A Study of Instructional Guidelines for Stopping Students Talking in Lessons: Classroom Observation and Practice in a Junior High School

Abstract

We observed and quantitatively compared talking (whispering and chattering) by eight junior high school students who had conspicuous problematic behaviors in class and the restraint by four teachers against them. The results suggested that the following four guidelines are useful in reducing students’ talking in class: (a) the restraint must be strong enough; (b) the restraint must occur immediately after the occurrence of talking; (c) the restraint must be applied to all talking, and (d) the motivation for talking must be weakened. The first author then implemented strategies based on these four guidelines in the same junior high school classes and found that students’ talking was reduced.