An investigation of resistance behaviors faced by primary school fourth-grade teachers

The main purpose of this study is to investigate resistance behaviors faced by primary school fourth-grade teachers. The study utilized a case study design, and the study group (for quantitative data) was composed of classroom teachers who worked in primary schools in the central districts of Adana. The sample was composed of fourth-grade classroom teachers who were selected using a stratified sampling method and worked in schools from low, middle, and high socioeconomic levels. Data were collected through the Student Resistance Behaviours Scale for Teachers (SRBS-T) from 142 volunteer teachers who worked in 43 primary schools. According to the scores obtained from this scale, two schools with the highest and lowest resistance behaviors scores were selected, and one fourth-grade classroom from each school was selected to conduct observations. After the observations, interviews were conducted with two classroom teachers and 10 students from both classrooms. Data were collected through the Student Resistance Behaviours Scale, interview forms, and unstructured observations. The analysis of the quantitative data was performed using descriptive statistics as well as the Mann Whitney-U test and Kruskal Wallis-H test. While content analysis methods were used for the data obtained from the observations, descriptive statistics were utilized for the data obtained from the interviews. The findings obtained from the SRBS showed that fourth-grade teachers in the central districts of Adana perceived student resistance behaviors as low. According to teachers' perceptions, no significant differences were found between the frequency of facing student resistance behaviors and variables such as gender, years of experience, and the school type they graduated from. Observation findings showed that while there were 61 resistance behaviors in the classroom that had low student resistance behaviors, there were 262 resistance behaviors in the classroom that had high student resistance behaviors. In the classroom with low student resistance behaviors, the most frequently demonstrated behavior was found to be interrupting the teacher's speech knowingly; in the group that had high student resistance behaviors, the most frequently demonstrated behavior was found not listening to the teacher's word (warning). The interview findings showed that in some cases teachers did not have much knowledge and awareness about student resistance behaviors, and they could not adequately distinguish between unwanted problematic behaviors and resistance behaviors. On the other hand, teachers stated that they saw families as the main source of resistance behaviors. Interviews conducted with students showed that both classroom teachers demonstrated similar reactions to resistance behaviors, which included getting angry, shouting, warning, and punishing. Based on the findings obtained from the study, it is recommended to organize teacher trainings for the right identification, analysis, and understanding of student resistance behaviors in school and classroom environments; collaborate with school counseling services for the analysis of resistance behaviors; know students who demonstrate resistance behaviors; prevent resistance behaviors that are mainly disruptive; collaborate with parents; and increase activities about student resistance behaviors. Keywords: Resistance behaviors, undesirable behavior, classroom teacher, primary school students