Behavioural difficulties in schoolchildren can be addressed through an inclusive educational system based on encouraging learning, rather than pointing out faults, three college principals believe.
Acknowledging that the streaming system was linked to students' behavioural problems, the principals of the St Margaret, St Clare and Gozo colleges agreed that a more tailored approach towards education would achieve better results by battling bad attitudes and improving students' performance.
Their views were mirrored in a recent national study, which found that students attending streamed classes were more likely to exhibit social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and that learning and behavioural difficulties were "inextricably linked".
The study, carried out by the University of Malta and the University of Leicester, revealed that 9.7 per cent of Maltese schoolchildren exhibit a social, emotional or behavioral difficulty. This was close to the 10 per cent prevalence rate established by similar studies in the international field.
The research, based on 10 per cent of the student population, found that 10.3 per cent of secondary school students had difficulties when compared to nine per cent in primary schools.
Boys exhibited more difficulties than girls, but while boys engaged in more behaviour problems, girls had more pronounced emotional difficulties.
The authors of the study - Carmel Cefai, Paul Cooper and Liberato Camilleri - identified four different types of behaviour difficulties: hyperactivity that included restlessness; conduct behaviour such as aggression and defiance; emotional difficulties like nervousness, crying and worrying; and peer problems such as bullying.
Hyperactivity was the most frequent problem, followed by emotional, peer and conduct difficulties.
The research established that state schools faced the most difficulties in both primary and secondary levels, while students from the inner harbour and northern regions were more likely to have behaviour problems and those from Gozo encountered more emotional issues. When contacted Sandro Spiteri, the principal of St Margaret College that covers the Cottonera area, said the study was "a very valid piece of work" as "it gives us strong background for what we already experience".
Mr Spiteri added that his college, which hosts several students with difficult social problems, was working hard to focus on including all children.
As pointed out in the study, he said, behavioural problems could be manifested by "acting out" through obvious actions of misbehaviour, or "acting in" by keeping feelings bottled up. The latter often went unnoticed and this study helped bring it to the surface.
His college, he added, was developing support structures to help students face difficulties and set up nurture groups in two primary schools and learning support zones in secondary schools.
Similarly, the principal of St Clare College, Bernardette Azzopardi, and the principal of the Gozo College, Frank Gatt, said the study supported their experience.
Ms Azzopardi said the current streaming system could lead to the unfortunate situation where creative children started believing they were "ignorant" compared to their peers who made it to higher-level classes.
Instilling students with a sense of respect towards one another and the staff was a key element in battling behavioural issues and improving their learning, she said. Respect was a two-way stream and teachers were also careful how they spoke to students.
Mr Gatt said he believed in tailoring the curriculum to students with difficulties adding that he had implemented such initiatives in Gozo.
Dr Cefai, one of the authors of the study, explained that the research started three years ago following a number of serious behavioural incidents in schools. Recently, a five-year-old boy poked his teacher with a crayon in the eye. The report included recommendations on addressing the subject by, among other things, training staff in behaviour management; early screening of children with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties to ensure early intervention and support; and offering family support. Recommendations included the review of the national minimum curriculum and the streaming system.
These should be addressed in a consultation document to be issued by the Education Ministry in the coming days after it was approved by Cabinet last month.