The aim of the study was to understand the causal attributions of teachers to challenging behaviours in primary classrooms in West Bengal, India. Data from 21 teachers from government and private primary schools were collected using semistructured interviews. The study investigated the types of challenging behaviours as perceived by teachers, their causal attributions, and the strategies suggested by the teachers for managing them. The participants described challenging behaviour broadly, and it was divided into four categories: aggression, disruption, talking, and noncompliance. They reported the causes of challenging behaviours in five broad categories: home- and parent-related causes (family violence, busy parents); social causes (socioeconomic conditions); student-related causes (disabilities); school- and teacher-related causes (large class sizes); and government- and policy-related causes (banning corporal punishment). The teachers predominantly recommended employing proactive strategies, such as improving teaching strategies, collaborating with parents, and building relationships with students. A small group of teachers recommended using reactive (e.g., discipline and threats) strategies to manage challenging behaviours in their classrooms.

In this study, we examined 535 primary classroom teachers’ causal attributions about challenging behaviour in West Bengal, India. The participants completed a questionnaire that collected information about their perceptions, causal attribution, and proposed strategies to address a range of challenging behaviours that were presented through five vignettes. The participants identified student-related and family-related factors as the main causes of challenging behaviour more frequently compared to teacher-related causes. They reported using proactive strategies more often than reactive strategies to address challenging behaviours in their classrooms. The findings provided insight into teachers’ causal attributions influencing their choice of classroom-management strategies, which helped to understand teaching practices and how they affect students. The implications of the study are presented to improve professional learning and practice for teachers and guide them to adopt strength-based strategies to address challenging behaviour in primary schools in West Bengal, India.