Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
Eurasian Journal of Educational Research
www.ejer.com.tr
Opinions of the Class Teachers towards “Privacy” and its Violation *
Bilgen KIRAL 1 Yasemin KARAMAN KEPENEKCI 2
ARTICLE INFO
Article History:
Received: 05 November 2016
Received in revised form: 16 August 2017
Accepted: 25 September 2017
DOI: 10.14689/ejer.2017.71.2
Keywords
private life
violation of the private life
private school
state school
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The aim of this study is to reveal the
opinions of teachers in terms of the right to privacy at
school, both in the class and individually, and the
violation of this right.
Research Methods: Data was collected using a
qualitative interview method. 21 teachers from state
schools and 15 from two private schools, in total 36
class teachers, in Aydın, who taught in the 2015-2016
academic year participated, and the data was
analyzed via content analysis.
Findings: The conclusion was reached that the private lives of the school, class, and teachers
was violated. It was concluded that parents and teachers violated the school’s private life,
parents and students violated the class’s private life, and teachers violated other teachers’
private life at the state primary school. Parents were generally the ones who violated the private
life of the school, class, and teachers, at private primary schools.
Implications for Research and Practice: In accordance with these results, it would be beneficial
to inform teachers, administrators, students, and parents about the right of privacy and about
the scope and limits of the school’s, class’s and teacher’s right to privacy. It would be useful to
study, performed using a qualitative approach, in other educational institutions using
quantitative research techniques.
© 2017 Ani Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved
* This study was partly presented at the 3rd International Eurasian Educational Research Congress in Mugla,
31 May – 03 June, 2016
1 Corresponding Author: Adnan Menderes University, TURKEY,
[email protected],
ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5352-8552
2 Ankara University, TURKEY,
[email protected],
ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8455-5593
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Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
Introduction
The only thing given equally to all human beings is life itself. Although some
activities are shared with others, other activities are contained in an individual’s
private space where the individual chooses to exclude others. This is defined as the
individual's private life. Societies have legally protected the individual freedom to
maintain secrecy regarding a person’s private life. The right to privacy is also an
important issue in the workforce. Organizations have also made regulations to
protect the privacy of their employees' private lives. In this section, we will explain
the concepts of private life and the right of privacy are explained, outline the national
and international legal basis of this freedom, and then, discuss the teachers’ rights to
privacy and the violation of this right based on research conducted at the state
primary school and private primary schools.
The Concepts of Private Life
“Private life” as a concept is defined as “The individual’s own idiosyncratic way
of life, life style and his attitude and behavior concerning himself” in the dictionary
of Turkish Language Society (2015). In Oxford Dictionary (2015), it is defined as “not
being disturbed and watched by others, being alone”. A person's name, surname,
gender identity, ethnic identity, image, honor and reputation, physical and
psychological integrity, sexual life, and personal passages are included in private life
(Yutsever, 2015). Inness (1992) argues that private life is confidential, and it is to
control life itself. There are four dimensions of private life: loneliness, the state of
being alone and not being noticed; confidentiality, having confidential relationships
with others within small social groups; hiding oneself, the ability to not be
recognized among people and keeping silent so as not to be recognized; and timidity,
protecting personal information and putting up psychological barriers (Tang &
Dong, 2006). In their article, “The Right of Privacy”, published in the Harvard Law
Review in 1890, Warren and Brandeis became the first researchers to term the right of
privacy as a concept and share this concept to large masses. In a related article, they
analyzed such topics as securing general rights for every individual, the right to
choose in what way individuals will express thoughts, feelings, and emotions to
others, and the right of loneliness (Kosseff, 2008). People's living space is divided into
three dimensions: "common space, private space and hidden space". Common space
is the area that everybody sees and knows, in which everyday things happen. Private
space refers to the place and time that people choose to only share with their friends
and close relatives. Hidden space consists of secret events, information, and
documents which are necessary or desired to be kept secret (Bates, 1964; Aydin,
1998). One can act and think freely in his hidden space, and it is only possible to
learn about a person’s hidden space when the individual grants permission and
access. The hidden space includes an individual’s unshared thoughts and beliefs,
health problems, special moments, and emotional connections. The individual’s
"right to be alone" is also included in this hidden space (Karaman-Kepenekci &
Taskin, 2011; Tierney & Koch, 2016).
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Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
23
The right of privacy is a fundamental right that guarantees freedom and respect
for the individual's private and family life. With the development of technology, the
protection of this right has become increasingly tenuous, and the use of such devices
as cameras, recording devices, etc., has become a threat contributing to the violation
of privacy (Aras, 2010). The 1982 Constitution, Turkish Criminal Law, and Turkish
Civil Law both directly and indirectly relate to the right of privacy and protection of
private life. Individual rights to privacy are also protected under international law.
The Freedom of the Teachers’ Privacy
According to Mawdsley (2004), private life for teachers is separated into four
areas: first, the private personal life of the teachers; second, physical private life in
regards to life and property safety; third, educational private life which includes
their knowledge and skills in an educational environment; and finally, relational
private life defined as the freedom to engage in relationships with the students and
other faculty or staff outside the workplace and includes the level of private life with
the students both in and out of school. According to Horn (2008), the classes are part
of the individual private space of teachers and thus are included in the context of
teachers’ private lives. Teachers protect the private life of the class when they refrain
from disclosing any events that occur while teaching or during classroom activities
outside of the classroom. Although, sharing these events with other outside the
classroom may not constitute a crime, they represent a violation of the private life of
the class. In some schools today, the teachers' school lives are being recorded by
security cameras. In some schools, even parents are able to watch their children, their
class, and their teachers over the internet. In a sense, this is a violation of the private
life of the class (Spencer & Hoffman, 2001). However, Chanin (1970) argues that if a
teacher’s attitudes and behaviors are dangerous, harmful, or unprofessional to
students, other teachers, or staff, those attitudes and behaviors cannot be included
within the scope of the teachers' private life in class; those who exhibit such
behaviors can be excluded from the teaching profession.
There are some events that happen in the school that only the school staff should
know about; these constitute the private life of the school. Sharing confidential
situations with others is a violation of the privacy of school life (Imber & Geel, 2010;
Kauffman & Lane, 2014; Mawdsley, 2004). According to Imber & Geel (2010),
problems with confidentiality at schools cause conflict between the administration of
the school and teachers. These problems often arise when the administration focuses
on controlling teachers' personal life style choices and behaviors and when
administrators try to obtain information about teachers’ private lives.
The claim has been made that teachers who share their professional or private
considerations, practices, materials etc., with colleagues threaten the secrecy culture
in schools even if they are known as good colleagues at school. When teachers share
private events in class with other teachers, they are in fact unconsciously violating
the private life of the class (Rosenholtz, 1985; Szczesiul, 2007). On the other hand, by
interviewing teachers from 16 different state and private elementary schools,
McLaughlin (1992) found that teachers who felt they did not receive any help and
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Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
support from their colleagues and who were more inclined to conceal their private
lives were more nervous. McLaughlin (1992) further determined that teachers who
attach great importance to privacy in their personal lives are rule-makers and tend to
view their work as being routine, highly bureaucratic, and unchangeable. In
interviews with 10 branch teachers, Kauffman & Lane (2014) reported that teachers
expressed that the development of standard rules and criterions for the storage of
private information at schools, the establishment of a confidentiality culture, the
mutual determination to not exceed confidentiality limits, and the placement of
boundaries within relationships are key principles to protecting privacy. Little (1990)
found in his study that interactions between teachers did not threaten the
confidentiality of their private lives and professional solidarity.
Based on this research, it is clear that teachers have lives at school, in the
classroom itself, as well as their own individual private lives. In order to preserve
their privacy in all three areas, teachers have a set of legal rights and freedoms.
However, these rights and freedoms can sometimes be violated. There is very little
research mentioned in the literature that examines these violations of privacy in
school settings, which significantly increases the significance of the research.
Therefore, this study is thought to be a pioneer for future studies. This study was
conducted to examine the opinions of class teachers regarding the scope of "the
freedom of private life" and "the violation of private life" at school, both in the class
and individually. Our general objective ans problem statement is: "What are class
teachers’ opinions regarding ‘the privacy of private life’ and ‘its violation’”? Based on
this primary objective, the following sub-objectives were also examined:
1. What are the opinions of class teachers in terms of situations that are regarded
as private to the school, class, and individual?
2. What are the opinions of class teachers in terms of situations that violate the
privacy of the school, class, and individual?
Method
Research Design
This study is designed as a descriptive study (Karasar, 1991) and gives a detailed
description of the subject the researchers aim to cover (Buyukozturk, Cakmak,
Akgun, Karadeniz & Demirel, 2008). We adopted a qualitative research approach as
it allows us to work on deep and detailed subjects, study fewer people and
situations, and provides more and more detailed information (Patton, 2014). This
particular study is a case study. A case study requires the investigation and
description of a specific situation within the current environment in the real world
(Creswell, 2016). In a case study, existing situations are interpreted and defined. The
case in this study is a violation of privacy and private life.
Bilgen KIRAL - Yasemin KARAMAN KEPENEKCI
Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
25
Research Sample
The study group is composed of a total of 36 teachers. 21 of the teachers work at a
state school and the other 15 worked at two private schools for the 2015-2016
academic year in Aydın. The study group was determined on a voluntary basis.
When the study group was selected, purposeful sampling method was used
(Monette, Sullivan & Dejong, 1990). It is accepted that the purposefully selected
sample will represent the population (Tavsancil & Aslan, 2001). The demographics of
the participants are given in Table 1.
Table 1
Descriptive Statistics of the Sample
Variables
School
State
Private
Total
Gender
F
M
12
9
6
9
18
18
20-30
1
1
2
31-40
9
1
10
Age
41-50
10
2
12
51-60
1
9
10
60+
2
2
Work in this school
1-5
6-10
11+
15
6
11
4
26
6
4
According to Table 1, 12 female and 9 male class teachers from the state primary
school; 6 female and 9 male class teachers from the private primary school
participated in the research. 10 teachers were 31-40 ages, 12 teachers were 41-50, 10
teachers 51-60 and 2 teachers were older than 60 ages. 26 teachers worked in this
school in 1-5 years, 6 worked in 6-10 years and 4 worked 11 and more.
Research Instrument and Procedure
A semi-structured interview form was developed by the researchers following a
review of the literature. The final interview form was approved by two expert
academicians and by the pre-application with two teachers. Face-to-face interviews
were conducted and voice recordings were taken and later transcribed. Some of the
participants did not want their interviews recorded, so their answers were any voice
recordings, their opinions were noted down in the interview itself. The opinions of
the participants were presented by giving a code. In this study, in order to provide
validity, "analyzer triangulation, participant validation and direct citation" was used
(Creswell, 2016; Merriam, 2013; Patton, 2014; Yildirim & Simsek, 2006). The Miles &
Huberman (1994) formula was used to calculate the reliability of the analyses. In this
study, the inter-researcher reliability was calculated as 95%. Hall & Houten (1983)
states that there must be at least 70% consensus between the researchers in coding
qualitative research. The transcribed interview responses were analyzed using
content analysis methods (Kus, 2007; Mason, 2002; Patton, 1990; Rubin & Rubin,
1995; Yildirim & Simsek, 2006). Codes were given to identify participations and their
real names were changed (State School Teacher: ST, Private School Teacher: PT;
Participant 1 Male: Ahmet; Participant 1 Female: Asli etc.).
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Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
Results
In this section, findings related to teachers’ reports of situations which are
regarded as the private life of the school, class, or teacher as well as situations
regarding the violation of private life are given.
Findings Related to the Situations Regarded As the Private Life of the School
The distribution of the state primary and private primary school teachers’
opinions are given in Table 2.
Table 2
Distribution of the Private Life of the School
Categories
Interpersonal
relation
ships
Total
Group
Activities
Sub-categories
Teacher-administration
relationship
Teacher-student relationship
Teacher-parent relationship
Teacher-teacher relationship
Administration-parent
relationship
Student-student relationship
Administration-administration
relationship
School social activities
School meetings
Total
Problems with service personnel
Problems
Problems with canteen personnel
Problems with school
environment
State
Private
Total
f
13
%
24
f
3
%
11
f
16
%
20
12
8
6
4
22
15
11
7
1
6
10
3
3
22
36
11
13
14
16
7
16
17
20
9
2
1
4
2
1
-
3
-
3
1
4
1
46
4
85
7
24
3
86
11
70
7
86
9
1
5
1
2
9
2
1
4
-
3
14
-
2
9
1
2
11
1
1
1
2
2
-
-
1
1
1
1
Total
3
6
-
-
3
3
General Total
54
100
28
100
82
100
According to Table 2, the for the purposes of this study, the schools private life
were divided into three sub-categories: “interpersonal relationships”, “group
activities”, and “problems”. The vast majority of participants categorized
interpersonal relationships at school as within the scope of the school's private life.
Participants then argued that group activities in the school and problems in the
school were also encompassed within the scope of the private life of the school.
When opinions were compared and analyzed between teachers at the state school
and private school, we found that 85% of the responses from participants in the state
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Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
27
primary school were about interpersonal relations, 9% were about group activities,
and 6% were about problems experienced at school; whereas, 86% of the opinions of
the participants in the private primary school were about interpersonal relationships,
14% were about group activities, and none of the responses from the private school
setting were in regards to problems opinions were in the category of problems
experienced at school. The examples to the responses of the teachers:
“The activities performed in the school, private situations related to the staff and
students are the private life of the school” (ST Ecesu).
“When the point is the private life of school, what comes to my mind is the school
meetings. We have to attend these meetings and keep what is spoken during the
meetings secret” (PT Ali).
Findings Related to the Situations Regarded As a Violation of the Private Life of the
School
While 52% of the class teachers working at state primary schools thought that the
school’s private life was violated, the remaining 48% believed that it was not
violated. 67% of private primary school teachers thought that the school’s private life
was violated and 33% believed that it was not. The examples to the responses of the
teachers:
“Especially because of the fact that technological devices have become widespread,
students or parents give away what happened at school and even in class through
for example ‘whatsapp’” (ST Ahmet).
“I don’t think the private life of the school is violated. I have never heard something
like that” (PT İlke).
The class teachers working in the state primary schools thought that the private
life of the school was most often violated by teachers and parents, followed by the
administrators, the students, and finally, the canteen owners. In contrast, teachers at
the private school believed that the private life of the school was violated most often
by parents, followed by teachers, administrators, and finally students, respectively.
The examples to the responses of the teachers:
“Teachers gossip the dialogues of other teachers to school administration and other
teachers” (ST Ayse).
“Parents share everything with each other. They write everything from especially
‘whatsapp’ to each other” (PT Hasan).
In the state primary school, the teachers stated that what was experienced at
school was transferred from teachers to her teachers, from parents to other parents,
from parents to neighbors, from parents to teachers, from parents to administrators,
from administrators to teachers, from students to other students, and from students
to parents, respectively. In private primary schools, it was determined that school
experiences were transferred from parents to other parents, from teacher to teacher,
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Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
from parents to administrators, from parents to teachers, and from teachers to
administrators and from administrators to teachers, respectively.
Findings Related to the Situations Regarded As the Private Life of the Class
The participants were asked to identify what situations fall within the scope of
the class’s private life, and their responses were divided into three sub-categories:
“interpersonal relationships”, “group activities”, and “the problems experienced”.
The distribution of the state primary and private primary school teachers’ responses
are given in Table 3.
Table 3
Distribution of the Private Life of the Class
Categories
Sub-categories
State
f
%
Private
f
%
Total
f
%
Interpersonal
relationships
Teacher-student relationships
Teacher-parent relationships
Student-student relationships
12
9
8
20
16
14
4
8
3
14
28
10
16
17
11
18
20
13
29
51
15
52
44
51
13
1
2
22
2
3
6
1
2
21
3
7
19
2
4
22
2
4
16
27
9
31
25
28
Total
9
4
13
16
7
23
2
3
5
7
10
17
11
7
18
13
8
21
General Total
58
100
29
100
87
100
Total
Group
activities
Sharing activities in the course
Student status in the course
Teacher’s course style/
methods etc.
Total
Problems
Student-family problems
Private problems of students
According to Table 3, the vast majority of participants thought that interpersonal
relationships at school were within the scope of the class’s private life, and 51% were
reported for this sub-category. Participants then argued that group activities in the
class and the problems experienced in the class were within the scope of the private
life of the class. When the distribution of responses in terms of state and private
primary schools related to the situations regarded as the private life of the class were
analyzed and compared between state and private schools, we found that 51% of
responses from the participants in state primary school were about interpersonal
relations, 27% were about group activities, and 23% were about problems
experienced in class whereas, 52% of responses from the private primary school were
about interpersonal relationships, 31% were about group activities, and 17% were
about problems experienced in class. The examples to the responses of the teachers:
“Events experienced in the class are privacy of the class, but it is not possible to
keep them secret. The private school parents make tactics to get words about what
happened in the class when the child comes home in the evening” (PT Nejat).
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Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
29
“The jokes we make in the class, tensions, attitudes and behaviors of the teacher
during the lesson, the emotions of a distressed student, the attitudes of the teachers
and the students to the situation, our sharing” (ST Elif).
Findings Related to the Situations Regarded As the Violation of the Private Life of
the Class
While 86% of teachers working at state primary schools thought that the class’s
private life was violated, 14% believed that it was not violated. All the private
primary school teachers thought that the class’s private life was violated. The
examples of the responses of teachers:
“The administration of the school can share with other teachers, and is spread
afterwards. The vice principal told me that X teacher’s class was infested with lice”
(ST Mehmet).
“Yes, I think that parents violate. They share everything on ‘whatsapp’…” (PT
Murat)
The class teachers working in the state primary schools thought that the private
life of the class was violated most often by parents and students, followed by
teachers, and least often by administrators and neighbors. Teachers at the private
primary schools believed that the class’s private life was violated most often by
parents followed by students, teachers, and administrators, respectively. The
examples of the responses of teachers:
“The fact that parents bring their pupils breakfast as they hadn’t had at home, and
that they ask the situation of the student in the middle of the lesson” (ST Ahmet).
“I’ve heard that teachers smoke in teachers’ room, drink tea and talk on the phone in
the lesson, and that the class was infested with lice etc.” (ST Mehmet)
In the state primary school, the teachers stated that what was experienced in the
class was transferred from students to their parents, from parents to other parents,
teachers among themselves and to other teachers, from students to teachers, from
administrators to teachers, from parents to teachers, from teachers to administrators,
from administrators to other administrators, and from parents to administrators. In
private primary schools, it was determined that information about private life was
transferred from parents to other parents, from students to their parents, from
parents to teachers, and from teachers to parents.
Findings Related to the Situations Regarded As the Private Life of the Teacher
The class teachers working at state and private primary schools were asked to
identify situations that fall within the scope of the teacher’s private life and their
responses were divided into three sub-categories: “physical condition/equipment”,
“the behaviors and relationships of teachers”, and “the problems experienced”. The
distribution of the state primary and private primary school teachers’ responses are
given in Table 4.
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Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
Table 4
The distribution of the teacher’s views of private life
Categories
The physical
condition
of the
teacher’s
equipment
Sub-categories
Teacher’s class
Teacher’s cupboard
Teacher’s bag
Teacher’s drawer
Teacher’s table
Teacher’s bookcase
Teacher’s computer
Total
Teacher’s
behaviors/
relations
Teachers attitudes
Teachers teaching style
Relationship between student,
parent,
teacher
and
administration
Total
Problems/
special cases
Total
General Total
Problems in school
Teacher’s marital status
Teacher’s financial status
Teacher’s personality
Teacher’s clothes
State
Private
Total
f
5
5
9
4
6
%
12
12
23
10
15
f
5
3
2
2
6
1
1
20
1
1
%
22
13
9
9
27
5
5
90
5
5
f
10
3
2
2
6
1
1
25
9
5
7
%
16
5
3
3
10
2
2
41
15
8
11
19
7
4
2
2
1
16
40
48
17
10
5
5
3
40
100
2
22
10
100
21
7
4
2
2
1
16
62
34
11
6
3
3
2
25
100
According to Table 4, the vast majority of participants thought that the physical
condition/equipment belonging to the teachers were within the scope of the
teacher’s private life. 21 participant responses were categorized as the behaviors and
relationships of teachers, and 16 responses were categorized as relating to the
problems experienced/special occasions. By analyzing and comparing the
distribution of responses between state and private primary schools, we found that
12% of the responses from participants in state primary schools were about the
physical condition/equipment belonging to the teachers, 48% were about the
behaviors and relationships of teachers, and 40% were about problems
experienced/special occasions. Among the private primary school teachers, 90% of
the responses were about physical condition/equipment belonging to the teachers
and 10% were about the behaviors and relationships of teachers. The examples to the
responses of the teachers:
“My attitudes towards the events experienced at school and in the class, my style of
teaching, my sharing in terms of the relationships with the students, parents and
teachers” (ST Ayse).
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“My private life is my students in my class. I fictionalize my day, hours and even
my life at home according to my students” (PT Ali).
Findings Related to the Situations Regarded As the Violation of the Private Life of
the Teacher
While 64% of the participants thought that teachers private lives were violated,
36% believed they were not. While 38% of state primary school teachers thought that
teachers private lives were violated, 62% believed that they were not. In contrast, all
the private primary school teachers thought that the teacher’s private life was
violated. The examples to the responses of teachers:
“A topic discussed in teachers’ room with my colleagues can be conveyed to
administration in a different way. I’ve stated that day watch was not properly
organized; and then I’ve felt that our administrators have heard it later” (ST Selda).
“As a teacher, I don’t feel like my private life has been violated.” (ST Erkan).
The state primary school teachers thought that the private lives of teachers were
violated by other teachers most often, followed by parents and students, and finally,
administrators. Private primary school teachers believed that the teachers’ private
lives were violated most often by parents, administrators, teachers, and students,
respectively. The examples of the responses of the teacher’s:
“We have teachers who think that they are perfect, and that they have the
permission to criticize others. Teachers grouped with each other are transferring to
each other” (ST Asli).
They feel pleasure to convey home when you get angry with a pupil or
others, or other occasions” (PT Sema).
In the state primary school, it was stated that information about private life was
transferred from students to their parents; teachers among themselves and to other
teachers; from administrators to teachers, from parents to other parents; and from
students to other students, parents and teachers, respectively. In private primary
schools, it was determined that the information about the teachers’ private life was
transferred from students to parents and from parents to other parents; from teachers
among themselves and to other teachers and from teachers to administrators,
respectively.
Discussion and Conclusion
Just as people have private lives, the school, class, and individual teachers also
have private lives. The private life of the school is a situation that is peculiar to the
school, belongs to the school, and must be kept confidential. The private life of the
class is a field that contains many things that occur within the class, ranging from
student and teacher relations to classroom climate and relations with the parents.
The individual private life of the teacher encompasses all that concerns only the
teacher, for example, a teacher’s choice of clothes, table, closet, teaching methods,
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Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
and techniques etc. The private life of the school, the class, and the teacher must be
protected, and private information about these areas should not be shared with
others. However, in places where there are other people involved, a violation of
private life is sometimes inevitable.
Although Little (1990) revealed that relationships and communication among
teachers did not produce results that would affect teachers' private lives, our study
shows that in both private and state primary schools, the private life of the school
and class is primarily composed of interpersonal relationships (teacher-student,
teacher-parent, teacher-teacher etc.). Even when it came to the private life of the
class, nearly all the teachers in state primary school and all the teachers in private
primary schools claimed that the private life of the class was violated.
While the teachers in the state primary school viewed the teacher's group
activities and interpersonal relationships as within the private life of the teacher, the
teachers working in private primary schools included everything that falls within the
context of the physical condition and equipment of the class, such as the teacher's
closet, suitcase, drawer in the teacher's private life. While more than half of the
teachers working in the state primary school thought that the private life of the
teacher was not violated, all the teachers working in private primary schools thought
that the private life of the teacher was violated. In state primary schools, the private
life of the school and the teacher was usually violated by other teachers; whereas the
private life of the class was violated by the parents and students. In private primary
schools, parents usually violated the private life of both the school and the class and
the teacher. Private primary school teachers expressed that they shared all kinds of
information in ‘whatsapp’ groups they created, that nothing was kept secret, and that
everything experienced at school and in the classroom, including those falling within
the private life of the parents or anything about the teacher, was transmitted to one
another in this way. Spencer & Hoffman (2001) reported that the most important
factor violating the privacy of schools is security cameras, but such a conclusion was
not reflected in the teachers’ responses in this study. This can be interpreted by the
fact that the schools included in this research did not use security cameras and even
if they had, studies indicate they would not cause any disturbing problems in terms
of violating private life. Although cameras can be seen to violate a school’s private
life, they are very important elements in the school security (Kiral & Kizilkaya, 2016;
Kiral & Yildiz, 2016).
McLaughlin (1992) interviewed teachers in 16 different public and private
elementary schools and found that teachers who were making an effort to keep their
private lives secret were more prescriptive and fixed-minded. Horn (2008) also
reported that teachers’ private areas have categories, and that the things they do and
speak in this area and their behaviors are private. In particular, the private primary
school teachers in this study expressed opinions consistent with the results of Horn's
research. In parallel with the results of this research, in interviews with ten branch
leaders, Kauffman and Lanen (2014) also found that teachers expressed opinions
asking for an increase in the teachers’ limits of personal confidentiality at schools and
a desire for their relationships to be more distant.
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Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 71 (2017) 21-40
33
Within the literature over the past years, research has primarily examined the
result of increase social media (facebook, Instagram etc.) on the violation of the
private life of the students (Acilar & Mersin, 2015; Celik, 2017; Dogan & Karakas,
2016; Kiral, 2016; Kulcu & Henkoglu, 2014; Oz, 2014). But there are no studies
directly related to ours. The study is different from others. In this study where the
private life of the school, the class and the teacher and their violation was
investigated, all of the private primary school teachers and a majority of state
primary school teachers were in the view of the fact that private life of the class and
the teacher was violated. When the results related to the violation of the school’s
private life were examined, most of both state and private primary school teachers
were in the view of a violation. As a result of this research, we can assume that
similar results would exist in other schools. A situation that can be generalized by
most of the participants was the fact that the private life of the school, the class and
the teacher was violated. It would be beneficial for teachers, administrators, students,
and parents to be informed about both the freedom of privacy in general and the
scope and in particular, the limits of the private life of the school, the class. Seminars
should be organized to ensure that parents of private schools are especially educated
about the private life of the school, the class, and the teacher. It is necessary that
continuous warnings should be made so that parents comply with scheduled times
for parental interviews, and that parents who come to meet the teachers should wait
for them in specially designated areas for parents. For this, lounges should be
prepared, parents should be informed of interview hours should be informed to
parents from on the school websites as well as written communication, via short
messages and in written form, and the school guidance service should be in constant
contact with the parents whenever necessary. In order to generalize the conclusions
of this research, which was conducted using a qualitative approach, and to be able to
make comparisons, further research about the privacy of private life can be
conducted via quantitative data collection tools in other educational institutions.
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37
Sınıf Öğretmenlerinin Özel Hayatın Gizliliği ve
İhlaline İlişkin Görüşleri
Atıf:
Kiral, B. & Kepenekci Karaman, Y. (2017). Opinions of the class teachers towards
“privacy” and its violation. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 71, 21-40,
DOI: 10.14689/ejer.2017.71.2
Özet
Problem Durumu: İnsanın hayat alanı “ortak alan, özel alan ve gizli alan” olarak üçe
ayrılmaktadır. Ortak alan, herkesin görüp bildiği, günlük işlerin gerçekleştiği
alandır. Özel alan; kişilerin arkadaşları ve yakın akrabaları ile paylaştığı yer ve
zamanı ifade etmektedir. Gizli alan ise hiç kimsenin bilmesi istenmeyen ve
gerekmeyen gizli olaylar, bilgiler ve belgelerden oluşmaktadır (Bates, 1964, 430;
Aydın, 1998, 187). Özel hayatın gizliliği özgürlüğü ise bireylerin özel hayatına ve aile
hayatına dokunulmaması ve saygı gösterilmesini sağlayan en temel haktır (Aras,
2010, 30).
Türkiye’de bu konu ile ilgili en temel yasal dayanağın 1982 Anayasasının 20 ila
27. maddeleri ile, 32. ve 35. maddeleri olduğu, bu maddelerin doğrudan ve dolaylı
olarak özel hayatın gizliliğini ilgilendirdiği görülmektedir. 5237 sayılı Türk Ceza
Kanununun 132 ila 136. maddelerinde bu suçları işleyenlerin belirli cezalar alacakları
yazmaktadır. Türk Medeni Kanunu’nun 23 ila 25. maddeleri de “Kişiliğin
Korunması” başlığı altında olup; bireylerin kişilik haklarını korumaya almaktadır.
Bireylerin özel hayatlarının gizliliği, uluslararası hukukta da korunma altına
alınmıştır. İnsan Hakları Evrensel Bildirgesi’nin 12. maddesinde kimsenin özel
hayatına, ailesine, konutuna ya da haberleşmesine keyfi olarak karışılamayacağı,
şeref ve adına saldırılamayacağı belirtilmekte olup; karışma ve saldırılara karşı
bireyin yasa tarafından korunmaya hakkı olduğu ifade edilmektedir. Avrupa İnsan
Hakları Sözleşmesi’nin 8. maddesi özel hayatın ve aile hayatının korunması ile
ilgilidir. Çocuk Haklarına Dair Sözleşme’nin de 8. maddesinde bu sözleşmeye taraf
devletlerin çocuğun kimliğine; tabiiyetine, ismine ve aile bağları da dâhil, koruma
hakkına saygı göstermeyi ve bu konuda yasa dışı müdahalelerde bulunmamayı
taahhüt etmektedir. 16. maddede hiçbir çocuğun özel yaşantısına, aile, konut ve
iletişimine keyfi ya da haksız bir biçimde müdahale yapılamayacağı gibi, onur ve
itibarına da haksız olarak saldırılamayacağı, çocuğun bu tür müdahale ve saldırılara
karşı yasa tarafından korunmaya hakkı olduğu belirtilmektedir.
Tüm meslek gruplarında çalışan bireylerin iş yerinde sahip oldukları iş hayatları
ve bunun yanında bireysel özel hayatları varken; öğretmenlerinse okulda, sınıfta ve
bireysel olarak üç farklı hayatı bulunmaktadır. Öğretmenlerin sahip olduğu bu hayat
alanlarının gizliliğinin korunmasında bir takım hak ve özgürlükleri vardır. Ancak,
öğretmenlerin sahip oldukları bu hak ve özgürlükler bazen ihlal edilebilmektedir.
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Yapılan bu araştırmanın problemi okulda, sınıfta ve bireysel olarak öğretmenlerin
özel hayatlarının kapsamına giren durumlar ile özel hayatlarını ihlal eden
durumların neler olduğudur.
Amaç: Bu araştırma, sınıf öğretmenlerinin okulda, sınıfta ve bireysel olarak özel
hayatın gizliliğinin özgürlüğü kavramına ve bunun ihlaline ilişkin görüşlerini ortaya
çıkarmak amacıyla yapılmıştır.
Yöntem: Bu araştırmada, derin ve ayrıntılı konularda çalışmaya imkân vermesi, çok
az sayıda kişi ve durum üzerinde çalışmalar yapılması, daha fazla ve detaylı bilgi
elde edilmesini sağlaması nedeniyle araştırmada nitel araştırma yaklaşımı
benimsenmiştir (Patton, 2014). Yapılan çalışma durum çalışmasıdır. Durum
çalışması, gerçek yaşamda var olan, güncel ortamın içindeki özel bir durumun
araştırılmasını ve betimlenmesini gerektirmektedir (Creswell, 2016). Durum
çalışmasında bir veya birkaç durumu kendi sınırları içinde bütüncül olarak analiz
etmek amaçlanmaktadır. Var olan durumlar tek olarak ve/veya tanımlanarak
yorumlanmaktadır (Yıldırım ve Şimşek, 2006; Merriam, 2013). Bu çalışmada, devlet
ve özel okulda çalışan sınıf öğretmenlerinin okulun, sınıfın ve öğretmenlerin özel
hayatı ile özel hayatının ihlaline ilişkin görüşleri betimlenmeye çalışıldığı için durum
çalışması kullanılmıştır (Yıldırım ve Şimşek, 2006; Patton, 2014; Creswell, 2016).
Çalışma grubu seçilirken, amaçlı örnekleme yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Katılımcıların
amaçlı olarak tercih edilme nedeni araştırmaya katkı getireceği düşüncesindendir
(Monette, Sullivan ve Dejong, 1990). Amaçlı olarak seçilen örneklemin evreni temsil
edeceği kabul edilmektedir (Tavşancıl ve Aslan, 2001). Araştırmada 2015-2016
akademik yılında Aydın’da bir devlet ilkokulundan 21 ve iki özel ilkokuldan 15
olmak üzere amaçlı rastgele örnekleme yöntemi ile toplam üç ilkokuldan 36 sınıf
öğretmeni ile görüşme yapılmıştır. Araştırmada geçerliği sağlamak için “analizci
üçgenlemesi, katılımcı doğrulaması ve doğrudan alıntılar” yapılmıştır. Analizlerin
güvenilirliğini hesaplamak için Miles ve Huberman (1994) formülünden
yararlanılmıştır. Bu çalışmada araştırmacılar arası güvenirlik %95 olarak
hesaplanmıştır. Veriler içerik analizi yöntemi ile analiz edilmiştir.
Bulgular: Okulun özel hayatı sayılan durumlar üç kategoride incelenmiştir. Bunlar:
kişilerarası ilişkiler, grup faaliyetleri ve yaşanan sorunlardır. Hem devlet
ilkokulunda hem de özel ilkokulda görevli öğretmenler en çok kişilerarası ilişkiler
kategorisinin okulun özel hayatına girdiğini düşünmektedirler. Devlet ilkokulunda
görevli sınıf öğretmenlerinin %52’si okulun özel hayatının ihlal edildiğini
düşünürken; özel ilkokul sınıf öğretmenlerinin %67’si okulun özel hayatının ihlal
edildiğini düşünmektedir.
Sınıfın özel hayatı sayılan durumlar kişilerarası ilişkiler, grup faaliyetleri ve yaşanan
sorunlar olarak üç kategoride incelenmiştir. Araştırmaya katılan devlet ve özel
ilkokul öğretmenlerinin büyük bir çoğunluğu kişilerarası ilişkiler kategorisinin
sınıfın özel hayatı kapsamına girdiğini düşünmektedirler. Devlet ilkokulunda görevli
sınıf öğretmenlerinin %86’sı sınıfın özel hayatının ihlal edildiğini düşünürken; özel
ilkokul sınıf öğretmenlerinin tümü sınıfın özel hayatının ihlal edildiğini
düşünmektedirler.
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Öğretmenin özel hayatı sayılan durumlar öğretmenin eşyalarının fiziki
durumu/donanım, öğretmenin davranışları/ilişkileri ve yaşanan sorunlar/durumlar
olarak üç kategoride incelenmiştir. Devlet ilkokulunda çalışan öğretmenler en çok
öğretmenin davranışları/ilişkileri kategorisinin öğretmenin özel hayatı kapsamında
olduğunu düşünürlerken; özel ilkokulda görevli öğretmenlerse öğretmenin
eşyalarının fiziki durumu/donanımın öğretmenin özel hayatı olduğunu
düşünmektedirler. Devlet ilkokullarında çalışan öğretmenlerin %38’i öğretmenin
özel hayatının ihlal edildiği görüşünde iken; özel ilkokullarda çalışan sınıf
öğretmenlerinin
tamamı
öğretmenin
özel
hayatının
ihlal
edildiğini
düşünmektedirler.
Sonuç ve Öneriler: Araştırmanın sonuçlarına göre okulun, sınıfın ve öğretmenin özel
hayatının ihlal edildiği sonucuna varılmıştır. Devlet ilkokulunda okulun özel
hayatının ihlalini velilerin ve öğretmenlerin; sınıfın özel hayatının ihlalini velilerin ve
öğrencilerin; öğretmenin özel hayatını ise diğer öğretmenlerin ihlal ettiği sonucuna
ulaşılırken; özel ilkokullarda ise okulun, sınıfın ve öğretmenin özel hayatını ihlal
edenin genellikle veliler olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Araştırmadan elde edilen
sonuçlar doğrultusunda öğretmenlerin, yöneticilerin, öğrencilerin ve velilerin özel
hayatın gizliliği özgürlüğü, okulun, sınıfın ve öğretmenin özel hayatının kapsamı ve
sınırlılıkları konusunda bilgilendirilmesinin yararlı olacağı, nitel yaklaşımın
benimsendiği bu çalışmanın nicel araştırma yöntemleri ile farklı eğitim kurumlarında
da yapılabileceği önerilebilir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Özel hayat, özel hayatın ihlali, özel okul, devlet okulu.