Indiscipline causes and management practices in EFL classrooms of greek state primary schools: a multi - case study

Abstract

This thesis investigates the indiscipline of young EFL learners at the age of nine and ten in Greek state school classrooms. It takes into account the importance of positive self-regulated behaviour for children‟s development and recognises the effect that this behaviour can have on EFL learning. Although learner misbehaviour at primary schools has been an area of concern, the studies mainly considered the educators‟ views about the problem and employed quantitative methods. In the realm of TEFL, indiscipline has attracted scant attention, while investigations on this seem to be non-existent. The research comprised a multi-case study. It focused on the causes that bring about learner misbehaviour and the ways in which EFL teachers face them. For this purpose, the importance of the learners‟ and their teachers‟ perceptions and experiences was acknowledged. Deep interviewing was utilised as the main research method. Five secondary instruments were also used, i.e. the questionnaire, the observation, the portfolio, child drawings and video material. The data indicated the occurrence of EFL-specific misbehaviour in the investigated contexts. Also, it showed that Greek EFL teachers and young learners may approach the indiscipline problem from the perspectives of EFL teaching and EFL learning, and of what behaviour is considered acceptable socially. In terms of the perceived causes of disruption, the data was understood to reflect the association of a TEFL school approach of a communicative type with pupil indiscipline. Also, it recognised the indiscipline causes of the underdeveloped metacognitive, affective and cooperative learner strategies, the learners‟ self-concept in EFL learning, their negative/indifferent attitude towards the EFL school subject and teacher, and their demotivation. Additionally, it showed that the particular teachers did not take ownership of the problem. Their strategies of misbehaviour management comprised discussions, rules, rewards, warnings, shouting and scolding, threatening, punishments, and support from external sources. However, they were found not to address the quality of their teaching for managing disruption, while certain administrative stages of the above strategies were not applied. The data also led to specific suggestions for the management of indiscipline in primary state school EFL contexts like the investigated ones