Aggressive and Withdrawn Behaviour at School through the Lens of Teachers and Peers: A Qualitative Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Aggressive/Withdrawn Behaviours and Interpersonal Problems
1.2. Aggressive/Withdrawn Behaviours and Externalising/Internalising Symptomatology
1.3. Teachers’ Reactions to Aggressive and Withdrawn Behaviours
1.4. Aim of the Study
- Do teachers describe children with aggressive behaviour differently than children with socially withdrawn behaviour?
- Are peers’ nominations of children with aggressive or socially withdrawn behaviours characterised by rejection or neglect? Does the occurrence of rejection or neglect differ according to aggressive or withdrawn behaviours?
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
2.2. Procedure
2.3. Measures
2.4. Data Analyses
3. Results
3.1. Teachers’ Descriptions
3.2. Aggressive Behaviours and Attributions
He is an aggressive child because he fights with his classmates and often doesn’t respect adults’ authority and role. One time, during gym hour, he hurt his classmate with a plastic circle. For this action, he received a punishment: He couldn’t play with classmates. However, he continued to display high activity, moving himself excessively in the gym.(Teacher 4)
3.3. Withdrawn Behaviours and Attributions
She’s a very introverted child and focused on her own affairs. She doesn’t say anything about herself. She spent the last year alone. Only during recess time, she plays with a girl attending another class. She never smiles in the classroom.(Teacher 1)
He doesn’t speak. If I didn’t require something of him, he would remain all day without speaking!(Teacher 2)
Since she began school, she has preferred to sit near me in order to interact with me in every moment … She has only one female friend. They spend a lot of time together, not only at school. They attend a modern dance class.(Teacher 2)
She prefers to remain alone… she plays alone. She doesn’t spend time with her classmates.(Teacher 1)
She usually plays alone or with only two girls.(Teacher 5)
He’s a very highly active child. He’s often rejected and isolated by his classmates when he hurts or disturbs them.(Teacher 5)
If I require him to do something standing in front of his classmates, he rejects my request because he’s afraid of being judged or teased by others.(Teacher 3)
3.4. Peer Nominations and Teachers’ Descriptions
She is shy and insecure. She’s always afraid to make mistakes. In the classroom she is still and tranquil. She becomes red in the face very easily and she often feels anxiety.(Teacher 1)
She’s shy, introverted and taciturn. She usually speaks very softly when she must answer a question. For instance, when I read a narrative story in the classroom and I ask questions to pupils, she doesn’t answer aloud, but she whispers because she worries about giving a wrong answer and being teased by her classmates.(Teacher 3)
She is an aggressive child. If another person doesn’t agree with her, she displays an aggressive conduct. For instance, when her mate doesn’t do what she desires, she seeks revenge, breaking the mate’s toys, saying unpleasant words, or hurting him/her. She is also very jealous, and she is very aggressive if a child takes her things.(Teacher 3)
He’s often happy and active. He plays heavy physically impacted games with his mates. However, he engages in controversial interactions with peers. His classmates seek his participation during games, but they reject him when he becomes excessively active. He disturbs his mates and thus, they isolate him. When this occurs, he engages in immature and oppositional attitudes. He damages others’ toys or steals things which are indispensable to complete a game or an activity. Moreover, he often disturbs the lesson. He hurts his classmates or teases them. He provokes us (the teachers) and avoids respecting rules and requests.(Teacher 5)
He prefers playing with few mates. It is very difficult for him to talk about his feelings and emotions and ask for help. He’s often clumsy and messy. He displays difficulty when he must speak to strangers and even when he speaks with familiar people, he’s very introverted and shy. He never begins a game with peers spontaneously. When he’s involved by mates, he plays with them, but always assuming a marginal role and displaying fear to receive a negative judgment. He complains and prefers playing with friends who like passive games and use polite attitudes.(Teachers 5)
4. Discussion
4.1. Children with Aggressive Behaviour: Teachers’ Descriptions and Peer Sociometric Status
4.2. Children with Withdrawn Behaviour: Teachers’ Descriptions and Peer Sociometric Status
4.3. Peer Rejection and Isolation
4.4. Limits and Future Research Directions
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Category | Definition | Raw Frequency Socially Withdrawn n = 31 (%) | Raw Frequency Aggressive n = 15 (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Behaviours | |||
Aggressive/Disruptive | Child physically hurts another person | 0 | 12 (80) |
Rule-breaking/Oppositional | Behaviour inconsistent with school rules and teacher’s instructions | 4 (12.9) | 12 (80) |
High Activity | Child moves around excessively | 0 | 5 (33.3) |
Easily Distressed | Behaviours indicating distress or anxiety | 6 (19.4) | 2 (13.3) |
Blushes or Nervous movements | Movement indicative of anxiety, such as scratching head | 5 (16.1) | 0 |
Clumsy | Poorly coordinated physically | 3 (9.7) | 0 |
Cries | 4 (12.9) | 2 (13.3) | |
Avoids eye contact | Does not look at others directly, lowers head | 3 (9.7) | 0 |
Inattentive | Unfocused, attention wanders, disoriented | 4 (12.9) | 1 (6.7) |
Does not participate or rejected | Stays by self, plays alone, does not participate, or rejected by others | 23 (74.2) | 5 (33.3) |
Untalkative | Talks very little, or with low voice volume | 20 (64.5) | 1 (6.7) |
Passive games or activities | Chooses games or activities with low movement or noise | 9 (29.0) | 0 |
Physical closeness to teacher | Remains physically close to teacher | 10 (32.3) | 0 |
Helpful, Generous | Helps others | 4 (12.9) | 1 (6.7) |
Competitive | Child leads or wants to win | 0 | 4 (26.7) |
Compliant | Obeys teacher | 3 (9.7) | 1 (6.7) |
Attributions | |||
Hostile | Intends to harm another person | 1 (3.2) | 12 (80.0) |
Oppositional | Irreverent attitude towards adult authority | 1 (3.2) | 7 (46.7) |
Introverted | Quiet and unable to make friends easily | 22 (71.0) | 1 (6.7) |
Distressed/Insecure | Upset or worried | 7 (22.6) | 2 (13.3) |
Immature | Seems like a younger child | 1 (3.2) | 3 (20.0) |
Good relationship with teacher | 0 | 2 (13.3) | |
Socially Skilled | Has competency or disposition to initiate and maintain relationships with others | 5 (16.1) | 3 (20.0) |
Submissive | Defers to others’ wishes | 4 (12.9) | 0 |
Dominant | Wants to win or lead games or situations | 1 (3.2) | 2 (13.3) |
Active | Lively by temperament | 3 (9.7) | 5 (33.3) |
Emotions | |||
Fear/Anxiety | 17 (51.5) | 0 | |
Other negative emotions | Sadness, embarrassment, jealousy, frustration | 3 (9.1) | 2 (12.5) |
Status | Raw Frequency (%) | |
---|---|---|
Aggressive Behaviour | Withdrawn Behaviour | |
Popular | 0 (0.0) | 2 (6.5) |
Rejected | 4 (26.7) | 6 (19.4) |
Neglected | 2 (13.3) | 5 (16.1) |
Controversial | 2 (13.3) | 1 (3.2) |
Average | 7 (46.7) | 17 (54.8) |
Total | 15 (100.0) | 31 (100.0) |
Behaviour | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peer Sociometric Status | Aggressive | Withdrawn | |||||||||||||||||
Rejected | Neglected | Rejected | Neglected | Popular | |||||||||||||||
C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 | C5 | C6 | C7 | C8 | C9 | C10 | C11 | C12 | C13 | C14 | C15 | C16 | C17 | C18 | C19 | |
Teachers’ Descriptions | |||||||||||||||||||
Emotional difficulties | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
Socially retired | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||||
Oppositional/hostile | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||
Compliant | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||
Active | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
Competitive | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Socially skilled | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
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Pallini, S.; Lonigro, A.; Barcaccia, B.; Laghi, F.; Schneider, B.H. Aggressive and Withdrawn Behaviour at School through the Lens of Teachers and Peers: A Qualitative Study. Behav. Sci. 2024, 14, 412. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14050412
Pallini S, Lonigro A, Barcaccia B, Laghi F, Schneider BH. Aggressive and Withdrawn Behaviour at School through the Lens of Teachers and Peers: A Qualitative Study. Behavioral Sciences. 2024; 14(5):412. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14050412
Chicago/Turabian StylePallini, Susanna, Antonia Lonigro, Barbara Barcaccia, Fiorenzo Laghi, and Barry H. Schneider. 2024. "Aggressive and Withdrawn Behaviour at School through the Lens of Teachers and Peers: A Qualitative Study" Behavioral Sciences 14, no. 5: 412. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14050412