What Exactly Are Classroom Social Norms?

Normally when you walk into a classroom, you would expect students to sit quietly and attentively taking notes of their professor’s lecture. However, as the amount of students attending college are ever increasing and such strict “norms” are becoming more relaxed and broken, one can now expect something different upon walking into a classroom. Along with breaking the other two social norms in the area of eating and library distractions, we also observed the social norms that were broken in various classrooms. Instead of assuming the role of the social norm breaker, I instead focused more on observing the behavior of students in classrooms. This I did for four different classes for three to four days. Being a student who normally sits in the front, sitting in the back was a new experience and gave me a whole other perspective of considering what the actual social norms of classrooms were.

In observing students from the back of the classroom I found an overwhelming number of students that intentionally did not give all their attention towards their professor. Such was seen through students playing games on their laptops or on their phone such as angry birds or bubble spinner. When students did have laptops I noticed the majority did so to access their notes, however the amount of students who would be on their Facebook or on other social sites would increase towards the back of the classroom. What surprised me was that many students without laptops would simply choose to sleep, sometimes even without notes present making it seem intentional and obvious. However, I noticed the number of those students who would come to class simply to sleep were in the class simply to take attendance afterwards. Perhaps the most shocking observation to me was seeing that eight students out of about eighty were sleeping. At this sight, the professor became quite angry and attempted to wake the students through loud noises such as clapping upon which the students still did not wake up leaving the professor disappointed along with many of the other students that looked at them  either shocked or negatively. Other students multitasked in doing work for other classes yet used selective listening to ensure they got important notes down.

Another trend I noticed with the students who sat towards the back was that they were often friends who sat in groups. This at first I believed was done simply because there was more room in the back that would ensure that they could sit together. However, one of my observations has led me to other conclusions. In one class where the bell had not yet rang, a group of students were deciding where to sit at and one student in the group mentioned, “that’s too close, he (the professor) may be able to hear us.” Such negative assumptions could be made, however hearing what the students talked about could confirm such assumptions. Among these groups, the majority did take notes and stay on the subject matter presented by the professor. However, being with a group also means the influence of peer pressure is present, thus when one of the students would stray away from the subject matter either through going to a social networking site or whispering about an irrelevant topic, the others would follow as well.

In order to experience both sides of the perspective of not only being an observer but also a social norm breaker, I went to one class with a blanket and sat in the back and pretended to sleep. This I did for a short amount of time so as to minimize the distraction; however the response that many students had was unexpected. Although I had expected reactions of anger from having a lazy classmate, many students simply ignored me or laughed. One student remarked that a snuggie would have been more convenient. In seeing how other classmates would react to me playing games and accessing social networking sites on my laptop, I asked a friend to observe the row above me and their reactions. As I had suspected my friend had told me that the students above would become easily distracted and turn their attention towards whatever was on my computer screen, the more movement and color it had (such as games), the more distracting it seemed to be.

According to Hoffman’s dramaturgical theory, civic inattention is one way someone may react towards someone else breaking a social norm in attempting the corrective process, in this case causing distractions with the stage being the classroom. Such gestures or reactions signal that another’s behavior is inappropriate or not normal in such a public area as was observed in the reactions of other students. However, it is also important to consider if and why such social norms are changing.  As an average student, observing the current norms and how they have changed as opposed to 10 or even 5 years ago is an interesting process. Of course, certain norms such as remaining quiet and being respectful towards the professor will always remain for the professor to be able to present the lesson or lecture. For the few days that I observed the classrooms, I would notice that it was the same students who would fall asleep continuously. America is quite known for being the most overworked and stressed developed nation in the world (Miller). Such trends and mindsets can also occupy college students. Although stress and tiredness is normal, to what extent should it be considered okay? Normally it isn’t acceptable for students to fall asleep in class unless they had gotten little or no sleep the night before. For a student to not be able to remain awake when continuously coming to class can prove in itself to be a hazard not only to the student but to the college climate in redefining the standards of sleeping in class. Clearly time management can prove to seem more difficult and the effects such as sleeping in class are unfortunate consequences. Other factors that contribute to sleeping in class besides not having a good night’s rest can blame professors as simply not being interesting enough or that the environment (warm or cold classroom with lights off) encourages sleeping.

Due to the process of socialization, we have learned internalized behavior that has taught us how to behave as a student, professor, or any other role we may possess in society. However, the process of socialization is a continuous process as we are constantly learning and analyzing new behavior and stimuli. Thus, how we shape the world is also a continuous process in which the more we take in and experience, the more we understand. Right now in college, for instance as a business student we would be learning the appropriate greetings and what attire to wear. As children, learning how to behave in the classroom is perhaps one of the earliest examples of socialization and therefore certain behavior is expected in our role as a student. Now as college students, perhaps the minimum expectations is that we are expected to sit properly, face the front of the classroom, and take notes on something.

In the instance of breaking social norms, many will not know how to respond or function in such a situation. Upon coming to college, some of us may have experienced a form of resocialization in which our values, beliefs, and norms may have changed in response to a new environment or institution. With such experiences, some classroom behavior may have changed. Depending on the strictness or leniency of the professor, some of the classroom social norms are frequently broken to the point where they actually become normal in the action being expected.  Another factor of the shifting of such norms also depends on how well the students are socially integrated with eachother, so while one group may make checking their Facebook on their laptops a social norm, another group may find such an act as breaking the social norm by not giving their full attention to the professor.

No matter the social norm whether it is that of eating at a table with appropriate utensils or being quiet in the library, it is important and interesting to see if such social norms are changing.  For instance, with the introduction of laptops and rise of cellular phones in the classroom, the need for passing notes has been diminished and has instead been replaced by chatting through an instant messaging system or through texting. In such a case it is important to consider why such social norms exist and how or why we do or don’t contribute to its existence. Although we may even be unaware of it, such social norms shape our society and vice versa, thus it is important to recognize how social norms are established and how they may potentially change.

Works Cited:

Miller, G.E. 20 Something Finance: The U.S. is the Most Overworked Developed Nation in the World – When do we Draw the Line? 12 Oct 2010. http://20somethingfinance.com/american-hours-worked-productivity-vacation/

Pictures courtesy of Google images

Luz Yesenia Angeles

Breaking Social Norms: Classroom Mischief

As students, we are expected to act in certain ways. Coming to class, taking notes, and being attentive are just some of the obligatory behaviors of a students. Many choose to take a deviant but not uncommon route: skipping class and just looking at the notes online. But what happens when a student decides to create his or her own rules about the classroom setting, ignoring the implicit standards that are already set? How will peers react in response to the deviance?


I did an experiment to find out. I called it 'Classroom Mischief.'

Precisely three minutes after noon struck, I strolled into the auditorium where my Monday class was being held. Rather than sitting in the empty side of the room like I normally do, I forcefully slid into the heavily populated middle section and planted myself in the second row directly in front of the professor. As she spoke, I pulled out my large Asus laptop and turned it on. Because I didn't have my headphones plugged in, the start up sound was loud,echoing throughout the auditorium and interrupting the professor. Oops. The people around me snickered, and my professor smiled kindly at me to let me know that it was alright. Perhaps she thought that I would be embarrassed for calling attention to myself. I wasn't, but she didn't need to know that.

The wheels of my social experiment really began turning when I made my next move; rather than paying attention to the dry (honestly) lecture, I focused my attention to my computer screen. I'd borrowed my roommate's copy of the 2004 blockbuster hit Mean Girls and decided that watching the movie during class would be the perfect way to observe social norms as well as responses to deviance. As soon as the main menu appeared on the screen, I could hear gasps around me. "Mean Girls! I love this movie!" "Is she serious?" "I hope she knows the screen's reflecting on her glasses." I ignored the comments and continued watching. As the movie progressed, the impression management began. The guy on my left paid me no mind; he was too busy Facebook-stalking some girl on his Macbook to notice what I was doing. Beside him, another boy attentively copied down the notes on the powerppoint, completely ignoring my poor performance as a student. On my right, three girls eagerly leaned over each other to watch the cult classic, even quoting some epic lines right along with the actors ("I'm sorry that people are so jealous of me...but I can't help it that I'm so popular.") before bursting into a fit of giggles. The only negative reaction I received came from the front of the room, where my professor stood. Her speech slowed every time my neighbors laughed, and whenever she would ask questions, my professor would intentionally peer over her glasses to gaze intently at me or even clear her throat in my direction.

The different reactions were all part of Erving Goffman's theory of impression management. The concept is based on the idea of self-conception and actions to influence the perception others have of an individual. Norms and deviance tie into impression management by setting the standard for how one should act and therefore be perceived. When an individual steps deviates from the norms, it's up to peers to remedy the situation. In my experiment, I deviated from the expected role of a responsible student. I came to class with no intention of learning anything and watching a movie instead. The people around me utilized impression management. The boys to my left engaged in studied nonobservance by not acknowledging that I was breaking norms. The girls to my left seemed to promote and even enjoy my deviance as they joined me in watching the movie. And not surprisingly, my professor unsuccessfully to embarrass me into a corrective process through use of facial expressions and eye contact.

It's important to note that even her attempts to discretely influence my behavior were part of the social norms concerning professors. In high school, if there was someone off task and distracting his or her peers, it was the teacher's responsibility to put them in line. Verbal warning, write-ups, as well trips to the principal's office were available tactics that teachers put to use. But in college, the standard is different. In a class of over 200, is it appropriate to zone in on one off task student and put that person in line when there are surely at least twenty other students not paying attention? Shouldn't the student be allowed to do what she wants because she's taking money out of her pocket? And is it really necessary to stop in the middle of the forty-five minute lecture that hundreds of other students are paying for to influence only one?

Be it in the classroom, the library, or the food court, norms exists. And where norms are, deviance must be also. Impression management helps to rein in deviant behavior. What is considered 'appropriate' or 'inappropriate' is shaped greatly by the things we do (or don't do) in reaction.


Ineye Komonibo

Breaking Social Norms – Commotion in the Library

Who said it was odd to take a nap in a library? Well, the students at the University of Texas apparently are among those that think it is hilarious and inappropriate. We visited Perry-Castañeda Library on a mission to break social norms and the age old principles of “quiet in the library”.

            In the library there are quiet floors and floors where noise is more allowed. We conducted our experiment on each. First, we visited a “loud” floor to record the reactions to public sleeping on a table in the middle of the crowded library floor. We brought along blankets to further exaggerate our experiment. People’s responses were “interesting” to say the least. Some practiced studied non-observance. Obviously aware that we were exhibiting strange behavior, they intentionally ignored us. They stuck to their computers and their homework and only occasionally did they look up and send a confused glance our way. Others were blatantly obvious about their observations. They stared and pointed, motioning for their friends to also look. They laughed, and made it very obvious that our sleeping on the table was attracting attention and disturbing to the study environment. Some responded in a much more hostile way, one of the people at a surrounding tables even looked mad. Though we were making no noise and not drawing attention to ourselves in any other way than quietly sleeping, strangers sought to correct us by their defense body language and displeased facial expressions. One nearby table even turned on loud music at their computers and told us nonchalantly to, “Wake up. Wake up, go home”. This corrective process was surprising to me. Most people did not support our performance, but it was evident that people in a group were more apt to speak out against us. The students who were studying alone in the library did their best to ignore us, suggesting that there is not only power in numbers but also that people present themselves in the best manner possible. This springs from the principles of Irving Goffman, the well known sociologist that promoted the idea of the dramaturgical approach where life itself present like a play and people, the actors. There is a stage, a script, and even costumes for every performance that a person gives. More simple stated there is a time and a place for every action, every thing a person says and wears. For example, what you wear to work is different than what you wear to the beach, and how you talk to your grandmother is different than how you talk to the driver who just cut you off in heavy traffic. In the case of the library distractions, people are less afraid to comment and correct an obvious social norm oddity if they have a group’s opinion to back them up. When alone, someone else’s faux pas is noticed, but it is less likely to be corrected. People don’t like embarrassing themselves, which is also why this experiment was done in a group. If each of us participating had to break social norms alone, we most likely would have chickened out. Who wants to intentionally draw attention to themselves and damage their social image in front of their peers? The same principles apply to those who wish not to correct or (or to correct in the case of the group.) People do what is expected of them, and is also the reason that people follow social norms to begin with.

            Second, we ventured to the “quiet” floor where it is encouraged and expected that people do not make noise. The only noise on the floor was the sound computer keys typing. On the quiet floor, we entered with every intention of being unnecessarily noisy to rouse the students. We planned to text, and leave our cell phone volume on. We would let music stream from our computer “accidentally” for a moment, and talk to each other just loudly enough to draw attention. However, when we arrived to the floor, Yesenia just happened to have a loud keychain attached to her bag. In the hunt for a spot to conduct our experiment we found that the keychain noise was almost too much disruption. People responded with hostility that I did not expect. They looked up from their pods/ tables and stared at us walk throughout the library. Most of them looked mad, glaring at us with disgust that we were making so much noise. Keep in mind that it was a key chain that was causing the noise. By all accounts, it is an excusable offense, but the students on the quiet floor obviously did not appreciate our presence. Many shushed us, or cleared their throats loudly to signal that we were not abiding by the “rules”.  Every person we passed looked up from their work and responded harshly to the sound the the key chain. There was no ambiguity from the students studying; they wanted us to leave or be quiet.  Though none of the norms we broke in the library are explicitly stated rules, they are treated as such. Quiet is a suggestion that is strongly adhered to, and perhaps to avoid a mob of studying students we truncated out experiment and made a quick exit from the "quiet floor". 

Social norms are the unspoken expectations of our culture. Public sleeping is not considered normal in our society, especially in cities where homeless citizens roam and sleep on street corners. People do not wish to have that stigma associated with them, or the people around them in the same environment. The statement being that if it’s embarrassing to one person, it’s most likely embarrassing for everyone else witnessing in the room. Being noisy in an otherwise quiet room is also frowned upon. People correct us, rather than let us embarrass ourselves and distract others. We have been socialized into these behaviors. What is appropriate behavior was learned at a young age. This is what sociologists refer to as the generalized other, or the application of certain behaviors to certain environments. Even if it is not explicitly stated, if a room is quiet when a person enters they are expected to maintain the same environment. This is the reason that mothers shush their children while visiting a bank, but let them talk while in the grocery store. It is also why adults do not sleep on church pews during a church service, but it is common to see small children displaying this behavior. People are expected to exhibit certain behaviors based on their age, social class, and the environment they are in. If they do not comply with these implied behaviors, they are breaking social norms. 


Jacey Tosh

Breaking Social Norms: Lunch Distractions

Normally when we have meals, we tend to grab knives and forks and find some seats to eat the enjoyable meals. Will you sit on the floor and have your meal when there are several seats available? I bet you won’t. Our group did our experiment of “how people will react when they see a person sitting on the floor eating by hand” on Monday. I took the notes and I would like to share what I had observed with you. (Mainly I observe facial expressions)

We did our experiment at the lunch area in Student Activity Center, where there were always plenty of people passing by. Jacey and I were the people who were responsible for observing people and taking notes, whereas Yesenia was responsible for doing the distractions.

At first we picked a table near Yesenia, who sat on the floor in the middle of the tables. She carried her lunch box and began eating by hand. After a minute or so, several guys started to look at her as they were saying, “She’s crazy”. Minutes passed and people gradually noticed what Yesenia was doing. Some of them were confused, some of them had several glances, but most of them just ignored. I guess maybe she was sitting at a place where people would not notice if they were not finding any seats.

So Yesenia decided to change to another place to continue the experiment. This time she still sat near our table but on the path where many people would pass by. After she sat down, she became more noticeable than before. On the other hand, Jacey joined Yesenia to sit on the floor and to begin her lunch. There were still people confused about what they were doing, but the amount of people who were looking back (I mean opposite to their original walking directions) increased. A few people who were lining up in queues and waiting for their turns to order food looked back at the two girls. Two guys in a queue not only looked back but also talking about the girls and occasionally paid attentions to the girls. The funniest thing I saw was that two staff who worked at T’s Food (pseudonym) sticked out their heads and tried to figure out what was happening.

After about 10 minutes, it was 12:00 pm. Many students flushed into the lunch area after class to buy their lunch at that time. It’s worth mentioning that where Yesenia and Jacey were sitting was close to the mergence of two entrances for people to enter and line up. Soon the two queues were lengthening and those who wanted to go from the right side of the hall to the left side had to go pass this narrow space. After this change, people started to look at the two girls for a longer time. People had to detour; they had to make another ways to walk to the other side of the hall. It’s also important that the amount of people who noticed the girls increased dramatically.

I recall the experience of my first day of sociology class that Professor Fulton asked us to introduce ourselves to others. Normally we started from the people that sat near us, then the people close to our seats. Not until the professor asked us to meet more people did we stand up and walked to another places. I see the similarities between my experience and observation that people won’t care about other (not so relevant) issues if those issues are not related to them. It’s amazing.

It’s also quite worth mentioning that most people’s reactions were watching and ignorance. In my opinion, this is a reflection of Goffman’s theory of impression management. Apparently the ignorance is a kind of studied nonobservance (civil inattention). People pay civil inattention to give others the impression of politeness, self-discipline, and respect to others that they want to be considered to leave. I guess they do not want to be considered as "people who interrupt others" or "people that are picky to others". Also, the confused or curious looks are the “wrong faces” that do not support the girls’ performances. They may have the implications to remind the girls to act normally and correct the girls' behaviors.

In all, our performances are established on the social base. Onto the social base and into our performances exist countless sociological principles. That’s why we broke a norm and figured out why people react in different ways based on sociological perspective.

Ellen Chen

Our Mission:

Norms. They're social standards that are implicitly stated but usually followed to the tee. Society implements these unspoken rules and sticks to them.

But what happens when a group deviates from the norms and creates their own rules?

The Norm Breakers are here to find out. We go around the norms and observe people's reactions, finding out just why things are the way they are.

Stay tuned.