The development of student teachers' views on pupil misbehaviour during an initial teacher training programme in England and Norway

Abstract

A group of postgraduate (secondary school) student teachers attending a teacher training course in York (England) and Stavanger (Norway) completed a questionnaire at the start (N = 174) and at the end (N = 128) of their course which explored their views regarding the factors accounting for pupil misbehaviour, the frequency of pupil misbehaviour, the strategies for dealing with pupil misbehaviour, and their confidence that as a full-time teacher they will have the skills needed to keep pupils engaged in their work and to deal with pupil misbehaviour that occurs. Overall, the major factor accounting for pupil misbehaviour was reported to be 'parents who do not instil pro-school values in their children'; the most frequent pupil misbehaviour reported was 'talking out of turn (e.g. calling out, interrupting, inappropriate remarks or distracting chatter during the lesson)'; and the strategy rated most positively was 'establish clear and consistent school and classroom rules about the behaviours that are acceptable and that are unacceptable'. Both the York and Stavanger students grew in confidence over the year. The study also highlights areas where there appear to be shifts in students' views over the course of their training year and differences between the students across the two settings (York and Stavanger).