ABSTRACT
Historically, attempts to understand and deal with behavioural difficulties in schools have tended to focus on the pupil as being, and having, the problem. This is not surprising given the responsibility of teachers to create effective learning environments for whole classes of pupils and for which there is a need to maintain a certain degree of order and discipline in the classroom. Behaviour problems constitute a direct threat to that responsibility and, at the same time, may be seen as reflecting poorly on the teacher’s professional skills and status in the eyes of colleagues, parents and pupils. From this perspective, it is understandable that teachers react negatively to the occurrence of behaviour problems, and that such problems have been conceptualised in ways which ascribe primary responsibility for the problems to the pupils.
