Teachers` Perceptions and Attitudes Regarding ESL

Abstract

Early school leaving has important social and economic implications. Young people who leave school prematurely are predisposed to the risk associated with unemployment or small gains when they find a job. The estimates related to the competences required in Europe show that, in the future, only one in ten jobs will be accessed by a person who has left school early. Taking into account the importance of understanding this phenomenon, in order to reduce it, we`ve done a research to identify teachers` perceptions and attitudes regarding ESL. The research of the ESL phenomenon, from the perspective of its causes, in particular the causes associated with the school environment, has circumscribed two types of approaches: a quantitative approach, achieved through the elaboration and administration of a questionnaire addressed to teachers and a quaclitative approach based on designing and conducting focus-groups with teachers. Dimensions explored in our research were: communication/interpersonal/pedagogical competences; main causes of conflictual relations with students and solving strategies used; challenges in daily work with students; representations/beliefs of the factors which can increase student commitment and student motivation; causes of the ESL; school strategies to prevent ESL; teaching methods used to prevent the school disengagement. The results obtained demonstrated that teachers have a wide range of perceptions and attitudes regarding ESl, especially regarding the causes associated with the school environment. Some of them consider that ESL is not caused by school related factors, others consider that this factors may occur, but they don`t have power to reduce their action.