how to behave on the bus and by allowing these students to learn and practice the proper behaviors for the bus. After all, none of your students have a bus at home, so they may not know how to act on a bus.

Here’s how I would deal with six students and their corresponding six bus referrals as said students enter my office during a non-instructional time -- let’s say, in this case, after school.

Kid Whisperer: Ugh. Guys. Yikes. I tell you what. I think I owe you all a huge apology. I have been doing a lot of yelling at you and getting frustrated with you guys. I won’t do that anymore. I feel badly, as an educator, that I didn’t realize that you just don’t know how to act on a bus. I should not have assumed that you did and, again, I apologize.

Kid #1: What’s going on?

Kid #2: I, too, am wondering what is going on. Something seems askew.

Kid Whisperer: Instead of getting frustrated, I’m just going to lead some bus lessons for you all. I have set up a practice bus, and I am going to lead bus lessons using my practice bus. Here’s the practice bus.

( Kid Whisperer reveals a practice bus, eight chairs in four rows)

Kid #3: What in the world!?!

Kid Whisperer: Here’s how this is going to go. Your bus driver has chosen to suspend you all from the bus until you become experts at riding buses. This time after school is now your bus lesson time. According to your bus driver, you all lack two essential bus skills. One is sitting down, with the proper voice level and using proper language. The other is successfully walking to your assigned seats without causing problems.

Kid #4: This is stupid.

Kid Whisperer: Okay, how long do you all need to sit on the bus the right way, for 45 minutes or an hour?

Kid #4: I said THIS IS STUPID.

Kid Whisperer: An hour is fine.

Kid #s 1, 2, 3, 5 , and 6: (to Kid #4 ) DUDE!!!

Kid Whisperer: We’ll get that first one done first, but let’s figure out how many times each of you need to practice walking to the correct assigned seat without causing a problem in order to show that you are experts. Do you need to do it 18 times or 47 times?

Kid #s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6: 18!!!!

Kid Whisperer: OK, let’s start with sitting the right way. Successful minutes are minutes during which you are being successful by using the right voice level, proper language, and are keeping your hands to yourselves. Feel free to read, do work or draw. You can talk to each other if you’d like. Enjoy yourselves in any way that does not cause a bus problem! As soon as we are done with this, we’ll be able to do the second lesson. I'll hold you in high esteem no matter how long it takes you all to be bus experts!

This can be done during any non-instructional time. Teaching proper behavior tends to be more effective, and more enjoyable, than simply punishing kids.

©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Desirée Rieckenberg lifts students in need

The Massey Award winner and dean of students is always on call to help them navigate difficult situations.

Desirée Rieckenberg’s passion for helping students began when she was in their shoes.

Rieckenberg, the UNC-Chapel Hill dean of students, was a first-generation college student from a rural community when she arrived for her first year at Eastern Illinois University. She was forced to do a lot on her own as she learned how to navigate campus life.

Fortunately, she met people who invested in her when things were good but also supported her when they weren’t. That experience stuck with her and is something she still draws on today.

“The notion of working in a space that allows me to lift up and celebrate folks, and also support people as they navigate something, really rang true to me,” she said.

For helping students in many situations across her 12 years at Carolina, Rieckenberg was given a 2024 Massey Award . The honor recognizes “unusual, meritorious or superior” contributions by University employees.

Rieckenberg sees most of her work at what she calls intersections of the student experience, key moments that include anything from taking a leadership role in a student organization, struggling to pass a class or having a mental health challenge. From there, she strives to help support their success at Carolina.

Nominators highlighted her work creating the Care Team , which meets weekly to assist students experiencing challenges that threaten to disrupt academic progress, and partnering with the Office of Scholarship and Student Aid on a new financial literacy initiative. Carolina hired its first director of financial well-being this spring.

Additionally, Rieckenberg was praised as a “relentless champion” of the Carolina Veterans Resource Center, a “committed collaborator” and an unselfish servant leader who creates a culture of trust within her office.

Her team has grown over the last several years as it serves more students, particularly in times of crisis and emergency. No matter the situation, Rieckenberg keeps the individual student at the forefront.

“Carolina may be a big place, but Carolina should be a place where they feel like they are family and that they’re cared for,” she said.

The nature of her job means she’s as likely to get a call at 3 a.m. as she is at 3 p.m. She’s the primary contact for students going through traumatic life events ranging from the death of a loved one, a serious injury or significant financial setback.

She credits the people around her for helping juggle those difficult situations.

“It comes down to being able to surround yourself with good people and really talented people, and being able to have a supportive family and personal life that allows me to do those things,” Rieckenberg said. “I have a fantastic team of people who do the work and who surround me in a way that lifts up the things we’re doing in support of students. I have a fantastic partner, and I have two kids I’ve had since I’ve been in this role. They have come up in the space that they understand the work I do is important, that it helps and serves so many people.”

Rieckenberg was speechless when told of her Massey Award. She was drawn to this work because she saw its impact first-hand, as a student. She’s humbled to know others see that, too.

“It touches your heart in a way that recognizes an impact,” she said. “That’s really how I got into this work, because I had people who poured into me and created an impactful experience for me. And I continue to do this work with the hope that I can be impactful on our students and our campus and colleagues.”

The three-week program is a partnership between the school and the state budget office.

Summer’s the time for Tar Heel tales

UNC Press offers a Mayberry-infused memoir, veteran’s essays, stories of strong Southern women and more.

Rare flowering plant creates Botanical Garden buzz

The American columbo produced its first bloom 19 years after being planted at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.

Withdrawal worse when fentanyl paired with animal tranquilizer

The discovery by UNC School of Medicine researchers should not impact life-saving use of naloxone for opioid overdoses.

Check out summer break resources for students

Student Affairs has compiled a helpful list of places to eat, things to do and links to available services.

Behind this day porter’s smile is a fighter’s spirit

Massey winner Khin Su Su Kyi, a Myanmar refugee, models hard work and diligence.

Nick Siedentop loves working behind the scenes

The Massey Award winner’s contributions to Carolina’s curriculum are vital but often hard to see.

A 2024 graduate tells his 2020 self what’s to come

In this video, Luis Sanchez reflects on a college career that began during the pandemic.

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What would Lisa Simpson do? NYU student protesters asked to ponder ethical issues

FILE - New York University students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside the NYU Stern School of Business building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. Some NYU students facing discipline for their actions during this spring’s pro-Palestinian protests have been assigned a 49-page workbook that includes a “Simpsons"-based module on ethical decision making. Some have been asked to write an apologetic “reflection paper” and submit it “in 12-point Times New Roman or similar font."(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

FILE - New York University students and pro-Israeli supporters rally across the street from pro-Palestinian students and supporters outside the NYU Stern School of Business building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. Some NYU students facing discipline for their actions during this spring’s pro-Palestinian protests have been assigned a 49-page workbook that includes a “Simpsons"-based module on ethical decision making. Some have been asked to write an apologetic “reflection paper” and submit it “in 12-point Times New Roman or similar font.” (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

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NEW YORK (AP) — Would Lisa Simpson set up a tent at New York University to protest the war in Gaza? How would Principal Skinner respond if she did?

Hard to say, but some NYU students facing discipline for their actions during this spring’s pro-Palestinian protests have been assigned a 49-page workbook that includes a “Simpsons”-based module on ethical decision-making. Some have been asked to write an apologetic “reflection paper” and submit it “in 12-point Times New Roman or similar font.”

Like colleges across the U.S., NYU was the scene of protests over Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack during the last weeks of the spring semester.

More than 100 NYU students were arrested when police cleared an encampment at the university’s Manhattan campus on April 22, and about a dozen more were arrested at a smaller encampment on May 3.

NYU’s school year has ended, but the university is requiring some student protesters to go through a disciplinary process that includes answering questions like “What are your values? Did the decision you made align with your personal values?” in a double-spaced reflection paper.

Others must complete a 49-page “Ethos Integrity Series” that asks students to rank their values from 1 to 42 and complete assignments like “write about how your values affect your daily life and the decisions you make.”

One section is based on an episode of “The Simpsons” in which Lisa uncharacteristically cheats on a test and is wracked by guilt. Principal Skinner, meanwhile, wants to keep the cheating under wraps so the school can get a grant. Questions in the ethics workbook include “What, if anything, could Lisa have done or thought about to make better decisions?” and “What are the potential and actual consequences of Principal Skinner’s decisions?”

An NYU group called Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine criticized the assignments in a news release.

Sara Pursley, an associate professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, noted that students completing the reflection paper are told they must not try to justify their actions or “challenge a conduct regulation.”

“Since they can’t write anything justifying their action, students seem to be banned from writing about personal values that might be relevant here, such as a belief in freedom of expression, the responsibility to oppose genocide, or the duty of nonviolent civil disobedience under certain circumstances,” Pursley said. “This seems rather ironic in an essay on integrity.”

NYU spokesperson John Beckman said the disciplinary process is meant to be educational.

“The point of these essays is to reflect upon how a student’s way of expressing their values might be having an impact on other members of the NYU community,” Beckman said. “We think that’s a worthwhile goal.”

He added, “Which is not to say that the specific assignments couldn’t be improved.”

Faculty members and staff from NYU’s Office of Student Conduct will meet in the fall, Beckman said, to consider “what might be done to improve the quality of the prompts for the reflection papers as well as the other educational assignments.”

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2024 Faculty of Science Excellence Award winners announced

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Michelle Maillet (Academic Associate), Lauren Kay (Clerical), Chantal Marotte (Management), and Moshe Dalva (Technical) have been named recipients of the Faculty of Science Excellence Awards.  

These awards, announced at the Faculty of Science Council meeting on May 21st, recognize the outstanding contributions made by members of the Faculty’s administrative and support staff during the 2023-2024 academic year.  

Read below the citations prepared by the Faculty of Science Excellence Awards Committee. 

Michelle Maillet, Department of Geography, Faculty of Science Excellence Award for Academic Associates  

As Undergraduate Advisor, Michelle Maillet has been responsible since 2014 for guiding students through their programs in the Department of Geography. Her job expanded in 2019 when she became full-time advisor for the Interfaculty program in Sustainability Science and Society. As a steadfast supporter of students’ interests, Michelle consistently goes the extra mile to provide students with outstanding support. One of many examples of this is her organization of extra mid-semester activities centered around arts and crafts that enable students to connect, socialize, and let off steam. She has a university-wide reputation as an exceptionally caring undergraduate advisor, to the point where many students name their interactions with her as their favourite part of being a Geography student.  For all these reasons and many more, I am very happy to present the Faculty of Science Excellence Award for Academic Associates to Michelle Maillet. 

Lauren Kay, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science Excellence Award for Clerical Staff  

Since 2010, Lauren Kay has served the Department of Physics with great distinction as the Graduate Program Coordinator. This is a huge responsibility, as Physics has about 200 graduate students, many of whom are international, with around 80 new entrants to be selected and around 80 who complete their programs each year. Lauren has made exceptional efforts to ensure that students progress through their thesis work smoothly, from streamlining procedures for paying them to constituting their thesis committees and coordinating their final defenses. She handles changing or exceptional circumstances, such as students having sudden visa problems, with considerable skill and good grace.   For all these reasons and many more, I am very happy to present the Faculty of Science Excellence Award for Clerical staff to Lauren Kay. 

Chantal Marotte, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science Excellence Award for Management Staff   

Chantal Marotte has been with the Department of Chemistry for 38 years and has been managing the graduate program in Chemistry since 2003. She handles a range of activities, including filling TA positions, assessing graduate applications, and, perhaps most importantly, ensuring the well-being of graduate students with exceptional dedication and skill. At one point, she intervened extensively to find financial support for a student who experienced substantial loss because of a fire in their residence building. How much Chantal has touched the hearts of Chemistry students was made evident by a compilation of video testimonials that students and alumni made in 2021 to thank her for her efforts.  For all these reasons and many more, I am very happy to present the Faculty of Science Excellence Award for Management staff to Chantal Marotte. 

Moshe (Mike) Dalva, Department of Geography, Faculty of Science Excellence Award for Technical Staff   

Moshe (Mike) Dalva has been a Research Technician in the Department of Geography since 2004 and is also an MSc graduate from the same department. He couples exceptional understanding of the theory behind the intricate, complex, and sometimes old, pieces of equipment in Burnside Hall with remarkable technical skill in operating and fixing them. In one instance where an equipment failure appeared to be terminal, Mike was able to diagnose and begin fixing the problem within an hour, potentially saving the student who relied on this equipment many months of delay. He is deeply dedicated to ensuring that researchers conduct their work safely, not just in a laboratory setting but also in remote field locations, where he also provides essential support.   For all these reasons and many more, I am very happy to present the Faculty of Science Excellence Award for Technical staff to Moshe Dalva. 

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