Exploring the relevance of an Attachment Theory perspective for effective behaviour management in primary school classrooms : perceptions and practices of primary school teachers in Turkey and educators in England

Effective behaviour management in primary schools is an important aspect of providing successful education to pupils and it has been one of the major topics researched by scholars in the field of education. A wide range of strategies and approaches have been implemented in schools to reduce disruptive behaviours and develop positive student attitudes to learning. This research is an exploratory study and aims to offer an in-depth understanding of pupils’ behaviour from an Attachment Theory perspective. Moreover, this research examines the relevance of an Attachment theory perspective for effective behaviour management of challenging students in primary schools in Turkey and England. In this attempt, this study investigates perceptions and practices of Turkish primary school teachers (interview: n=20, questionnaire n=130) and educators (interview: n=13) in England regarding the effective behaviour management of challenging pupils. This study is guided by a pragmatic approach with a mixed-methods research design. Data collection and analysis were qualitatively oriented (semi-structured interviews) with quantitative data (online questionnaire) collected to enrich the interpretation of qualitative findings. Qualitative data were analysed thematically, and quantitative data were analysed descriptively using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings of this study present that such awareness and understanding of different social, emotional, behavioural and attachment difficulties potentially help teachers to manage disruptive behaviours of challenging pupils effectively. Moreover, understanding underlying reasons for disruptive behaviours in primary classrooms, helps schools to provide a support system for challenging pupils. As behaviour and learning are strongly linked, findings show that improving behaviour can potentially improve not only learning, but also creating an optimal classroom environment for every pupil and classroom teacher. Findings of this study highlight the need for improving the current behaviour management policies in both countries, for instance school exclusion and Sanctions and Rewards system, criticised by participants regarding their limitations for supporting pupils with social, emotional, behavioural and attachment difficulties.