The reason behind restless sitting

  When looking around a classroom, it is not uncommon to see many students shakinging their legs. This simple action could be because of boredom, concentration, or something deeper, such as ADHD or anxiety. The class can also have an impact on the amount of students who sit restlessly.

     In order to conduct personal research, a list was kept of how many students were observed shaking their legs, what class they were in, and what was being done in that class. The results showed that when students were in a class that was not very engaging, or was inducing boredom, the leg shaking was increased. 

     In a math class, half of the students were noted to be sitting restlessly while going over the previous night’s homework. According to healthline, shaking one’s leg can be a sign of boredom, stating that “the shaking releases tension that’s stored up when you’re forced to sit through a long lecture or a dull meeting,” which aligns with the personal research that was conducted. 

     Another observation worth noting is that when leg shaking was at a low, it was during times when teachers were engaging in conversation with students, or when students were working on appealing assignments. During a science class, while the teacher was engaging in conversation with the students, only one of the ten students was shaking her leg. In an English class, while the students were working on a project in which they were assigned to create a poster, only two of the 19 students were sitting restlessly. This shows that what students are doing in the classroom has an effect on how restless they are. 

     Healthline states that “research in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggests that repetitive movements improve concentration and attention.” This provides another reason for restlessness while sitting.

     Another possibility could be that a student is struggling with anxiety. When the body goes into fight or flight mode, adrenaline hormones are activated. In response students begin to shake their legs. 

     Next time a student finds themselves sitting restlessly and shaking their leg, perhaps they can reflect on why they were doing so, ask a friend if they too were restless during class, or even do their own research on restless peers in their classroom. 

     For more information visit https://www.healthline.com/health/leg-shaking#concentration