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Description
Creating and maintaining an engaging and productive learning environment is a critical aspect of teaching expertise with significant implications for student learning and outcomes. However, student misbehavior can hinder teachers' ability to maintain such an environment. Understanding common types of student misbehavior and exploring teachers' coping strategies is essential. This paper reports the findings of a study on common misbehaviors in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, as perceived by secondary school EFL teachers, and the coping strategies they employ, along with the perceived effectiveness of these strategies. Using a survey conducted with 30 English teachers from 14 secondary schools in a rural district in northern Vietnam, the study found that all commonly identified student misbehaviors in the literature were reported by the teachers. Among these, the most frequent misbehaviors were minor, such as students’ lack of attention, disinterest in participation, and off-topic conversations. More serious behaviors, such as sexual disturbance, vandalism, stealing, and violence, were found to be uncommon. To manage these behaviors, teachers primarily employed strategies such as praising or rewarding positive behavior, hinting at inappropriate behavior, encouraging participation, conversing with students, and implementing disciplinary measures with increasing severity as needed. Additionally, a significant positive relationship was observed between the frequent use of coping strategies and their perceived effectiveness. These findings are expected to be helpful for secondary school teachers in similar contexts.
