Student’s Refusal to Follow Instructions or to Participate in Class

by James Reardon

What does not following instructions and refusing to participate mean?

Some adolescent behaviors, such as not following instructions or refusal to participate, are typical behaviors at various developmental stages. We know that children will have these behaviors at some point in their development and it usually corresponds with times of stress. When a student refuses to participate, he/she decides that they will not contribute in any way to class discussions or group projects. Student’s today are under more stress in the classroom and this creates a greater fear to participate.

“We cannot force students to speak in class nor participate in group projects. This can be addressed and become a win-win situation by either giving the student alternative options to verbal participation (unless it’s speech class) or simply carefully coaxing some response out of them. Remember, some students are terrified to be in a class setting- especially if there are round tables rather than desks-allowing for little anonymity.” (Classroom Management)

Why students choose not to follow instruction or refuse to participate in class:


These two behaviors are ways an adolescent may decide to show his/her rebellious nature. A student may choose to not follow instructions because he/she may not know the material or may want to impress his/her classmates. It seems that the biggest reason student’s refuse to participate in class is the fear of being wrong or appearing stupid in front of their classmates. Students who have problems fitting in socially were also seen as more likely not to participate. As teachers, we need to recognize the impact one student, or group of students, may have upon another student in terms of their behavior and actions or non-actions.

How to resolve the problems of ignoring instructions and refusal to participate:


First, it is important that you do not let either behavior take you off track of your current lesson plan. You should ask the student to see you after class and you can discuss the problem one-on-one. Explain to the student the importance of following instructions and that if he/she continues this action, you will contact his/her parents to meet. There are numerous actions and strategies a teacher can take to encourage student participation in the classroom.

• Begin the year discussing the importance of student participation in the learning process. Also, tell the students that there are no dumb or bad ideas. There may be better ideas or solutions than the one suggested but every idea needs to be considered.
• After discussing the importance of following instructions and active student participation, decide on the weight you will give class participation on determining each students final grade. It is important to explain to the students exactly what positive class participation means to you. Positive class participation is not simply the act of talking but rather the act of trying to contribute positively to the class discussion.
• An important contributor to class participation is the alignment of the desks. It is important that you give this careful consideration prior to your first day of class. If the desks are moveable, you can alternate how the desks are aligned to encourage participation. Obviously, desks arranged in a circle, versus rows, will encourage more active participation from the students. If you feel that these strategies are not encouraging participation, inform the student’s parents of this behavior and ask for cooperation.