Classroom management in Turkish and English primary classrooms

The purpose of this thesis is to examine primary school teachers' behaviour management and classroom setting strategies in the Turkish and English contexts. In order to accomplish this purpose, the present research was carried out in the 1997-98 academic year in Turkey and England. Two research methods, structured observation and semi-structured depth interview, were used in order to collect data. Structured classroom observation was used to collect quantitative data related to teachers' and students' managerial interaction. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to obtain deep and rich first hand information about teachers' classroom management and setting strategies in the primary classroom context. The sample consisted of 12 Turkish and 8 English primary classroom teachers. The study showed that the most common misbehaviours in the classrooms of both countries were speaking loudly and excessively, and inappropriate movement. The majority of misbehaviours involved distraction rather than severe disruption. Teachers reported that students' misbehaviour was usually caused by pupils' social and cultural background, particularly the home. However, in particular, the type and frequency of misbehaviour were also changed depending on pupils' gender and age, the time of day, seating arrangement and subject matter. Teacher strategies were investigated under the heading of preventive and reactive behaviour management. Some differences were found between Turkish and English teachers regarding preventive strategies particularly in their ability to anticipate misbehaviour before it occurred. There were also differences in the use of reactive strategies based on teachers' experience. These mainly concerned the balance between verbal and non-verbal interactions. Furthermore, although punishment was not observed during observation, both Turkish and English teachers reported using punishment on certain occasions. Although the majority of Turkish classrooms were arranged in rows and aisles, most of the English pupils sat around tables. Turkish teachers reported that where pupils sat (front, wall or near window sides) affected learning and interaction with teacher. A classroom management model was developed for primary school classrooms. Several recommendations, in particular for Turkish primary classrooms, such as provision for initial and inservice teacher training courses, whole school classroom management policies were put forward based on the model and the results of this research.