Original scientific paper
Teachers' perceptions of emotional and behavioral difficulties of lower grades elementary school students
Gordana Keresteš
Abstract
Interaction between students and teachers as well as students’ academic achievement are to a large extent dependant on
students’ behavior in classroom and teacher’s perception of how problematic those behaviors are. The present study examines
teachers’ perceptions of emotional and behavioral difficulties of elementary school students in grades 1 to 4, and if these perceptions
are related to child’s age. Seven male and 142 female teachers in grades 1 to 4 from 47 elemntary schools of County
Krapinsko-Zagorska participated in the study. They assessed how big problem in their work are three types of students’ difficulties
and disorders: emotional difficulties, aggressive and antisocial behaviors, and attention difficulties and hyperactivity. Overall,
teachers reported about behaviors of 2620 students (1285 girls and 1335 boys). Attentional problems and hyperactivity were
assessed as the most problematic in teachers’ work, followed by students’ aggressive and antisocial behaviors. Students’ emotional
problems were seen as the least problematic for teachers’ work. Students’ age was not related to teachers’ perceptions of their
behaviors, except for attentional difficulties and hyperactivity, which was perceived as somewhat bigger problem in first than in
fourth grade. It was also shown that teachers’ estimates of prevalence of examined difficulties in children roughly resemble data
on prevalence of mental disorders obtained by epidemiologic studies. The importance of investigating teachers’ perceptions of
pupils’ emotional and behavioral difficulties, as well as the possibility to use teachers’ estimates in screening children with mental
disorders were emphasized in discussion.
Keywords
emotional difficulties; behavioral disorders; students; teachers’ perceptions
Hrčak ID:
10638
URI
Publication date:
9.10.2006.
Visits: 5.983 *