School violence: a multidimensional educational nemesis

English: 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 ever‐present. 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 learners’ right to education in a safe environment, role‐players 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 school‐violence role‐players 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. Burke’s 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 peer‐reviewed 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 non‐probability 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 so‐called 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 ever‐present 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 role‐players 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 role‐players feel accepted and respected.