Distinguishing Between Slacking and Stalling in Classroom Behaviors

In classrooms, there are students who exhibit off-task behaviors like passing notes and slacking off, while others engage in more subtle forms of off-task behavior like stalling by asking to go to the bathroom or sharpen their pencils. While slacking is clearly non-productive behavior, stalling is considered permissible as it conceals the student's off-task stance and reflects a concern for the teacher's perception. It was noted that some students may engage in these behaviors either due to a lack of understanding or a reluctance to put in the effort to solve problems. Teachers allowing a specific time frame for tasks leads students to calculate and engage in off-task behaviors within that average of four minutes and 22 seconds.