Teacher-pupil relationships in a Maltese primary school

Abstract

This dissertation is based on a case study which was carried out at Paola Primary School B. The purpose of the first chapter is to show how relationships between teachers and pupils can vary. Importance is also given to Pollard's (1985) positive and negative cycles of teaching and learning. The second chapter focuses on the strategies that both teachers and pupils adopt during the first days of the school year. The relationship that develops between the teacher and pupils is usually determined by initial classroom interactions (Ball 1980). In the third chapter, the realities of classroom life to which the teachers and the children have to get accustomed, are discussed. The fourth chapter deals about the different interests of teachers and pupils and how they juggle such interests in order to cope with classroom life. The key concept here is that of coping strategy and that the classroom participants in the primary school, normally develop a type of mutual accomodation by which they cope - a work consensus (Pollard 1985). In the last chapter, some of the common types of strategy which can be adopted in classrooms, are discussed in detail.