NCJ Number
105713
Date Published
1986
Length
38 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews research on the causes of school disruption and student misbehavior, identifies promising strategies for reducing these problems, and provides examples of researcher-practitioner collaboration.
Abstract
School factors that contribute to these problems include lack of clear rules, poor teacher-administration interaction, lack of teaching resources, punitive teacher attitudes, and lack of clear policies. School disorders also appear greatest in large schools and urban settings. Disruptive students tend to attend school irregularly, do not perform well in school, have low educational expectations, have little adult supervision, and have delinquent friends. An organizational development approach that shows promise focuses on improving communication and trust and enhancing the school organization's problemsolving and decisionmaking abilities. Another approach, behavior management, emphasizes elements that increase rule clarity and consistency of rule enforcement, increase the use of positive reinforcement by school personnel, and enhance parental ability to reward positive and punish negative student behaviors. Finally, an academic remediation approach aims at increasing instructional relevance and reducing failure, and offers incentives for corrective instruction. 40 references.