Der Umgang von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern mit interkulturellen Problemsituationen: die Bedeutung von ethnischen Einstellungen

In a questionnaire study, 356 teachers from Hesse and North Rhine Westphalia (Germany) were asked to describe their handling of intercultural differences and conflicts in the classroom. Respondents report pedagogical meaningful reactions in that they prefer to discuss problems with single students or in the classroom. Punishment is used comparably seldom. Between different types of schools differences in the use of pedagogically useful discussion techniques and punishment were found. However, the use of these reactions is primarily determined by the perceived threat of the situation. Looking at individual predictors, in addition to the general effects of perceived threat teachers' authoritarianism, their perceived social support, individual acculturation goals, and perceived effectiveness of school interventions for the solution of intercultural problems were significant predictors of their reactions to intercultural differences and conflicts.