Introduction
Education practitioners have to combat a myriad of problems from early times. The one that creates more tension is the conflict of child behaviours, which is very stressful to the professionals. Educators, in their endeavours to promote a favourable learning climate, sometimes deal with students who manifest various dysfunctional behaviours ranging from disobedience and aggression to withdrawal and apathy. Such conduct denies the kids the chance to prosper academically and imposes an enormous emotional burden on teachers and students. This paper focuses on the complexity of upsetting children’s behaviours, exploring the causes of such behaviours, the role of stress in teachers’ lives, and approaches to effectively manage them all while ensuring the well-being of everyone is catered for.
Causes of Challenging Behaviors
One of the main reasons challenging behaviours in children manifest is the emotional or psychological problems that lie beneath them. Young people may bear out challenging behaviour through a way of re-living their hurt emotions that may not be resolved as expressed through anxiety, depression, trauma, or frustration (Schiltz et al., 2023). Take, for instance, a kid who suffered a traumatic experience. They might find it hard to manage their anger because the only way they can cope is by being aggressive or exhibiting the behaviours that they think will give them power in situations where they feel helpless. Similarly, a child suffering from anxiety might demonstrate behaviours of withdrawal or avoidance to help deal with anxious feelings that are too much for them to handle. Identifying the emotional and psychological processes that play a vital role in the manifestation of intricate behaviours ought to be the first step in developing practical solutions that will reach their goal and promote the child’s emotional stability at the same time.
Also, environmental influences such as family relationships, socioeconomic factors, and cultural norms add to the list of factors that promote acting out behaviours in children. A few kids having a hard time at home with a lack of support or conflict in the family unit might undertake this annoying perception as a reaction to the pressure or use of these behaviours to get something from others. In the same vein, socio-cultural and socio-economical factors, which include poverty, lack of other resources, and exposure to violence, might impact a child’s behaviour and emotional state exceedingly (Schiltz et al., 2023). Cultural standards and guidelines established about acceptable behaviour and ways of communication could be factors leading to some of the behaviours presented as difficult in particular situations.
Furthermore, neurological and developmental factors are the key triggers of challenging behaviour in children. The appearance of neurological diseases, Attraction deficit/hyperactivity syndrome (ADHD), Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Sensory processing disorders significantly impact child behaviour and ability to constrain emotions and impulses (Schiltz et al., 2023). Because of the symptoms that are characteristic of ADHD, children may have problems with impulsiveness, hyperactivity and difficulty in sustaining concentration. Therefore, they behave by fidgeting, interrupting or misbehaving in the classroom. The repetitive movements, social problems, and sensory sensitivities which can complicate the academic setting may also be seen in children with ASD (Ringer et al., 2020).
Further, the role of peer relationships, social interactions, and dynamics should be supported in examining challenging behaviours in children. Social engagement among peers is critical in role-modelling behaviours, and hence, children might imitate the behaviours of their peers during group interactions such as classes or field day events (Schiltz et al., 2023). In crowds, group pressure, social class, and a desire to be recognized for conformity and identity play a significant role but may also lead to unfavourable behaviours like bullying, defiance, or following the norm of the group. Besides that, social exclusion or being socially isolated in a group by age mates is an intensifier of loneliness, low self-regard, and frustration, which causes the following problems in behaviour regulation and well-being.
Impact of Stress on Educators
Coping with demanding child behaviours can be a very stressful process for educators, and ultimately, the educators may suffer job dissatisfaction, burnout, and increased stress levels. Teachers are responsible for providing academic info, managing classroom behaviours, caring for each student individually, and ensuring a safe and friendly learning atmosphere (VanOrmer, 2020). The continuous stress of tenaciously dealing with the most troublesome behaviours that other responsibilities and duties could juggle is generally a cause of stress, emotional exhaustion and burnout among the school community members, especially teachers.
Students with autism will have to face many emotional and psychological effects that come along with these behaviours, manifested through anxiety, frustration, and even the feeling of incompetence. Teachers might have to deal with increased pressure if class objectives are interrupted by the student’s disruptive behaviour, which also hinders the education of other children (Ringer et al., 2020). Besides, intense emotions generated by dealing with students showing very challenging or physically aggressive behaviours drain our teachers emotionally and make them feel tired and unsatisfied with their jobs, affecting their well-being.
Furthermore, unstated rules, such as curriculum expectations and disciplinary requirements, can make it harder for educators, especially in an environment with limited resources and support (Mohta, 2021). Instructors may feel overburdened with the long-term assistance they have to render and, therefore, need help looking for efficient means of dealing with undesirable behaviours while maintaining a serene and secure learning environment (Schiltz et al., 2023). The amount of stress that accumulates over time factors considerably into this problem, with its effect on teachers leading to burnout and compassion fatigue. Ultimately, these teachers leave their careers, leading to reduced student outcomes and, eventually, the low quality of the education system.
Strategies for Managing Challenging Behaviors
The holistic management of problem behaviours exhibited by children requires an approach that plans to identify the causes of the behaviour in children and promote social and emotional development and well-being (VanOrmer, 2020). Educators can use different approaches to make the classroom an environment that embodies tolerance and cooperation, a place for practising positive behaviour and increased student involvement. A core strategy for managing challenging behaviours is setting an appropriate and clear behavioural and classroom routine expectation (Schiltz et al., 2023). Structuring and scheduling the class can be a powerful tool to achieve peace of mind for the students, thus creating a feeling of security, continuity and predictability in the school environment. In that manner, teachers can work with students to co-develop classroom rules and norms that put age-appropriate demands rather positively in words and are enforced consistently (Mohta, 2021).
In addition, preventive measures, including heterogeneous instruction and individualized assistance, will help to solve different problems and reduce challenging behaviour possibilities (Mohta, 2021). At the heart of this approach is offering individualized learning to each student based on and responding to his/her strengths and interests. In addition, educators consider the students’ accommodation and exceptional support needs to enable them to take ownership and participate well in the learning process (Schiltz et al., 2023). This will consist of extra academic assistance, revising tasks while grading them or adopting adjustments that concern the developmental or sensory disability of a specific student.
Moreover, establishing healthy and community-oriented relationships and teaching social skill sets helps prevent and tackle children’s disruptive behaviour. Teachers can create spaces where dialogue and honest communication can emerge between students, for instance, through cooperative learning, peer mentorship or restorative justice (Schiltz et al., 2023). Creating a sense of connection within the class lowers loneliness and provokes suprovokesies such as compassion, teamwork, and conflict-resolution students. Furthermore, introducing deliberate social-emotional education programs that guide students to be aware of their feelings and control them effectively significantly impacts their success in getting on with their learning (Mohta, 2021).
Partnership with the family caregiver and links with the support staff may be instrumental in addressing the disturbing behaviours (VanOrmer, 2020). Actively inviting families as collaborators in the educational process can provide those unique perspectives on their child’s strengths, weaknesses and interests to the teacher, which can drive her/him to develop an intervention or support plan suited to the needs of the particular student (Ringer, et al., 2020). Similarly, partnerships with support specialists like school counsellors and social workers could provide additional support to confront complex behavioural issues and maintain students’ social and emotional health.
Conclusion
In conclusion, working with discipline and complex child behaviours are the biggest challenges for educators, resulting in the inability to either academically progress or emotionally prosper for both students and teachers alike. Educators can better establish supportive and inclusive learning environments by identifying the reason for the persistence of difficult behaviour, grasping the impact of stress on teachers and implementing behaviour management techniques. Consequently, the positive growth of the students’ behaviours and the improvement of learning engagement will occur. The social-emotional development and wellness of all school parties are promoted by placing them first. With this, educators can create a community of empathy, resilience, and collaboration that strengthens the competence of the learners academically and in their everyday lives and social interactions.
References
Mohta , P. (2021). Challenging Behaviour in Children | GoStudent. Insights.gostudent.org. https://insights.gostudent.org/en/challenging-behaviour-in-children
Ringer, N., Wilder, J., Scheja, M., & Gustavsson, A. (2020). Managing children with challenging behaviours. Parents’ meaning-making processes in relation to their children’s ADHD diagnosis. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 67(4), 376-392.
Schiltz, H. K., McVey, A. J., Magnus, B., Dolan, B. K., Willar, K. S., Pleiss, S., Karst, J., Carson, A. M., Caiozzo, C., Vogt, E., & Van Hecke, A. V. (2023). Examining the Links Between Challenging Behaviors in Youth with ASD and Parental Stress, Mental Health, and Involvement: Applying an Adaptation of the Family Stress Model to Families of Youth with ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(4), 1169–1180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3446-0
VanOrmer, J. (2020). Parental Mental Health in Children with Autism: Effects of Parental Support, Family Resilience, and Parental Stress (Doctoral dissertation, University of South Alabama).
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