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This study explored the classroom management challenges that novice teachers experienced in their first three years. More specifically, this study explored the students’ behavioral challenges and teachers’ selfcreated challenges, which they created because of their negative attitudes and behaviors during classroom management. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory research design was used. A questionnaire was administered to 500 novice teachers. In the second phase, qualitative data were collected through semistructured interviews from 20 novice teachers selected using a purposive sampling technique. The results of both quantitative and qualitative data indicated that novice teachers faced aggression, physical fights, bullying, stealing, and indifference of students in classrooms. As a result, the time of class was wasted, the tempo of teaching and learning was ruined, and both teachers and students were frustrated by the difficult behaviors of some students. The novice teacher managed these behaviors by giving moral lessons, giving extra-attention, involving them in learning, and shuffling students to manage their behaviors. The study results also revealed that teachers themselves created the challenges of classroom management through anger in class. Thus, it is essential to provide teachers with training to manage the students and their behaviors during classroom management.

Keywords: Classroom Management, Novice Teachers, Behavioral Challenges, Self-Created Challenges.