Positive Relationships: Behaviour - Caught on film

Why do some children get a reputation as a 'problem' or as 'naughty' in the early years at school? What can we do to change adult perceptions of 'troublesome' youngsters? These were the questions that we tackled, first in a research project, and then in a film aimed at people who work with young children. We hope the film, which comes with support materials, will spark discussion and questions and so prompt practitioners to rethink their established practices and their assumptions about young children's behaviour.

'Problem' behaviour in school is always a controversial issue. Its origins are often thought to relate to the child's level of maturity, family practices, or a combination of both. However, this can lead practitioners to believe that responsibility for behaviour lies entirely with children or their familes, and that it is the role of early education to compensate for this lack in the child or their home. We believe that this overlooks the role of the early education system and schooling itself in producing 'problem' behaviour and 'bad' reputations.

STUDY

Our study started from the basis that gaining a reputation as a 'good' or 'problem' pupil is never the sole responsibility of the child. Taking part in the project were four reception classes in four Greater Manchester primary/infant schools, serving a mix of affluent and deprived, white and multi-ethnic communities.

The project team visited each school weekly throughout the reception year and in to the beginning of Y1. All aspects of school life were recorded, on paper and video. The teachers also took part in interviews and workshops, to view the recordings and discuss any themes that were emerging.

In our final report, we noted that, although it is necessary to have expectations, a very significant amount of classroom time was devoted to spelling out behavioural rules and identifying violations, with the result that some children gained 'bad' reputations in the eyes of their classmates and other adults.

We also found that caring and reflective staff drew sensitively on their knowledge of a child's home life in deciding how best to meet their needs. However, this same humane 'interest' could foster negative views of children and their families.

MAKING THE FILM

During the project, we noticed how school staff tended to view our video excerpts as confirming their existing values and practices. They praised incidents as examples of 'good practice' or dismissed them as illustrations of 'disruptive moments'. Rather than helping teachers to see children's behaviour in a new light and opening up constructive debates, our video recordings seemed to be closing down discussions by perpetuating stereotypes of 'the nursery nurse', 'the teacher', 'the child'.

So, we decided to try to create a more challenging resource that might have a better chance of stirring practitioners' emotional engagement and desire to rethink their attitudes and practices.

The resulting film features strong images and overlays video footage with policy and other statements made by practitioners and other people who viewed early versions of the film. The names of children, teachers and schools in the film are pseudonyms.

THEMES

The film encapsulates the main themes and findings that emerged from the study, as follows.

'Problem' behaviour

We noted how early years practitioners often seemed particularly concerned by two broad categories of behaviour: the 'traumatic' in their immediate physical impact (biting, kicking, punching and so on) and failing to respond to an adult's request. Breaking class 'rules' - such as 'calling out' or not sitting 'properly' - was a major focus in the reception year.

Children were reminded of the rules in many ways - verbally, drawing attention to rule-breaking behaviours, circle games and reward systems such as stickers. Such disciplining was mostly carried out in plain view of other children, which had a very public effect on a child's reputation.

The children being singled out were those who were failing to meet practitioners' expectations of 'normal' development or behaviour for a child of that age. It seemed to us that, for whatever reasons, some children were not able or did not want to act like the 'good child' who is pictured in UK early years curriculum policy and practice.

In the film, we combine images and statements to prompt a rethink in practitioners' attitudes around what is understood as 'problem behaviour'. For example, alongside images of children playing with imaginary guns is the statement from a BBC documentary: '...sometimes...you can tell that these children are going wrong...'.

The 'normal' child

Our project report notes that children who fail to act, or are seen not to act, in line with what is 'normal' and what is expected for children of their age are at risk of being judged a problem. There is top-down pressure too on practitioners, through inspection reports, assessment and targets, to ensure that the children in their class are acting within the range that defines 'normal' behaviour.

In the film we use footage of a practitioner helping a child to hold a paintbrush and apply paint carefully. But it is clear that the practitioner's 'rush' to move along the child's minor motor skills is determined by the path of 'normal' development, reinforced by the EYFS (DCSF, 2008).

Difficult bodies

During the study, we regularly heard adults reminding children to think about how they were using or controlling their bodies.

• 'Stay on your bottoms so everyone can see... Hands up, don't call out.'

• 'I can hear some children talking... it has to be quiet when I am doing the register.'

• 'Now let me see who is sitting beautifully.'

Here, the film aims to show that for some children, learning to control their body is a complex task.

Generally, we found tolerance of difference was low. In all four classrooms, staff continually stressed the norms and conventions for behaviour and 'appropriate' expression of feelings. They also devoted significant time and effort to helping children who appeared to have trouble controlling their bodies (less mature children were more likely be touched and manipulated), but the aim was to help such children become less different.

Parents

Our study found that 'unco-operative' or 'aggressive' behaviour did not always result in a child developing a poor reputation. To acquire a 'bad' reputation, the child had to have a parent whom staff viewed as neglectful, indulgent, anxious or unco-operative. For example, one TA commented to the class teacher, 'The behaviours aren't their fault. I blame the parents... Basically they're feral, aren't they?'

As a result, the school's mission was viewed as one of civilising children whose parents had failed to do an adequate job.

Observing and monitoring

The study found that once stories of a child's bad reputation had begun to circulate, it was often difficult for a child's behaviour not to be interpreted as a 'sign' of a more worrying problem. We used the film to open up questions about how a school's observation and monitoring systems may contribute to a child's reputation.

Some children in the study arrived in reception year with 'bad' reputations and 'problem' behaviours already documented in reports from feeder nurseries. However, some teachers were aware of the potentially harmful effects of setting too much store on these reports.

The difficulties of being good

Our study found children need to be able to figure out what 'good' and 'bad' behaviour means within the classroom, such as 'sitting properly', 'good listening', being 'sensible', not being 'silly'. These things might seem obvious to us, but they rely on the ability to scan and interpret what other people are saying and doing, and then copy it.

Children were also expected to display a range of social, attitudinal and moral qualities - being kind, being helpful, working hard, being polite, sharing. Again, it was not self-evident what had to be done to earn these descriptions.

We were also concerned that the emphasis on positive or 'warm' feelings left very little space for children to discuss or express more complicated feelings, such as fear, envy, boredom, sadness or loneliness. What are the implications, we wonder, for this apparent 'silencing' of some aspects of children's experiences and thoughts?

FINAL WORD

By using our film and resources, we hope practitioners will avoid intervening too early with explanations and 'solutions' for children who are beginning to emerge as a problem; reflect on how the developmental maps underpinning early years professional practice may generate 'deficit' views of some children, parents and families; reconsider the public nature of discipline, and so see and 'think' children outside of developmental and normalising discourses.

Maggie MacLure is Professor of Education, Rachel Holmes is Reader in Cultural Studies of Childhood, Liz Jones is Professor of Early Childhood Education and Christina MacRae is Research Associate at Manchester Metropolitan University

BECOMING A PROBLEM

'Becoming a Problem: How Children Acquire a Reputation as "Naughty" in the Earliest Years at School' is at: www.esri.mmu.ac.uk/resprojects/reports/becomingaproblem.pdf

'Addressing "problem behaviour" in the early years: an innovative film resource' and supplementary resources can be viewed in full at www.esri.mmu.ac.uk/resprojects/project_outline.php?project_id=133

Both the original study and the development of the film were funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. We are very grateful to the children and school staff who took part in the research.

MORE INFORMATION

• Jones, L, Holmes, R, MacLure, M and MacRae, C (2010) 'Improper children', in N Yelland (ed) Contemporary Perspectives on Early Childhood Education. Open University Press

• MacLure, M, Jones, L, Holmes, R and MacRae, C (2011) 'Becoming a problem: behaviour and reputation in the early years classroom', in British Educational Research Journal, DOI:10.1080/01411926.2011.552709

• Roffey, S (1992) School behaviour and families: A framework for working together. David Fulton publishers

• Rutter, M, Tizard, J and Whitmore, K (1970) Education, health and behaviour. Longman

• Tizard, B, Blatchford, P, Borke, J, Farquhar, C and Plewis, I (1988) Young children at school in the inner city. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

• Walkerdine, V (1988) The mastery of reason: cognitive development and the production of rationality. Routledge.