Understanding Imitated Misbehaviours of Children as Hindrance to Positive Classroom Experiences: An Exploration of Primary School Teachers' Conceptions

Imitated misbehaviours as a prevalent form of interaction between children often disrupt their classroom experiences. Teachers, being the authority figure in the classroom, are expected to manage imitated misbehaviours and create a classroom climate that can positively influence the children. In line with this, this study analyses the conceptions of teachers regarding the causes of imitated misbehaviours, the impact of imitated misbehaviours on classroom experience, and the strategies used to minimise it. The study used an exploratory qualitative design. The data were collected from in-depth interviews of 20 primary school teachers. From the thematic analysis of the data, three themes emerged: recreated realities, classroom disconnection and adaptable classroom structure. The findings of the study show that from teachers' experiences, children who show imitated misbehaviours are often unaware of their actual consequences. The study also found that teachers mostly equip reactive strategies rather than proactive strategies to deal with imitated misbehaviours. The results of the study are very significant as they stress the essentiality of appropriate representation among teachers to deal with inappropriate behaviours of children and provide a classroom climate that can enrich their experiences.