Care, communication and support relationships in the classroom : the case of pupils with emotional and behavioral difficulties in Harari region, Ethiopia

This study was carried out in the classroom at one of the schools in the Harari region in Ethiopia. The focus of the study was a specific group of pupils with special educational needs: those with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The purpose of the study was to explore how the classroom responds to the special educational needs of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties by focusing on care, communication, and support relationships between these pupils and significant others. A qualitative approach with a case study design was used to structure the study and to examine the phenomenon in depth. Data was obtained through different methods including interviews, observations, and consultation of relevant documents such as policy guidelines, teacher’s and school records, and curriculum materials. Two pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties purposefully selected on the basis of teacher’s kept long-term classroom records, their teacher, their parents, and the headmaster of the school were informants of the interview. Data was analyzed qualitatively by using an interpretational analysis approach. The results of the study indicate that care, communication, and support relationships between pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties and significant others play significant role in the learning of these pupils and others in the classroom. The study also shows that this relationship is important for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties to adapt and sustain in school by developing resiliency; especially in situations where they come from home environments with high risk factors. Towards this end, however, peers and parents were found to be underutilized resources as partners. The study further pointed out that care, communication, and support relationships between pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties and significant others were influenced by the interaction of multiple factors located in and out of the microsystem including poverty, family and home situation, school culture, and teacher’s knowledge and skills. The study calls for concerted efforts from the school, the community, and governmental and non-governmental organizations in identifying and responding to the special educational needs of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Suggested measures to be taken at various levels include: making the school and classroom climate safe and enjoyable,developing identification methods for classroom use, providing skill training for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties, upgrading teachers’ knowledge and skills in managing the behaviour and learning of these pupils through pre-service and in-service trainings, strengthening home-school relationships by enabling and empowering parents, adapting curriculum to the needs of pupils, and observing the implementation of policy guidelines at school and classroom levels