Students’ perceived experience of disruptive behavior in schools : a comparative study between schools in the US and Norway

Abstract

This article reports findings from a comparative study of disruptive behaviors in schools in Norway and the United States. The study investigated students’ perceived experience of the phenomenon during class. In total, 1,153 students participated in the study (544 in Norway and 609 in the US). The majority of students in both countries claimed to have been disturbed during the last week and also said that this occurred one or more times every day. Discrepancies in the results were found in that American students report a higher prevalence of disruptive behavior, while Norwegian students seem to find disruptive behavior more disturbing than their American counterparts.