Student Misbehavior in the EFL Classroom: Perceptions of Pre- and In-Service Teachers

Abstract

From a broad perspective, student misbehavior is described as a set of inappropriate behaviors that can prevent learning in the classroom and seems to be a challenging issue for practitioners. Although it is a contested term in the literature, how teachers perceive misbehavior may contribute to their views of students’ needs and how these needs can be addressed. This phenomenon is also challenging for teacher candidates, and their perception could provide significant data for teacher educators. In the literature, studies either focus on in-service teachers or pre-service teachers although examining both groups working at the same environment would present different perspectives and useful data on student misbehavior in this respect. Therefore, this study aimed to examine how pre- and in-service teachers in a Turkish EFL context perceive student misbehavior and its reasons by employing a phenomenological research design to obtain in-depth data on the research topic. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews conducted with four pre-service English teachers attending teaching practicum at a middle school, and two in-service English teachers working at the same school. Taking an inductive approach, the data were analyzed using content analysis. The types of student misbehavior emphasized by participants included issues such as talking without permission, not participating in the activities and not showing respect to the teacher. As for the reasons behind misbehavior, the participants’ statements included families, teachers and books/curriculum. However, there were differences between the perceptions of pre- and in-service teachers, particularly in the reasons behind misbehavior.

Keywords: Student Misbehavior, EFL Classroom, Teacher Education