Behavior modification

Most of the time when one speaks about student ethics, they probably mean things like plagiarism and cheating. But student ethics extend beyond classwork—they extend to classroom behavior as well. This behavior requires little more than being considerate of the people around you, yet a number of students seem to have a problem behaving in class.

Disruptions in the classroom are something that most, if not all, students experience during their education. Things such as coming late or leaving early, talking during lecture and misuse of laptops are just a few of the ways students can disrupt a class.

For many students, focusing on a lecture does not come easily. Distractions from other students can have a large impact on the absorption of information in the classroom. Actions that one may consider small, such as shifting around bags or showing up 15 minutes late, may be large distractions to another student who is trying hard to focus. Even aside from that, someone watching a YouTube video or playing a game on a laptop can be distracting to anyone.

Talking during a lecture is by far the most disruptive student behavior, as it not only distracts students but it also changes the overall flow and feel of the classroom. It takes focus away from the professor and makes it more likely that other students may be disruptive as well. Some would say that it is common knowledge that talking over a professor is something that should not happen, yet it seems a common enough occurrence to warrant complaint. Often, these disruptions go on without intervention or reprimand from the professor, which allows the behavior to continue.

For more insight on these occurrences and other student behavior, I interviewed Dr. Michael Ward, who has been an English professor at Portland State for three years and has taught at other schools such University of Oregon and Clark College over the last 18 years. Dr. Ward said that “the type who talk [in class] are the kind who will always do it,” unless someone intervenes.

Oddly enough, Dr. Ward says that, in his experience, the most effective way to prevent repetition of this behavior is not to reprimand the student himself, but for another student in the class to confront the offender. This way the student becomes aware of their behavior, instead of just having been chastised by an authority figure. Allowing students to police themselves, to a degree, prevents repetition and seems to be very effective.

If students do not confront their peers, then the professor must step in if they feel that the disruption has gotten out of hand. Unfortunately, however, many educators may wait too long to get involved or avoid the problem entirely. Dr. Ward told me that he must reprimand a student at least once a term, and possibly once per class session if given a particularly troublesome student.

It is this writer’s belief that Portland State has a higher level of distracting individuals when compared to other universities; this may be for a number of different reasons. Dr. Ward believes that, at least compared to community colleges, this may be due to the difference in the average age of students.
Often older students are those more likely to confront another student when they are being disruptive. The average university student, however, is much less likely to put him or herself out there and acknowledge the behavior.

When I asked Megan Turvey, a student at the University of Portland, about these behaviors, she told me that she has not experienced any similar occurrences in her four years at university to those that happen frequently at Portland State. She says that any disruptions have been minimal and that she has actually been reprimanded for simply text messaging during a class, which can hardly even be considered a distraction to others.

In fact, Megan also said, “I sat in back of a girl all semester who took notes on a laptop and I never saw her once do anything but take notes on it.”

Perhaps the difference lies in the fact that admission to University of Portland requires a lifestyle that facilitates the development of good classroom behavior. Or one could just make it easier and point out the difference in tuition. Whatever the reason, discrepancies between student conduct and the institutions can be seen.

It would seem that the combination of student and professor indifference, the average student age, and the caliber of student at PSU may all be factors that contribute to a higher level of disruptive students. Not talking while a professor is speaking seems like something that should not need to be said, but apparently it does.

Perhaps students should feel more encouraged to step up and confront those that are negatively effecting their education, especially because those offenders may not even know what they are doing.

Ignoring these matters does not serve anybody’s interest and it would seem that a comment from a peer has a much better affect than one from a professor. So don’t be afraid to speak up—the distraction you may cause will ultimately be more beneficial than ignoring the problem.