ABSTRACT
The management of child behaviour has long exercised schools. Concerns about attitude, application to work tasks and general social behaviour can be traced back to the origins of compulsory education and the establishment of schools. This concern perhaps reveals much about the extent to which the way we have structured education in industrialized society is compatible with and takes account of the psychological development of children and young people. It is noticeable that each generation of educators would appear to observe a detrimental decline in behaviour and attitude. Some prefer to reflect on a previous age when children were apparently well behaved and respectful of authority. Evidence suggests, however, that the management of child behaviour has always tested the resources of teachers and encouraged a search for strategies and solutions.
