With this master’s thesis, the author aimed to gain a deeper understanding of how teachers working in the first, second, or third grade respond to disruptive or conflict situations and what factors influence their responses. Additionally, the author was interested in how successful teachers are in managing discipline, which factors affect the effectiveness of their engagement, and how they experience disruptive situations.
The study involved nine participants, most of whom currently teach in the first grade. The author collected empirical data through semi-structured interviews and analyzed them using thematic analysis. The data were then organized and presented according to three main themes: teachers’ response strategies, the effectiveness of the methods used, and teachers’ subjective experiences of disruptive situations. Each main theme is further divided into subthemes, which are presented in the “Method” chapter.
Effective calming and disciplinary strategies are essential prerequisites for successful classroom work; however, many teachers face significant challenges in this area because there is no simple strategy or technique that could be directly transferred into practice. Even in situations of conflict or disruption, teachers can respond in ways that either establish or break connection with the pupils. Teachers often, sometimes unconsciously, react in ways that interrupt their relationship with students. When they explain the inappropriateness of certain behaviors and clarify their expectations, they are more likely to maintain this connection.
The effectiveness of the chosen strategy depends on numerous factors: classroom dynamics, the time of day, the teacher’s specific strategy, the support provided by the school community, emotional awareness and understanding of the situation, and the teacher’s personal mindset. Furthermore, the impact of the intervention can be short-term—especially when pupils perceive the teacher’s intervention as inappropriate, illogical, or unpredictable—or long-term, when pupils are involved in the process of co-creating classroom agreements, understand the inappropriateness of their behavior, and do not perceive the teacher’s response as a personal attack.
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