Shyness and School Adjustment: The Moderating Role of Teacher-Child Relationships.

116 Pages·2017·1 MB·English

by  Brede Ruben Nilsen

Shyness and School Adjustment: The Moderating Role of
Teacher-Child Relationships.
A Qualitative study from Norway

Saima Ahmed

Master in Educational Psychology Counseling.

Institute for Educational Research
Faculty of Education
University of Oslo
Fall 2017
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Abstract of thesis

TITLE:
Shyness and School Adjustment: The Moderating role of Teacher-Child Relationships.
A qualitative study from Norway.

FROM:
Saima Ahmed

EXAM: SEMESTER:
Master’s thesis in Educational Psychology Counseling. Fall, 2017

KEYWORDS:
Shyness
School adjustment
Academic performance
School avoidance
Peer relationships
Teachers as attachment figures
Teacher-child relationships

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© Saima Ahmed
2017
Shyness and School Adjustment: The moderating role of Teacher-Child relationships.
A Qualitative Study from Norway
http://www.duo.uio.no/
Trykk: Reprosentralen, Universitet i Oslo

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ABSTRACT

Shy children are at increased risk for adjustment difficulties at school such as peer-relationship
difficulties, academic problems and poor teacher-child relationships. The aim of the present
study was to explore the moderating role of teacher-child relationships in the relation between
shyness and school adjustment in the elementary schools of Norway. The main research
question was addressed by answering the sub-questions that focused on exploring teacher’s
perception regarding school adjustment of shy children and teacher’s perception regarding their
relationships with shy children.

This study begins with a discussion of the theoretical contexts in which the term shyness is
discussed from different perspectives. This section gives a brief review of the literature related
to shyness and reviews literature regarding peer relationships, academic difficulties and school
avoidance. Teacher-child relationships are discussed from attachment perspective and literature
regarding teacher-child relationships is presented in the theoretical context of the study.

Qualitative research methods are used in this study. Data was collected from five teachers
working in the elementary schools of Oslo. The participants were selected using combination
of purposive and snowball sampling. The data was gathered using semi-structured interviews
and the data was analyzed using thematic analysis.

The findings of the study suggested that the elementary school teachers in Norway perceived
that shy children experience difficulties in their peer relationships through peer exclusion and
peer rejection. Teachers reported that shy children have difficulties in forming large number of
friendships. Teachers had mixed responses regarding academic performance of shy children,
and they perceived that the verbal performance of shy children was lower than non-shy
classmates. All of the teachers displayed awareness of the problems faced by shy children.
Teachers used different strategies such as role playing, playdates, learning partners and
graduated exposure to lure shy children out of his or her shell. Participants reported that shy
children received less attention and teachers-initiated interaction. Finally, regarding the shy
children’s relationships with teachers, some of the teachers perceived that shy children form
close and dependent relationships with teachers. Close teacher-child relationships may serve a
protective role for shy children in terms of improving school-adjustment outcomes.

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DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this thesis to

My husband Ijaz and my children Rania and Hashim for their emotional support. I give my
deepest appreciation for their endless encouragement and the sacrifices made by them during
my studies.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to convey my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Joshua Lawrence for his great
contribution in terms of constructive feedback, suggestions and criticism. His positive feedback
and confidence in my research inspired me and gave me confidence. His careful editing
contributed to the production of this thesis.

I would like to thank my mother for her support and prayers during this journey and for allowing
me to realize my own potential. A special thanks to my father who passed last year for teaching
me to be curious, it brought me where I am today.

Finally, I wish to express a sincere thank you to the participants of the study who gave their
time and graciously agreed to participate. Without their participation, the completion of this
study would not have been possible.

Saima Ahmed
May, 2017

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