Teachers say children are becoming ruder. And new research confirms this

An Ontario teacher says “manners in classrooms have disappeared” since the pandemic, and new research confirms kids are becoming ruder both to teachers and to each other.

“There are a lot more spikes,” said Marilinda LaMarra, a high school teacher in the York Catholic District School Board in Ontario.

“Students feel empowered to just speak their mind whenever a question comes up on their mind… or they ask to go to the bathroom mid-sentence while I’m teaching,” she said. Electric current.

Lamarra says students have difficulty concentrating throughout class and seem unable to control their disruptive behavior. They are also more rude to each other and often cannot resolve conflicts without resorting to yelling.

“It’s becoming more and more visible since COVID,” she said.

They were at home behind the screen… They could do what they wanted– Marilinda Lamarra

A recent Brock University study found a significant increase in classroom incivility since the pandemic. Researchers asked 308 Ontario children aged nine to 14 to fill out a questionnaire that asked if they had ever exhibited rude or disruptive behavior.

This includes things like texting in class, interrupting or talking to the teacher, and packing up before class ends. Brock’s team also spoke with 101 elementary teachers about their experiences in the classroom.

This data was collected in fall 2022 and compared with surveys previously conducted in fall 2019. The results showed a significant increase in the level of incivility in the classroom, although other issues covered in the survey, such as bullying and emotional well-being, changed little.

Natalie Spadafora, who led the study, said that while some behaviors may seem like minor annoyances, they should not be discounted.

“In general, we know from teachers, students and our research that this can have negative consequences,” said Spadafora, a research fellow and adjunct professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies at Brock University.

“We know that if left unchecked, it can develop into higher levels of anti-social behavior.”

“Houses Behind the Screen”

LaMarra believes pandemic shutdowns and remote learning have played a role in this surge in incivility, especially among younger children who have struggled to learn how to behave in the classroom.

“They were at home behind a screen, without any instruction or decorum in the classroom… They could do whatever they wanted, and they seemed to bring that into the classroom,” she said.

Lamarra said teachers expected they would have to catch up with the kids to get them back on track, but it wasn’t easy.

“There are students who have come back, it’s just been slower than expected,” she said.

Spadafora believes the pandemic did have an impact, but notes that generational and technological factors may also play a role.

“Ten years ago…texting during class wasn’t a thing on our scale, but now it definitely is,” she said.

“I would say behavior changes over time, right?”

She added that many of these problems do not involve children intentionally trying to cause harm. She gave the example of packing books before the end of class and while the teacher is still teaching because the child wants to get to recess or go home at the end of the day.

These kids think “about themselves or their social life” but “forget about group dynamics and what that might mean on a larger scale,” she said.

Back to basics

Lamarra said such interruptions can be frustrating, but as a teacher she has to maintain her composure and help her students improve their behavior.

“I think we just need to go back to the basics, where when we teach politeness, we teach proper manners,” she said.

She added that “parents really have a role to play in teaching their children how to cope in the classroom, how to cope in the community. We have to give them these skills.”

She is concerned that if children do not learn to behave politely in the classroom, bad behavior will manifest itself in society at large as they grow older.

Spadafora agrees that it is important to teach civility at a young age.

“Civilian children are civilian adults, and that’s what we all want,” she said.