The Relationship Between School Climate, Culture and Violence

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Title:

The relationship between School Climate, Culture and Violence

The relationship between School Climate, Culture and Violence Abstract

Media coverage in South Africa is increasingly reporting incidences of school violence in different forms. A study conducted by the Department of Education and the Center for Justice and Crime Prevention in 2008 reavelaed that high Schools in Gauteng have the highest rate of school-violence in South Africa (Pretoria News, 2008). The rate of extreme school violence throughout the country appears to be increasing at an alarming rate and a cause for major concern. According to the study “Merchants, Skollies and Stones” by research Director Patrick Burton which is the first study of this nature, Burton reported that 85% of pupils indicated during the study that they felt safe at school. Burton viewed this as a disparity which clearly showed that violence is becoming a normal part of children’s’ lives. “If all this violence is happening, why do children feel safe in school? The answer is the normalisation of crime in South Africa. This is the way of life for children”: said Burton (Pretoria New April 2008). Although the issues of school-violence is normally viewed as government priority, it is clear that the Department of Education has very little data to confirm the true levels of violence within schools due to very little or no research at all. There exists a need for research which specifically focuses on the perceptions of learners and educators, relationship between the school climate, culture and violence and measures which can be implemented to address these issues. The purpose of this research is therefore to determine the perception of learners and educators and the relationship between school climate, culture and violence.

Title

The Relationship between School Climate, Culture and Violence.

Key Words

Violence, School-Violence, School Culture, School Climate, Qualitative Research,...