| Summary: | The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa affirms the right to freedom and security for
the people of South Africa, as well as the right to education. However, these rights are
violated in schools by occurrences of violence. The media regularly report incidences of
school violence that take place in some schools across the country. Even in schools that
never attract the attention of the media, school violence is everâpresent. In many schools
school violence is normalised and stakeholders feel powerless to deal with the problem.
However, because school violence has a detrimental effect on teaching and learning at
schools and violates the learnersâ right to education in a safe environment, roleâplayers have
to face school violence and take steps to deal with it. This can only be done if school
violence is fully understood. The aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding of
the phenomenon of school violence in South Africa.
I worked from the assumption that schoolâviolence roleâplayers are not passive conduits, but
that they have certain inner capabilities, which give them individual judgement and decisionmaking
autonomy. I did three independent studies to gain a better understanding of the
phenomenon of school violence in the South African context in a triangulation mixedmethod
design. Burkeâs dramatism theory was used as a framework for analysis.
Firstly, I did a media analysis of articles on school violence that appeared in South African
newspapers during the course of one year. The objective of this study was to understand
the perceptions that are created, and the sense that is made of school violence through
media reporting. The second study is a literature study to understand how school violence is
reported on in research publications. I limited my literature study to mainly publications
that focused on the South African context in peerâreviewed journals. The third study is a
survey that was conducted in 11 secondary schools from 3 provinces. The aim of this study
was to understand school violence through the experiences of learners as victims and
onlookers. An international questionnaire, adapted for the South African demographical
context, was administered to a nonâprobability sample of 690 learners. School violence is complex and it has many faces, some of which are hard to notice.
Consequently newspaper reports on school violence are very limited and they fail to
sensitise the public. Scientific knowledge on the topic is also limited. Although the kinds of
acts vary in various school contexts, school violence is a common occurrence in South
African schools. Results from the survey refute stereotypical thinking about soâcalled
vulnerable schools, but confirm findings based on the literature study that large schools, in
particular, are susceptible to school violence. The results from the three studies suggest
that, while outsiders in various capacities are sometimes involved in school violence dramas,
most actors are those that spend their days at school. An examination of the three studies
in juxtaposition clearly revealed that learners and staff members are all alike guilty of school
violence, although they are also the victims and the onlookers. Sexual school violence is a
constant menace, and so is corporal punishment. Weapons and other instruments are
brought to school and used on others, and this phenomenon is not limited to certain
categories of schools. Although there are many reasons for school violence, there is no
single explanation for the everâpresent threat of school violence at schools. Most acts of
school violence seem to happen randomly, often in instant retaliation.
Based on my research, I recommend that schools should sensitise roleâplayers to the many
faces of school violence, and regularly explore the state of affairs at their own schools so
that they can make informed decisions. All schools should take steps to prevent any armed
person from entering the school premises, and they should also be aware of how everyday
objects are used to victimise others. Furthermore, schools should realise that acts of school
violence can happen at any time and in any place; therefore, they have to ensure that there
is adequate supervision in all possible areas. Every school should take steps to strengthen
support for all individuals in the school so as to make roleâplayers feel accepted and
respected.
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