School Violence Research Articles

Social Workers’ Reports on Needs and Recommendations to Enhance School Safety

Issues with school safety and violence have raised concerns that warrant attention from researchers, policy makers, and practitioners alike. In this study, we explored how school social workers—a group of school personnel who are understudied in the school violence literature—experience school safety and violence in the United States. Using a sample of 271 school social workers, we analyzed qualitative responses to two open-ended survey questions: (a) What are the most concerning safety issues facing educators and staff in your school? (b) What policies, procedures, resources, or interventions are needed to better prevent or address violence in your school? Data were collected online between March and June 2022 by the American Psychological Association Task Force on Violence against Educators and School Personnel. Derived using a socioecological framework, findings reflect school social workers’ needs for workplace safety and perspectives on how to prevent and mitigate school violence at the school site, district, and community levels. Implications range from promoting strong relationships in schools and between the school and community to bolstering funding sources that can sustain programs, training, and staffing aimed at improving experiences for all students. The implications of our findings for future research and practice are presented.

Representation of Peace Values in an Indonesian EFL Textbook: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Violence, bullying, and crime in schools have become prevalent issues in Indonesia, with the government and educational institutions actively working to prevent these behaviors. Peace values, which can be taught through textbooks, play a crucial role in this effort. Despite the implementation of Kurikulum Merdeka, no research has explicitly examined the representation of peace values in the English textbooks published by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, Research, and Technology. The study investigates the representation of peace values in the English for Nusantara textbook for Junior High Schools. Using Critical Discourse Analysis by Fairclough, the study found that the textbook represents three types of peace values, textually and visually: inner peace, social peace, and peace with nature. However, these values are still represented disproportionately. In practice, this research can be used for English teachers in selecting, designing, and evaluating learning materials which represent the peace values suitably to students. Apart from that, it could be a reference for book authors to develop materials which are balanced in presenting peace values according to Indonesian students' requirements. In addition, this study can be an alternative for the government in curricula design and evaluation.

Exploring the Landscape of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Care in Albania - Current Situation and Mental Health Services

This paper examines the current state of mental health care for children and adolescents in Albania, highlighting the significant challenges faced by the country’s mental health system. Despite modest progress, Albania continues to rank among the lowest in Europe in terms of mental health workforce availability, with a particularly severe shortage of specialists in child and adolescent care. The three-tiered mental health care system, while structured, remains ineffective due to a lack of specialized professionals, inadequate infrastructure, and significant geographic disparities in service access. Cultural stigma surrounding mental health, combined with limited public awareness and distrust in available services, exacerbates the situation, further deterring families from seeking necessary support. Additionally, high rates of child abuse, emotional neglect, and school violence contribute to the growing mental health crisis, leaving many young individuals vulnerable to psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, and aggression. This paper explores the systemic barriers, financial constraints, and cultural norms that hinder effective mental health care for children and adolescents in Albania, and it offers recommendations for improving access to care, increasing professional capacity, and reducing stigma. Ultimately, it calls for urgent reforms to create a more accessible, equitable, and effective mental health care system for Albania’s youth.

Psychological predictors of adolescents' acceptance of the role of victim or bully in school bullying situations

Introduction. The problem of school violence, or bullying, is one of the most acute and painful problems of modern society. Despite extensive research in the field of psychology, pedagogy, sociology, the subject of active scientific discussion is still the personal characteristics of adolescents involved in bullying, and the contribution of psychological properties of the individual to predicting the adoption of the role of a victim or offender in a bullying structure. The hypothesis of the study was the assumption that general abilities, self-esteem, personality traits, individual-typological properties of the individual and motivational-need characteristics of adolescents act as predictors of the tendency of adolescents to accept the role of a victim or offender in a situation of school bullying. Materials and methods. The sample included students in grades 5-8 who participate in bullying, aged 10 to 15 years (N=414; M=12.2; SD=1.5). The study was conducted at MBOU Secondary School No. 1, MBOU Secondary School No. 40, MAOU "Gymnasium No. 73", MAOU "Gymnasium No. 3" in Vladimir. The research was carried out using psychodiagnostic tools: Olweus Questionnaire of the Role of Victim and Aggressor in a School Bullying Situation (adapted by E. V. Bushina, A. M. Muminova); Shmishek Questionnaire (children's version); Cattell's Multifactorial Personality Study Method/Adolescent Version (14PF); Spielberger-Khanin Anxiety Scale; Bass-Darki Hostility Questionnaire (Yenikolopov's version). Guilford's Social Intelligence Test; Raven's Progressive Matrices; V. A. Zobkov's Motivational Self-Assessment Questionnaire; Personality Study Form (I. M. Kondakov). The statistical analysis methods used were: hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward's method, Pearson correlation), standard S&RT (GTrees) analysis. Data processing was carried out using Microsoft Excel, STATISTICA 10, SPSS 23. KEYWORDS Results. In the course of applying the standard S&RT analysis (one of 10 trained trees, 6 terminal nodes), a tree-like psychological predictive model of adolescents' acceptance of the role of a victim (N=138) or offender (N=276) in a bullying situation was obtained. Of the 71 indicators, 5 predictors were included in the final model: the need for social approval, intelligence, self-confidence in behavior, attitude towards the team, and social intelligence. Conclusion. Personal characteristics of adolescents, such as self-esteem, motivational and need characteristics, general abilities act as predictors of the tendency of adolescents to take the role of a victim or offender in a school bullying situation, predetermining the emergence of bullying structures.

The Struggle to Maintain Schools in Times of War

This article explores the distinct challenges facing Arab school principals in Israel, particularly in the context of existential fears stemming from a complex political landscape and rising violence in schools. These concerns are intensified by feelings of isolation from decision-making processes and the ineffectiveness of policies aimed at addressing the specific needs of Arab communities. Through an action research approach, this study analyzed the experiences of 15 elementary school principals over four years and introduced an intervention model called “empathetic inquiry”. This model, comprising four stages, creating a safe space for emotional expression, framing and reframing events, and formulating alternative actions, was implemented through group discussions and techniques like roleplaying. Findings revealed that the model facilitated open emotional sharing, enhanced principals’ sense of competence, and transformed their perception of authority from a rigid to a reflective role. Participation in the group fostered solidarity among staff and improved conflict management skills. Ultimately, this study highlights the “empathetic inquiry” model as a promising strategy for fostering empathetic leadership and reducing existential anxiety in Arab schools, although future research is necessary to evaluate its broader applicability and long-term effects, reflection, and self-awareness. This model contributed to their ability to cope with conflicts more effectively and to develop empathetic leadership.

THE VIOLENCE EXPERIENCES OF ADOLESCENTS AT SCHOOL: A QUALİTATİVE RESEARCH

Objective: This study was conducted with a qualitative method to examine in depth the violence experiences of adolescents at school. Material and Methods: Twenty adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 participated in the study. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. The interviews were conducted online and face-to-face and were audio recorded. Inductive content analysis was conducted through the MAXQDA 2022 package program. Ethics committee permission and adolescent and parental consent were obtained to conduct the study. Results: The average age of the adolescents participating in the study is 14.2±2.76. Ten of the adolescents are educated at secondary school level and 10 of them are educated at high school level. In line with the research findings, four themes "experience of violence”, "effects of violence", "coping methods" and "suggestions for preventing violence" were determined. Conclusion: It was determined that all adolescents experienced or witnessed violence at school. Violence appears to be a significant problem at school. It is recommended to plan training to prevent violence in schools, to inform children and families, to increase security measures in schools, and for teachers and administrators to take an active role in preventing violence.

The Effectiveness Paradox: Assessing Support for K-12 Concealed Carry by Teachers, Staff, and Parents

ABSTRACT Campus carry is one of the most debated interventions to address school violence. While extensive research exists on campus carry in a college setting, less attention has focused on K-12 schools. The current exploratory study examines public support, including that of K-12 parents, of concealed carry by teachers, staff, and parents in a K-12 setting. It also explores the correlates of support for K-12 carry more broadly. Findings indicate that more participants believe than disbelieve that armed staff and teachers could effectively extinguish a threat in a K-12 school. However, participants generally do not support any group carrying firearms in K-12 settings, and more participants indicated that they would feel less safe having armed individuals in K-12 settings. Multivariable modeling indicated that gun socialization, political beliefs, and orientations toward law enforcement were the strongest predictors of support K-12 carry. Theoretical and practical implications based on these findings are discussed within.

Responding educationally to violence in schools: transformative justice as education now

ABSTRACT While education is often tasked with educating students for a somewhat infinite number of futures, it is perhaps possible to say that no matter what the future is, people will continue to live with and care for one another in some capacity. To be attentive to this future is not to educate for a specific, fully developed and already decided upon view of the future but is to educate for living with and caring for each other now. This paper takes its point of departure in the complexities of living and caring for each other that emerge when responding to violence in schools. By drawing on educational philosophy and transformative justice, this paper explores educational responses to harm. Ultimately, this article argues that transformative justice can be understood as a response to violence in schools that gives rise to education now.

Mental Health Services and Violence Prevention Training: Exploring Alternative Approaches for Preventing School Violence

ABSTRACT Current school safety practices, namely retroactive punishments and target hardening strategies, fail to address key correlates of school violence. Support-oriented approaches, including mental health services, may be promising alternatives by tackling concerning behaviors before they manifest into violence. Using 2017–18 School Survey on Crime and Safety data, zero-inflated negative binomial regression models estimate how school mental health services and violence prevention training for teachers impact the number of school violence incidents. The findings suggest that the mere availability of school mental health services is not related to the number of violent incidents, highlighting the need for in-depth program evaluations. While violence prevention training varies by type in its effects, schools that provide more training to teachers are predicted to report fewer violent incidents. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Socioeducational Observation in Impact of the Workshop the Wounds of Childhood in the Modulation of School Violence in High School Pupils for Rhochrematic

Socioeducational observation in the problem of school violence is becoming more frequent, which leads to the proposal to moderate its effects mainly in the elementary school environment (secondary school). In this research, the main triggers and ways to reduce it are addressed, with an intervention called Action Research, from which good results were obtained, since it decreased school aggression in the school where it was applied, and even resulted in its possible application in other educational levels, considering its respective variants.

Cyberbullying Against Teachers in Latin America During the Pandemic: The Negative Effects on Their Levels of Well-Being Through Burnout

ABSTRACT During the Pandemic teachers switch from in-person classes to online platforms during 2021–22. This context enabled cyberbullying against teachers from students, which negatively impact their well-being. Previous studies have focused on school violence against teachers, but less is known about cyberbullying against teachers while considering teacher burnout dimensions. We used a sample of 1,387 teachers (M = 42.2, SD = 10.1; female, 79.1%) from Chile, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, and Ecuador. Using structural equation modeling, we found that higher levels of cyberbullying are associated with lower levels of teachers’ well-being and mediated by psychological exhaustion but not by enthusiasm toward the job scale. Our results confirm the adverse effects of cyberbullying on teachers’ well-being. We highlight two burnout dimensions as possible underlying mechanics to better understand this relationship. Therefore, prevention programs can include skills and teacher resources to deal with cyberbullying and burnout to moderate the negative impact on their well-being.

School violence and its psychological impacts: A comparative analysis in the context of Vietnam.

Globally, school violence affects kids' academic performance, mental health, and social development. International research uses varied methods to study school violence, but Vietnamese studies are mostly quantitative and lack methodological rigor and psychological analysis. Synthesizing global and Vietnamese school violence literature to identify trends, research constraints, and intervention techniques attempts to fill these gaps. This systematic literature analysis investigated empirical studies from Google Scholar, UNESCO, UNICEF, and WHO databases from 2000 to 2024. Relevant studies were chosen for school violence prevalence, causes, psychological effects, and interventions. A thematic analysis categorized findings by methodological approach and study emphasis, followed by a comparative analysis of international and Vietnamese studies. Physical, psychological, social, and cyber school violence exists, with psychological violence being more common. International studies use standardized instruments and mixed-method approaches, while Vietnamese research uses self-constructed assessment tools with inadequate validation. Family environment, peer dynamics, school atmosphere, and media influence are important. Life skills education and punishment dominate Vietnamese intervention efforts, while international programs emphasize social-emotional learning, teacher training, and community involvement. Qualitative research in Vietnam needs better methods and established measurement tools. Effective prevention should move from punitive to evidence-based, multi-stakeholder interventions. Future school violence intervention program evaluations should use mixed-method approaches and longitudinal assessments. This review helps Vietnamese policymakers and educators create more comprehensive school violence prevention strategies.

Risks and Prevention of School Violence: Impact of Institutional Climate and Teacher Role

School violence represents a significant challenge that affects both students and teachers, negatively impacting the teaching-learning process and the well-being of the educational community. A positive institutional climate, supported by effective leadership, clear norms, and healthy interpersonal relationships, can significantly reduce violence in schools. Furthermore, administrative management and institutional support play a key role in creating a safe environment. Community violence also influences school violence, emphasizing the need for prevention strategies that address both the school and community contexts. The teacher's role is essential in preventing violence, as the perception of their academic competence and the quality of their relationship with students influence classroom coexistence. Educational interventions, such as socio-emotional education programs and conflict resolution, are key tools to reduce school violence, but face barriers like lack of resources and emotional responses from parents to disciplinary measures. It is crucial to adopt a comprehensive approach involving the entire educational community for effective prevention.

Systematic analysis of obstacles preventing quality education for children in slum areas

Education is the basic foundation of the overall development of society and it is also the fundamental right of every child. When it comes to access and quality of education in a developing country like India, it is seen that the most marginalized sections of the society, especially children living in slum areas, are deprived of this right. This paper specifically analyses the immence barriers that stand in the way of quality education for children in slums. Children living in these areas are facing a variety of problems,like enrolling in school because of lack of required documentation, lack of physical infrastructure, adequate schooling, existing poor buildings, toilets and non-availability of drinking water. Moreover, due to weak economic condition of family, children often gets drop out of school to work as labourers or taking up household responsibilities. Socio-cultural factors such as parents' illiteracy, apathy towards education, child marriage, gender discrimination and social stigma also hinder children's learning. At times, children face discrimination, humiliation or even violence in school, which breaks their morale. Shortage of teachers, Defected teacher training programs, lack of teaching spirit among teachers in schools affect the quality of education. The impact of government schemes such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mid-Day Meal Scheme, and initiatives such as the RTE Act has been limited, as their implementation is often weak and corrupt. In the era of moving towards digital education, slum areas are deprived of digital facilities, due to which their education comes to a complete halt in situations like COVID-19. In conclusion, it is concluded that mere formulation of policies is not enough to provide quality education to children in slum areas, but their effective implementation, community participation, teacher training, financial support and social consciousness are essential. Keywords: Slums, Child Education, Inequality in Education, Educational Barriers, Socio-Cultural Barriers, Digital learning Gap, Child Rights, Inclusive Education.

교육적 징계로서의 사과편지 작성의 법적 근거와 정당성 - 대법원 2022. 12. 1. 선고 2022두39185 판결

In this paper, I examine the legal grounds and legitimacy of mandated apology letter writing as an educational disciplinary measure, focusing on the Supreme Court Decision 2022Du39185 (December 1, 2022). The decision under review determined that apology letter writing lacks proper legal basis, based on interpretations of school regulation phrases such as ‘other equivalent duties’ and ‘character education,’ as well as the ‘written apology’ provision in the School Violence Prevention Act. To evaluate the validity of this judgment, it is necessary to first understand the legal nature of elementary and secondary school regulations. These regulations function as autonomous norms based on the constitutionally guaranteed independence and professionalism of education. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides only basic disciplinary principles, leaving specific norm formation to professional judgment in educational settings, reflecting the essential characteristic that educational activities must vary according to each school's and student's specific circumstances. Considering these aspects, the Court's ruling that apology letter writing cannot be included in ‘in-school service’ appears to insufficiently consider the unique nature of educational discipline. The Act includes a comprehensive provision allowing student discipline ‘when necessary for education,’ thereby ensuring educational autonomy. Given the educational value of apology letter writing, it could reasonably be recognized as a form of ‘in-school service.’ In particular, the term ‘character education’ in school regulations, derived through educational community consensus, should be interpreted as providing grounds for specific educational activities. Furthermore, from the perspective of discretionary abuse, the apology letter writing in this case was an appropriate educational measure. Considering the nature of the misconduct (unauthorized mobile phone use during class and inappropriate behavior toward teachers), the legitimacy of educational purposes (establishing educational order and restoring trust), and the educational significance of the measure, this goes beyond mere punishment to promote personal growth through reflection. In conclusion, the Court's decision, by focusing on literal interpretation of the legal basis for apology letter writing, failed to adequately reflect the constitutional requirements of professional judgment and autonomy in educational settings.

Priority modern scientific trends and approaches in physical education research: bibliometric analysis of scientometric databases

Background and Study Aim. With the advent of software tools for the automatic selection and analysis of large amounts of information, researchers have been able to significantly speed up the search for relevant literature. Scientific and bibliographic databases and tools for their visualisation allow to optimise the data search process and simplify the analysis of the information obtained. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyse popular modern areas of research in the field of physical education and sports through a multilayer bibliometric analysis of scientific publications from the Scopus scientometric database. Material and Methods. The methodological basis of the study was the analysis of keywords and direct citation. To identify popular areas and approaches in modern research in the field of physical education and sports, 3084 publications for 2019-2024 published in the Scopus scientometric database were analysed using the VOSviewer software tool, version 1.6.20, by co-authorship, correlation of key terms, citation and co-citation. Results. The constructed bibliometric maps allowed us to identify the main directions of modern scientific research focusing on the role of physical activity in the educational process, pedagogical teaching methods and the impact of physical exercises on the formation of character and health of children, adolescents and students. The first area is the analysis of physical activity in the educational process, which addresses socio-cultural and ethical issues in physical education (gender stereotypes, ethical aspects of physical contact, attitudes towards school violence, inclusivity, social justice and queer communities), issues related to educational outcomes (physical literacy, social capital, assessment), as well as a wide range of issues that can be divided into health and mental well-being. The second area focuses on pedagogical research and teaching methods in physical education, including experimental teaching methods, innovative curricula, new technologies for knowledge transfer and capacity building, and the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on physical education classroom delivery and the emotional state of teachers and students. The third area is the impact of physical activity and health programmes, which is a popular area of research that includes the analysis of programmes aimed at preventing chronic diseases through physical education and supporting the physical and mental health of young people. Conclusions. After analysing the publications, the following conclusions were drawn: modern events and neoliberal ideas have influenced physical education, shifting the focus from traditional topics to social, cultural and psychological aspects of physical activity. Among the research methods, tests and interviews have gained popularity, allowing to explore the emotional and social aspects of physical activity. The COVID-19 pandemic has popularised research into the search for optimal technologies for distance learning in physical education. At the same time, topics driven by the public's need for physically fit citizens to defend Ukraine amid the military conflict remain trendy in Ukraine.

Strengthening School-based Child Protection through Project SHIELDS

The project was implemented to capacitate teachers on child protection policy, on handling violence in schools, as well as capacitate teachers on promoting a safe, healthy, and inclusive environment. The said project was implemented throughout the whole division, consisting of four districts. A total of 180 beneficiaries have actively engaged in this project. They were sent to a series of workshops to craft their school policy and develop their advocacy materials. It was highlighted in the focus group discussion that they were able to come up with activities that promote a safe and inclusive environment. The beneficiaries looked to this project to be timely, relevant, and sustainable as it helped them in shielding the most vulnerable sector in their community which are the learners.

Qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a national whole-school program for reducing school violence and improving school climate in Chile

Qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a national whole-school program for reducing school violence and improving school climate in Chile

The Zero Violence Brave Club: a successful educational action to overcome isolating gender-based violence with young adolescents

Some programs and actions contribute to the reduction of violence in schools, but the relevance of studying isolating gender-based violence for overcoming school-related gender-based violence has not been analyzed. This article delves into the analysis of the relevance of identifying isolating gender-based violence in schools through the implementation of the Zero Violence Brave Club program in five primary schools and one special education school in Spain. The process of data collection has focused on the realization of six focus groups and eight in-depth interviews with 21 teachers, 29 students, and 8 families. These instruments follow the communicative research methodology aimed at identifying successful actions that have reached social impact. Results suggest that the Zero Violence Brave Club program contributes to overcoming isolating gender-based violence breaking the isolation of victims and their defenders, and succeeding in creating a safe context for reporting gender-based violence at school. Therefore, drawing on these findings, the Zero Violence Brave Club is effectively contributing to preventing gender-based violence at school which is directly related to the identification and the overcoming of isolating gender-based violence.

Estudio del Efecto de una Intervención en Competencias Emocionales en Educación Secundaria

Introduction. Adolescence is a crucial stage for emotional and social development. Therefore, fostering emotional competencies is key to improving well-being, social adaptation, and equipping with tools to face the characteristic challenges of this period. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an emotional competencies development program in adolescents. Method. The sample of this study consists of 175 secondary education students with an average age of 13.53 years (SD = 0.523), distributed as 48% males, 51.4% females, and 0.6% un-specified. For this purpose, a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group is used. The program consists of 25 activities, implemented during an academic year in tutoring hours to develop emotional competencies. The statistical tests applied are the Mann-Whitney U test for independent samples and for paired samples. The instruments used to measure the study variables are the Emotional Development Questionnaire for Secondary Education (CDE-SEC), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and the School Violence Questionnaire (CUVE3-EP). Academic performance was provided by the teachers. Results. The findings show a significant improvement in the emotional competencies of awareness and regulation, as well as an increase in resilience and academic performance. Similarly, a significant decrease was observed in the emotional suppression strategy, anxiety, and various components of school violence in the intervention group. These results support the importance of emotional education during adolescence and the trend to improve constructs that require more time. Discussion or Conclusion. Working on emotional competencies in the classroom emerges as an effective tool for this purpose, highlighting the need for future research addressing the longterm effects of these interventions.