The role of informal learning in the development of teacher attitudes towards students

Abstract

This study explores the development of primary school teachers’ attitudes towards students in the informal learning processes. The study aims to understand the influence of certain school components that are considered to be influential in informal learning on the teachers’ development of democratic attitudes towards students. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 primary school teachers who taught at different schools in Kadıköy, Istanbul during the 2013- 2014 academic year. The teachers who were interviewed for the study were selected through the ‘Democratic Attitude Scale’ that was administered to the primary school teachers who taught fourth grade in Kadıköy during the 2012-2013 academic year. 10 teachers who ranked the highest and 10 teachers who ranked the lowest on the scale were selected for interviewing. Findings suggest that the school administration, colleagues and teachers’ classroom experiences with students influence the development of democratic teacher attitudes towards students. When the school administration puts pressure on the teachers or uses reasonable or unacceptable attitudes towards students, this has an effect on teacher attitudes. Likewise, teachers adapt their own attitudes based on the attitudes of their colleagues, which they defined as positive or negative. At times this takes the form of teachers putting the advice of their colleagues into action. Teachers also develop democratic attitudes towards students based on their experiences in the classroom. This is particularly the case for the teachers who scored high on the Democratic Attitude Scale.