Teachers putting pressure on children can make them disruptive, says report

NAGGING TEACHERS can lead to children becoming more disruptive and disengaged in the classroom, according to new research.

A study published yesterday found that psychological pressure from teachers can contribute towards youngsters losing interest in lessons.

The work, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Kent in Canterbury, found that while teachers may be putting pressure on pupils in an attempt to engage them, their efforts in the classroom can actually have the opposite effect.

The pressures placed on youngsters by their teachers include threatening a child with punishment such as detention if they fail to follow a request, or telling them to do something without explaining why.

This can lead to youngsters showing signs of disengagement, such as talking or fidgeting in class, or switching off and daydreaming, the study suggested.

The report’s author, Dr Stephen Earl, stressed that at times teachers have a very difficult job, and if there are children in a lesson who are disengaged it is easy respond by putting pressure on them.

He explained: “It’s a kind of threat, a pressure to get them to do it.

“Although it’s intended to engage them more, the study shows it might actually disengage them more in an active or passive way.”

The small-scale study, which involved 647 pupils aged between 11 and 14 at three schools, was based on asking pupils to complete questionnaires about their classes.

Teachers were also asked to rate how engaged they thought students were in lessons.

The purpose of the study was to examine disengagement in classrooms.

Dr Earl confirmed he is planning a larger study on disengagement which will involve additional schools to provide a more comprehensive picture about how children react to the pressures which are placed on them.