Interpretation of aggressiveness and teacher positions in everyday school life: focused ethnography in Finnish primary school

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Teachers’ interpretations play a central role in how pupils’ actions become defined as aggressive in everyday school life. This focused ethnography examines how behaviour perceived as aggressive emerges in Finnish primary schools, what interpretative frameworks teachers draw upon, and how these frameworks shape teachers’ interactional positioning. Based on classroom observations and ethnomethodologically informed interviews, the study identifies three recurrent frameworks: cry for help, individual responsibility, and chosen behaviour. Each framework affords teachers different positions, ranging from active supporter to passive supervisor or threatened authority, with significant consequences for escalation or de-escalation. The findings show that aggression is not a stable individual trait but an interactionally produced phenomenon shaped by institutional norms, teacher expectations, and moment-to-moment positioning. The study advances research on school interaction by demonstrating how teachers’ interpretative practices constitute the conditions under which behaviour becomes visible, manageable, or problematic, offering insights for developing pedagogical approaches to challenging behaviour.