Student Misbehaviors, University Instructors’’ Mental Health, and Trauma Management: A Phenomenological Study

Authors

Abdul Karim, Brac UniversityFollow
Bineeta Rahman, Brac UniversityFollow
Muhammad Kamarul Kabilan, Universiti Sains MalaysiaFollow

Abstract

The present study aimed to unpack student misbehaviors that instructors face inside the university campus. It also intended to unfold how student misbehaviors affect instructors’ mental health and how they overcome the trauma engendered by student misbehaviors. Adopting a phenomenological approach, we explored the phenomenon to answer the research questions by conducting semi-structured interviews with six teachers. Through a thematic analysis, we found that university instructors experience various misbehaviors presented by students inside the university campus, and as a result, their mental health suffers. However, instructors tend to ignore their mental health and focus on academic activities to overcome the trauma. The study is pedagogically and methodically conducive to the existing literature.

Keywords

student misbehaviors, classroom misbehaviors, teachers’ mental health, trauma management, university instructors, thematic analysis

Author Bio(s)

Abdul Karim teaches at Brac Institute of Languages, Brac University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. His research interests include Pre- and In-service Teacher Education, Teachers’ Psychological Well-being, Language Policy and Planning, Translanguaging, English Language Education, Teacher Education as well as Professional Development. He has disseminated his ideas through scholarly publication in journals, including Applied Linguistics Review, Journal of Language, Identity and Education, Journal of Teacher Education, Asian Englishes, English Teaching & Learning, The Qualitative Report, and Reading & Writing Quarterly. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2488-8297 Please direct correspondence to abdul.karim@bracu.ac.bd

Bineeta Rahman is Lecturer at Brac University. She was educated at East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She teaches EAP (English for Academic Purposes) courses. Please direct correspondence to bineeta.rahman@bracu.ac.bd

Professor Dr. Muhammad Kamarul Kabilan teaches at the School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. His research interests include ICT/Social Media and English Language Education, as well as professional development and critical practices of teachers. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6839-3344 Please direct correspondence to kabilan@usm.my

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to the participants of the study. Besides, we pay heartfelt thanks to the anonymous reviewers.

Publication Date

12-1-2024

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2024.6203

Recommended APA Citation

Karim, A., Rahman, B., & Kabilan, M. K. (2024). Student misbehaviors, university instructors’ mental health, and trauma management: A phenomenological study. The Qualitative Report, 29(10), 2716-2749. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2024.6203