Challenging behaviour and other definitions of behaviour that disrupt others need to be constantly viewed through the lens of social conditioning. Students coming from significantly different environment, than the one at school, struggle even with coding messages. Instead of recognizing that social support in the school environment can be the sole and most effective protective factor in overcoming these challenges, inappropriate reactions from students are sanctioned, reinforced, and thus made more systematically functional. Any definition of problems in social integration that does not include a social component is closer to a medical discourse, which sees causes solely within the individual. Emotional, behavioural, and social difficulties or social integration problems are terms that emphasize the intertwining causes, which, according to systemic theory, also lie within the social environment itself. In this thesis, I use the term "challenging behavior" which emphasizes externalized behaviour, as internalized behaviour is harder to observe, record, and investigate. Because students are identified in documents on the guidance of children with special educational needs as those with emotional and behavioural disorders or difficulties, I use this term in the same context. Social pedagogy is the discipline that exceeds the medical discourse of emphasizing individual deficits and continuously reflects on its role and impact on the stigmatization of vulnerable groups. The essential emphasis of social pedagogues is not on deficits and problems but on relational work. As an effective strategy, behaviour modification based on cognitive-behavioural theory has been established. Through functional behaviour assessment, professionals design a work plan, which influences changing emotions and behaviour by changing cognitive patterns.
In the empirical part of the master's thesis, among 10 purposefully selected interviewed primary teachers, who are successful in working with students exhibiting challenging behaviour, it was found that the behaviour primarily directed towards others is what bothers the teachers the most. They highlight disruptions in the classroom in various ways, such as non-participation or non-cooperation and various forms of aggression towards others. They recognize the causes of such behavior in the students' environment, but also recognize that their own inappropriate reactions and the school as a system influence the reinforcement of this behaviour and the stigmatization of students. When working with students, they are aware of the importance of their role, which they emphasize as understanding and providing a sense of security and value to students. They highlight very similar, yet not unequivocal strategies for working with students exhibiting challenging behaviour. They consider mutual relationships and working on relationships in the classroom important, set clear rules and boundaries, and advocate consistency with students. In addition to reinforcing desired behaviour, which all teachers practice, they also highlight their own, adapted ways of encouraging students' prosocial behaviour. Success in working with students exhibiting challenging behaviour is also ensured by good collaboration with parents and teamwork with teachers of additional support classes and other school professionals. Due to frequent feelings of helplessness and fatigue, classroom teachers use peer supervision and discussions with other school professionals. They also emphasize the necessity of teamwork with other school professionals and external institutions.
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