Disruptive Student Behaviors, Teacher Coping Mechanisms, and Learning Retention in Elementary Classrooms

This study examined the interrelationships among disruptive student behaviors, teacher coping mechanisms, and learners’ learning retention in public elementary schools in the Division of Valencia City, Bukidnon, within the post-pandemic classroom context. Anchored on the premise that effective classroom management sustains instructional continuity and supports learning outcomes, the study explored how recurring classroom disruptions and teacher responses relate to learners’ ability to retain and apply learning over time. Specifically, it sought to identify the most frequently observed disruptive behaviors, determine commonly used teacher coping mechanisms, describe learners’ learning retention as perceived by teachers, and test the relationships between disruptive behaviors and learning retention, and between coping mechanisms and learning retention. A descriptive-correlational design was employed, involving 135 public elementary teachers from six urban and rural schools selected through complete enumeration. Data were collected using a validated and reliability-tested questionnaire measuring disruptive behaviors, teacher coping mechanisms across proactive, reactive, socio-emotional, and instructional dimensions, and perceived learning retention. Descriptive and correlation analyses were utilized. Findings revealed that teachers most frequently encountered low-level, routine disruptions such as talking without permission, unnecessary movement, noise-making, and noncompliance. Teachers reported consistent use of multiple coping strategies, with socio-emotional practices and instructional adjustments most prominent. Learners’ learning retention was generally perceived as high, though viewed as vulnerable to disruptions, particularly among struggling learners. No significant relationship was found between the frequency of disruptive behaviors and perceived learning retention. However, teacher coping mechanisms showed a significant positive relationship with learning retention, with socio-emotional and instructional strategies demonstrating the strongest associations. Overall, the results suggest that learning retention in elementary classrooms is influenced less by disruption frequency alone and more by the quality and balance of teachers’ coping responses, positioning effective coping mechanisms as protective factors in disruption-prone learning environments.