The Influence of School Organisational Variables on School Violence in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a sequential mixed-method study about the influence of school organisational variables on school violence in the Eastern Cape Province. An adapted version of the California School Climate and Survey – Short Form (CSCSS-SF) was used as data collection instrument during the first phase of the investigation. The questionnaire was completed by 900 Grade 10-12 learners, half of which were from high-risk schools, and the rest from low-risk schools. During the second phase of the study, in-depth, personal interviews were conducted with eight learners from four schools: two high-risk schools and two low-risk schools from the Queenstown District. The purpose of the interview was to complement and elucidate the quantitative results. The results revealed that campus disruption, drug abuse and carrying weapons were realities at both the high-risk and the low-risk schools that participated in the study. However, statistically, respondents from high-risk schools felt significantly more unsafe than those attending low-risk schools. Furthermore, it transpired that statistically, significantly more respondents at high-risk schools, than learners at low-risk schools were the victims of school violence. These results were confirmed by the findings from the second phase of the study. The close connection between a positive school climate and culture and school safety not only transpires from the quantitative results, but also from the narratives. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p1136