Eureka! Institutional Repository

PURPOSE The purpose of this research is to study the attitudes and behaviour that the refugee children of school age, age 6 to 12 years old, have within the school environment. It studies the chidren attending a public primary school so that it can comprehend the way in which they interact with the rest of the children and how they deal with the educational procedure in order to learn the greek language. MATERIAL-METHOD Recorded data gathered from observation and interviews, were coded and thereafter analysed so that the existing common elements and the factors that contribute to them can be correlated. Morever, interviews were conducted in order to deeply comprehend the children's emotions and their life so far, so that there can be linked to each other. RESULTS The teaching of the Greek language to children whose native language is Arabic, Kurdish and farsi, has been challenging and especially for the younger children who are not familiar with it to a satisfying degree. This fact, affects the childrens attitude towards the educational procedure. Aditionally, the childrens behaviour is clearly affected by everything they have gone through the last few years and with their present living conditions, resulting in them demonstrating deliquent behaviours and exaggerated fears when facing certain situations. CONCLUSION The physchological support of these children and their families is very important so that they can eliminate these stereotypes and it will help the child to accept and believe in himself/herself. The educational and school activities must accept the childrens cultural identity and make an effort to integrate it within the school environment.