Children have “forgotten how to be in school” following the extended shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a significant increase in disruptive behaviours after returning to the classroom, a new study finds.
Published last October in the journal School Psychology, the Canadian study compared student behaviour before and after the pandemic using surveys of 308 adolescents aged 9 to 14 and observations from 101 primary school (Grades 1 to 3) teachers. It found that classroom incivility—rude behaviours such as interrupting lessons, ignoring rules, and showing disrespect—was significantly higher in the fall of 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels in fall 2019.
“I think a lot of students missed out on the social skills we teach from year to year,” an unnamed teacher is quoted as saying in the study. “Add that to increased work expectation of being in-person and lower academic knowledge, and it is reflected in the uncivil behaviour.”
The research was conducted in two phases. In the first, students completed self-reporting surveys on the frequency of various uncivil behaviours in the classroom, such as going online or playing games during lessons. They also reported on bullying, emotional problems, and their friendships.
While bullying, emotional problems, and friendship levels remained stable, the study found that “classroom incivility was significantly higher” in 2022 after shutdown compared to before the pandemic. Researchers suggest this reflects a lack of practice, with students having “forgotten how to be in school.”
Teacher Observations
In the second phase of the study, teachers were asked to compare their students’ behaviour before and after the pandemic. They reported a significant increase in classroom disruptions, with 42 percent saying misbehaviour occurred daily, up from just 6 percent before the pandemic.
Teachers were also asked to rate the seriousness of classroom incivility. In the 2021–2022 school year, 68 percent of primary teachers rated it as “moderately serious” or “very serious,” up from 32 percent before the pandemic. Meanwhile, only 17 percent rated it as “slightly serious” or “not at all serious,” compared to 62 percent prior to the pandemic.
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Teachers noted that many students lacked essential social skills and had difficulty following classroom routines. This was particularly evident in younger students, who struggled with self-regulation and cooperating with others, the study said.
“Prior to Covid and online learning, students were respectful towards their teachers,” a participating teacher was quoted as saying. “They raised their hand, didn’t interrupt during lessons, added valuable comments to lessons. This year, students have completely taken a 180. They do not know how to act accordingly in class.”
The students “require a lot of coaching on how to work with others kindly and cooperatively,” according to one teacher. Another one said that, in some cases, student incivility disrupted lessons and forced teachers to “abandon” their lesson plans to address social and emotional issues.
Teachers also reported that students were more individualistic and had little regard for group work or classroom rules. “Students are selfish, zero concern for others, expect everything to be done for them, do not problem solve at all,” one teacher noted. “They do what they want when they want.”
The study was co-authored by Natalie Spadafora, an adjunct professor at McMaster University; professor Tony Volk at Brock University; and Elizabeth Al-Jbouri, a researcher at the University of Calgary.
