Abstract
This study summaries current knowledge on a phenomenon which to the public yet which has only been scientifically researched for the last 30 years. Teachers´ misbehavior is understood as a type of behavior which does not transgress law yet interferes teaching.
As such it impedes the relationship between teachers and pupils and lead to a deterioration in pupils´ learning. The study emphasises two branches of research that were developed concurrently: didactogeny in former socialist states and teacher misbehavior in Western Europe, the USA and Japan.
The study puts forward four psychological theories which aim to explain the rationale behind inappropriate teacher behavior: causal attribution theory, self-efficacy theory, the theory of interactive behavior, and the theory of power.