Violence in Education - Research Paper Example

Violence in Education Outline I. II. Introduction III. Aspects of violence in education IV. Risk factors V. Intervention to violence in education VI. Conclusion VII. References Abstract Education is a very critical sector in the economy of any nation as it contributes too much in terms of expertise and professional knowledge which can be utilized in various fields for achievement of success and progress. It is also through education that many problems faced by the contemporary society are eradicated for instance poverty and ignorance. Despite its importance, education is faced with numerous challenges that hinder its success in one way or the other for example lack of adequate resources and facilities, poor management and violence among others. The main focus of this paper is however on violence in education. Violence in education is very evident and has been experienced in most learning institutions worldwide with the violence varying in degree depending on the circumstances in which it occurs. There are various causes or factors that facilitate violence in education which may be either individual, family related, community based or even school based. This study gives a comprehensive discussion on the various aspects surrounding violence in education/ school violence including the common kinds of education violence, the risk factors, the extent to which it has been experienced and the intervention measures which can be taken in order to curb this problem. Introduction Education is a very instrumental aspect to every individual, the society, a nation and the world at large. Every person should be entitled to education to the highest possible level with favorable conditions that allows for excellence. This is so because education is a significant building block in regard to the growth and development of human beings as it acts as a driving force towards improved living standards and also development through aspects like reduction of poverty, promotion of peace and stability, improvement of health, promotion of gender equality among other aspects. All this is made possible because people get enlightened when they go through various education systems which instill a lot of knowledge in a wide range of life issues hence helping them in general decision making and problem solving. Education sector is faced with a lot of challenges violence being one of them. Violence in education can be defined as anything that in one way or the other jeopardize or tries to hinder a learning institution’s educational missions irrespective of the degree (small or large, minor or major) (Stuart, 2000). This piece of work gives an in depth discussion of violence in education in relation to educational psychology with much emphasis being given to the forms of education violence, its prevalence and ways of handling the violence. Aspects of violence in education Aspects of violence in education in this work will be discussed based on educational psychology which entails how individuals go through learning in an educational setting including the education interventions and their effectiveness as well as the psychology of teaching and learning. It focuses on how different students learn and develop, and violence will be discussed with respect to this. Violence in education is an aspect that has been experienced for quite a long time and it can be understood from various angles depending on the source of the violence, the people affected and its extent. Violence in education could for example emanate from the administration where those involved are in conflict an aspect that would affect the whole system in a particular institution, it could also be from the teachers and other staff as well as the students themselves with the latter being the most common and hence the point of focus here. In some cases the students may protest because of a particular issue, practice and/or teacher and their grievances are not addressed over time and thus they resort to paralyzing the institution’s operations (by use of violence) for the grievances to be addressed. All these forms of violence affect education differently depending on the effects faced for example from strikes which could be as mild as peaceful demonstrations to severe ones that may involve murder of the individuals involved. The common types of educational or school violence include fighting among the students, substance abuse in the learning institutions, sexual assault and harassment, stealing from one another, carrying of weapons like knives and guns to the learning institutions, vandalism, bad arguments among others. According to various studies, there have been numerous occurrences of violent incidents in educational institutions including deaths although most of the cases do not really result to death (Akiba, 2002). Risk Factors There are various factors (which could be classified as individual risk factors which are personal, family risk factors which originate from family relationships, community risk factors that are caused by the interaction with the society and the school risk factors ) that are deemed to facilitate the indulgence of most students into violence practices for example the culture of the particular school and how it affects students learning and development, the ability of students to express their anger or else solve problems, drug and alcohol abuse, the influence of the media for instance television and the internet among other factors. Poverty and peer pressure are among the major contributing factors of violence in education or rather in schools. As a result of poverty, most people tend to be idle and children tend to copy these people’s behavior for instance use of weapons, getting upset easily instead of trying to solve problems in the right manner, and getting provoked by very minor issues as they view these people as role models. These behaviors are so much impinged into these children that they carry them everywhere they go including the learning institutions (Harber, 1996). Individual risk factors are hard to deal with and include aspects like birth complications, substance abuse, lower levels of intelligence among others personal issues. Family risk factors involve some history of indulgence in crime and violence, poor upbringing like child abuse or rejection among other issues. In that case the parents or guardian should ensure that those children at their care should be brought up in the best desired practices and adhering to the norms in the society. The community is also responsible for influencing the young people’s behavior for example the availability of things like drugs and weapons which may attract them and also prevalence of violence such that it is viewed as an ordinary aspect . The school risk factors play a great role in determining the behavior of students in relation to violence. Some of them include failure in academic performance, lack of strict policies and rules in schools which in return leads to lack of commitment and hence indulgence in criminal and violent activities, negative peer pressure among others (Earnestine, 2004). Intervention to Violence in Education Heather and Nan (2004) assert that violence in education/school violence affects everybody in the society in one way or the other and it is essential to lay strategies or measures aimed at combating this ordeal lest it progress to even worse levels. It is therefore important that all parties involved for example the parents, the administrators, the students, the teachers and even the community come together in an effort to make learning institutions a better and safer place for all involved as failure to do so will make other measures like punishment ineffective and the rates of violence will exacerbate rather than decrease. One way is that of enhancing the security systems in the learning institutions for instance through deployment of effective guards as well as appropriate detectors since most of the school institutions have either poor security or none at all making them susceptible to violent attacks both from within and without. The schools that are well-off could also in-cooperate CCTV cameras placed at strategic points to provide evidence of who exactly was involved in a particular damage which could be produced from the recording. In regard to violence caused by the students, some of the measures that could be taken although not very effective involves coming up with some identification strategies for example the issuing of badges. This will not only help to identify the students involved in violence but also to easily identify outsiders. This will reduce the chances of committing violence to a certain percentage. Another measure that could be taken by learning institutions is that of establishing appropriate violence prevention programs which have zero tolerance policies to ensure that those caught indulging in violence related activities should serve as an example to those who may have the intention of doing the same (Hausman, Pierce and Briqqs, 1996). On the other hand, parents also have a very critical role in combating violence in schools since they understand their children quite well and therefore they are in a good position to correct their bad behaviors. They are also in a position to spot signs of violence early enough and take necessary measures for instance referring them to psychological counselors. The parents are in the best position to note the slightest change in character of their children. However, this factor could be countered if the children are in a boarding school and therefore spend most of the time away from their parents and in that case the teachers would come in handy. The teachers also have a critical role in combating violence in education in that they are able to observe some changes in students or sense some probability of indulging in violence acts just as the parents. They can also collaborate with the parents through effective communication in an effort to make sure that the students are corrected early enough as opposed to when it could be too late for some measures to be effective. The teachers can also act as a go between the administration, the guidance counselors, the parents and the students. They can also assist in the enforcement of the school policies through integrating them with the classroom policies and rules. Apart from the above the teachers play a very essential role of being the role models to the students for example good anger management and appropriate problem solving skills which could greatly help in dealing with various situations that could otherwise have led to violence. The students being the major facilitators of violence in schools also have a part to play in the elimination of violence in the learning institutions. This could be effected for example through avoiding bad peer pressure that may lead to violence, reporting any sign that is likely to cause violence for example the possession of weapons by other students and other suspicious behaviors and more so avoiding being involved in any form of violence (Comellas, 2010). In addition, the administration of the schools should put in place appropriate mechanisms to consistently and adequately address and satisfactorily solve students’ affairs. This could be through having open forums where matters affecting the students are discussed without victimization, having regular meetings, putting up a well equipped counseling facility to solve problems students’ problems among others. Conclusion It is evident that various forms of violence have been experienced for a very long time in the education sector even before the advent of mandatory public education system for example through violence and aggressive behaviors. Violence in education have become a critical problem in many nations since it has taken severe forms like where weapons are used for instance knives causing a lot of damages and losses. Violence is an aspect that has proved to contribute negatively towards education as it disrupts the normal functioning of the education system through various ways, for instance, instilling fear among students which in the long run affect their overall performance. At some cases the violence has led to the closure of the learning institution and thus hampering with flow of learning. For this reason there has been the emergence of various groups and associations that are aimed at preventing violence in various education institutions as well as promoting safety for all those involved in the education system including the students, teachers, and the management among others that are in one way or the other linked to education aspects. The problem of violence in education requires that all parties involved cooperate to make learning institutions a peaceful and safer place free from any form of violence whatsoever. References Akiba, M. (2002). Student Victimization: National and School System Effects on School Violence in 37 Nations. American Educational Research Journal 39: 829-853 Comellas, J.M. (2010). The Role of Teachers in the Prevention of Violence of Education Centers. Psychology, Society and Education. Vol. 2, No. 1 39-53. Earnestine, B. (2004).The Root of School Violence: Causes and Recommendations for a Plan of Action. College Student Journal Harber, C. (1996). Educational Violence and Education for Peace in Africa. Peabody journal of education vol. 71, No. 3, 151-169 Hausman, A, Pierce, G and Briqqs, L. (1996). Evaluation of Comprehensive Violence Prevention Education: Effects on Student Behavior. Journal of Adolescent Health. Vol. 19, No. 2, 104-110. Heather, M. and Nan, S. (2004). Relationship Violence Prevention Education in Schools: Whats Working, Whats Getting in the Way, and What Are Some Future Directions. American Journal of Health Education, Vol. 35 n4 p198-204 Nofziger, S. (2009). Deviant Lifestyles and Violent Victimization at School. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24: 1494-1517 Stuart, H. (2000). What is school violence? An Integrated Definition. Annals of the American academy of political and social science. Vol. 567. Read More