Janet C. Reid, Scott Hunter, Tonya Clark and Colin A.J. Collett van Rooyen (University of Michigan and COSL)

ABSTRACT

School violence has become synonymous with physical violence perpetrated by children within the school domain (Wayson, 1985). Threats of violence and personal experiences with violence at school negatively affect students and the educational process. This descriptive study proposes to establish the level of aggression and impact of violence among school age children. Eight hundred and thirty-four subjects from different demographic areas between grades 8 through 12 participated in a 25-minute paper based questionnaire. For the development of appropriate intervention strategies, a critical need exists for increased awareness of the level of aggression in schools, as well as for the education of families and local communities about school violence. Recommendations for possible strategies and further research are offered herein.

AIMS OF THE STUDY

The present study seeks to identify factors influencing school violence by examining learners' experiences in several domains-peer relations, parental influence and exposure to violence among others. The results, it is hoped, will delineate the factors that weigh most heavily upon learners' levels of aggression and tendencies toward violence, factors that contribute heavily to the problem of crime in the classroom.

By establishing a link between these factors and classroom crime, the study will define specific aspects of childhood life that might best be targeted by violence intervention programs in schools. The findings of the present study may define a need to target non-traditional sources that lay outside of the classroom altogether, such as parenting styles or media exposure. While such sources have been typically left untouched by violence prevention programs, the need for such well-directed study-whether in the classroom or out - is made evident by findings that prevention programs with strong design and implementation may potentially enhance learners' social, emotional and physical wellness.

The investigation herein described was an attempt to capture a view of the problem of youth and school violence through a paper-based survey of Durban-area learners. Our aim in conducting the investigation herein described was dualistic. It was exploratory in that we sought to identify factors linked with school violence for later study. It was also descriptive in that we endeavoured to illustrate the predicament encountered by school-age youth at home and in the classroom.

The aim of this research project is to understand the associated factors that contribute to learners' level of aggression and their tendency towards aggression. By implicating these factors as major impediments or supports to success, the study will define specific aspects of childhood life that might best be targeted by violence intervention programs in schools. The findings of the proposed study may potentially define a need to target non-traditional sources that lay outside of the classroom altogether, such as parenting styles or media portrayals. While such sources have been typically left untouched by violence prevention programs, the need for such well-directed study - whether in the classroom or out - is made evident by findings that prevention programs with strong, design, and implementation can potentially enhance children's social, emotional, and physical wellness.

THE STUDY CONTEXT

South Africa in 1999 is a country engulfed in an abrupt period of economic, social, and political change. Only five years out of its Apartheid regime, the country struggles to simultaneously revamp its government, adapt its new sanction-free economy to a global market, and to undo its strong racial stratification. South Africans are now confronting a myriad of new issues, including affirmative action policies and an unemployment rate that has recently leapt close to 40 percent.

Among these problems is that of violent crime. South Africa is, by many accounts, one of the most violent countries in the world. Much of its crime incidence stems from political upheaval. In fact, political violence has resulted in over 20,000 deaths between 1985 and 1995. More than half of these deaths have occurred in KwaZulu-Natal, the country's largest province. The problem of violence in the country is not isolated to the political front; it has also reached into the nation's classrooms. At the time of this paper, police reports indicate that well over 50 investigations of violent school crimes are underway in KwaZulu-Natal alone. Durban, the largest city in the province, is the site of the present study.

The investigation herein described was an attempt to capture a view of the problem of youth and school violence through a paper-based survey of Durban-area learners. Our aim in conducting the investigation herein described was dualistic. It was exploratory in that we sought to identify factors linked with school violence for later study. It was also descriptive in that we endeavoured to illustrate the predicament encountered by school-age youth at home and in the classroom.

METHODS

Three Durban high schools were chosen to participate in this violence study. Student researchers from the University of Michigan recruited subjects from the chosen schools who met the guidelines for the study. Each survey took about 25 minutes to complete. There will be no risk, discomfort or cost involved with participation in this study. Their participation is voluntary. They may refuse to participate in or withdraw from the study at any time without penalty. This study will benefit them directly by providing information to about their tendency toward violence. We hope that by learning more about violence in schools, the result of this study can be used to help other schools to minimize violence. Researchers will also get the opportunity to study violence in similar demographic areas to minimize the level of violence in schools.

PRELIMINARY REPORT OF FINDINGS
RESULTS

Perceived levels of safety The feeling of security was associated with aggressive behaviour and the fear of attending school. In this study, each learner's perceived level of safety was gauged with questions about his/her experiences during the past two weeks. The following data revealed that learners who felt unsafe were more likely to carry weapons, feel angry, and stay home from school: Of the learners who felt safe in schools, 9.9% had taken a weapon to school as compared to 16.1% of learners who felt unsafe at school. Of those learners who felt safe, 14.8% had stayed home from school in fear of what mighty happen to them as compared to 25.3% of those who felt unsafe.

Each learner's perceived level of safety, however, did not correlate strongly with the tendency to insult, grab, push, or hit other learners: Of the learners who felt safe, 33.8% insulted other learners while 37.8% of those who felt unsafe engaged in such behaviour. Of the learners who felt safe, 23.6% had grabbed, pushed, or hit other learners while 24.7% of those who felt unsafe, had engaged in such behaviour.

A relationship was also noted between the environment of each school and the factor of security: 45.5% of those learners who witnessed other learners carrying weapons to school felt unsafe. Only 30.5% of those learners who had not witnessed feel unsafe. In conducting a statistical analysis of the data culled from learners' surveys, three strong relationships emerged:

1. Learners who witnessed crimes were more likely to perpetrate crimes than those who did not witness crimes.
2. Learners who reported falling victim to crime were more likely to commit offences than those learners who were not crime targets.
3. Learners who reported feeling unsafe in school exhibited more aggressive behaviour and fear than those who reported feeling safe in school.

Victims of crime as perpetrators

A second trend apparent upon examining the data set revealed a link between victimization and the commission of crimes, that is, learners who reported themselves as victims of crime claimed to participate in criminal activity at a higher rate than students who had never fallen victim to crime. This relationship also emerged in examining crime specific victim-perpetration links. Students who were the targets of specific crimes were more likely to report committing the same offence:

• 44.3% of sex abuse victims have sexually abused others while only
• 1.2% of learners who were not sex abuse victims have sexually abused others
• 53.0% of domestic violence victims have domestically abused others while only
• 3.2% of learners who were not victims of domestic violence have domestically abused others
• 21.1% of learners who reported being gunshot victims have shot at others while only
• 4.0% of learners who were not gunshot victims have shot at others
• 53.5% of stabbing victims have stabbed others while only
• 2.6% of learners who were not stabbing victims have stabbed others.

WITNESSING CRIME

Research has shown that people tend to emulate the violence they have witnessed in their environment. The learners in this study reported to have witnessed crimes with their homes, communities, and schools. The data revealed a trend among the distributions of those who have witnessed violence and those who have committed the violent act they have witnessed. A higher percentage of learners who have witnessed violence tend to commit similar acts of violence, than those who have not witnessed violence.

Of those who had witnessed murder,

• 29% had committed murder while
• 3% of those who had not witnessed murder, had committed murder. Of those who witnessed stabbing,
• 33.6% had stabbed someone while
• 3.5% of those who had not witnessed stabbing, had stabbed someone.

Of those who witnessed child sexual abuse,

• 32.7% had committed child sexual abuse while only
• 1.5% of those who had not witnessed child sexual abuse, have committed the act of child sexual abuse.

Of those who had witnessed rape,

• 33% had committed the act of rape while
• 2.3% of those who had not witnessed rape, had committed the act of rape.

Of those who had witnessed domestic violence,

• 39.2% had participated in the act of domestic violence while
• 5% of those who had not witnessed domestic violence, had participated in the act of domestic violence.

References

Harris, Jodet-Marie. "Relationships between violent experiences and academic performance in public schools." Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities & Social Sciences; Vol. 57(6-A) Dec 1996 2428 AAM9633394.

Hawkins, J. David. "Academic performance and school success: Sources and consequences." Weissberg, Roger P. (Ed) Healthy children 2010: Enhancing children's wellness. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: Sage Publications, Inc; 1997 (xiv, 318), 278-305

Author details: Janet C. Reid
First Year, MPH
Department of Health Behavior, Health Education, SPH
University of Michigan

Scott Hunter Senior, BS
School of Literature, Science and Art
University of Michigan

Tonya Clark
Sophomore, BA
School of Literature, Science and Art
University of Michigan

Colin A.J. Collett van Rooyen
Service Learning
Faculty of Community and Development Disciplines
University of Natal,
Durban, South Africa