Implications of school violence in South Africa on socially just education
List of Authors
  • Khumalo, Shuti Steph

Keyword
  • School violence, socially just education, school system, organizational productivity, implications of violence

Abstract
  • Day in and day out reports in different media platforms such as television, radio, newspaper and social media suggest that the scourge of violence has reached alarming unparalleled and unprecedented proportions. Violence in schools is characterized by behavior that is anti-social, uncivil and peace disturbing. The current investigation attempts to contribute towards the growing body of research on the implications of school violence on learners and socially just education. Violence seems to be a phenomenon that is increasingly disturbing in South African schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of violence on socially just education. This conceptual article is qualitative and constructivist and data have been gathered through both print and electronic materials that portray violence in schools and extant literature on school violence. The study deploys the theory of social justice as a lens that guided the investigation. Social justice theory promotes the principles of peace and justice and violence in schools erodes such principles.

Reference
  • 1. Akiba, M., LeTendre., G.K, Baker., D. P & Goesling. (2002). Student Victimization: National and School System Effects on School Violence in 37 Nations, American Educational Research Journal, (39) 4, 829-853
    2. Armenta, M.F., Rodríguez Macías, J.C., Verdugo,V.C., Niebla, J.C., Arizmendi, V.G. (2018) Restorative Justice: A Model of School Violence Prevention. Science Journal of Education. 6(1), 39-45. doi: 10.11648/j.sjedu.20180601.15
    3. Bell, L. A. (1997). Theoretical foundations for social justice education. In M. Adams, L. Bell, & P. Griffin (Eds.), Teaching for diversity and social justice: A sourcebook (pp. 3–15). New York: Routledge.
    4. Bell, L. A., & Adams, M. (2016). Theoretical foundations for social justice education. In: Teaching for diversity and social justice, 21-44. Routledge.
    5. Burton, P. (2008). Dealing with school violence in South Africa. Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention (CJCP) Issue Paper, 4, 1-16.
    6. Burton, J. & Leoschut, L. (2013). School violence in South Africa: Results of the 2012 National School Violence Study. Monograph Series no. 12. Cape Town: Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention.
    7. Chandra and Shang. 2017. “An RQDA-based constructivist methodology for qualitative research”. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 20(1), 90-112.
    8. Child Trends (2015). High school students carrying weapons, Retrieved from https://www.childtrends.org/indicators/high-school-students-carrying-weapons
    9. Department of Basic Education, (2018). Final commisioned report on school safety, Retrieved from http://www.dbe.report on school violence-sa-schools
    10. Daniels, L. (2018). Schools in South Africa are becoming more violent, the South African, Retrieved from https://www.thesouthafrican.com/south-africa-schools-violent-minister-speaks-out
    11. De Wet, C. (2003). Eastern Cape educators' perceptions of the causes and the scope of school violence. Acta Criminologica: Southern African Journal of Criminology, 16(3), 89-106.
    12. De Wat, C. (2007). School violence in Lesotho: the perceptions, experiences and observations of a group of learners. South African Journal of Education, 27(4), 673-690.
    13. Department of Education. (2015). National School Safety Framework, trainers’ manual. Centre for justice and crime prevention, Retrieved from http://www.cjcp.org.za
    14. Elghossain, T., Bott, S., Akik, C., Ghattas, H., & Obermeyer, C. M. (2019). Prevalence of key forms of violence against adolescents in the Arab Region: a systematic review. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(1), 8-19.
    15. Esbnsen, F, A & Carson, D.C. (2009) Consequences of being bullied: Results from a longitudinal assessment of bullying victimization in a multisite sample of American students, Youth & Society, 41(2), 209-233
    16. Espinosa, M. P. P. (2018). Bullying and cyberbullying: two forms of violence in schools. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 7(1), 1-2.
    17. Frias-Armentia, M., Rodríguez-Macías, J. C., Corral-Verdugo, V., Caso-Niebla, J., & García Arizmendi, V. (2018). Restorative justice: A model of school violence prevention. Science Journal of Education, 6(1), 39-45.
    18. Girmen, P., Kaya, M. F., & Kilic, Z. (2018). Violence at Primary Schools and Its Reflections on the Press and the Visual Media in Turkey. International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 4(2), 703-713. DOI:10.21890/ijres.438383
    19. Greene, M. E., Robles, O. J., Stout, K., & Suvilaakso, T. (2013). A girl’s right to learn without fear: Working to end gender-based violence at school. Woking: Plan International. Retrieved from https://plan-uk.org
    20. Gous, N. (2019). One in every three SA schools report violence among pupils once a week, Sunday Times, Retrieved from timeslive.co.za/news/south–africa/2019-07-02--one-in-every-three schools-report-violence-once-a-week/
    21. Grobler, G,W. (2018). Narratives of teachers’ experiences of school violence and ethics of care, Masters of Education Dissertation, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town,
    22. Grobler, R, (2019). Violence in SA's schools is worse than you think, and spanking is part of the problem, News 24 Retrieved from https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/violence-in sas-schools-is-worse-than-you-think-and-spanking-is-part-of-the-problem-20190607
    23. Hackman, H.W. (2005). Five Essential Components for Social Justice Education, Equity and Excellence in Education, 38: 103–109, 2005
    24. Le Roux, C.S & Mokhele, P.R. (2011). The persistence of violence in South Africa's schools: In search of solutions, Africa Education Review, 8(2), 318-335,
    25. Longobardi, C., Prino, L. E., Fabris, M. A., & Settanni, M. (2019). Violence in school: An investigation of physical, psychological, and sexual victimization reported by Italian adolescents. Journal of school violence, 18(1), 49-61.
    26. Leedy, P.D. & Ormrod, J.E. (2010). Practical research, planning and design, New Jersey, Pearson
    27. MacNeil, G., & Steward, C. (2000). Crises intervention with school violence problems and volatile situations. In: A. Roberts (Ed.), Crises Intervention Handbook: Assessment, Treatment and Research. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
    28. Martin, J. (1999). Social justice, educational policy and the role of parents: A question of choice or voice? The Journal of Education and Social Justice, 1, 48-61.
    29. Mazerolle, P, Legosz, M & Finighan, P, (2011). Weapons in schools in Queensland, the nature, causes and responses, Retrieved from http://behaviour.education.qld.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/preventing-bullying violence/weapons-in-schools.pdf
    30. Mhlongo, T. (2017). The perceptions and experiences of students regarding weapons in schools in Umgungundlovu District, Kwazulu-Natal, Masters Degree Dissertation, Durban University of Technology, Durban
    31. Mitchell, R.S, Goodyear, R.K, Gragg, J, Mirci, P.S, Morgan. (2016) School Setting Behavior That Characterizes Social Justice: An Empirical Approach to Illustrate the Concept, AERA Open, July-September, 2(3),1-16
    32. Nako, N., & Muthukrishna, N. (2018). Teacher-instigated in-school interpersonal violence: Types and prevalence in South African public schools. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 28(5), 371-374.
    33. Ncontsa, V, N & Shumba, A. (2013). The nature, causes and effects of school violence in South African high schools, South African journal of Education, 33 (3), 1-15
    34. Netshitangani, T. (2018). Management style and school violence: South African perspectives. International Journal of Educational Management, 32(1), 96-106
    35. Osher, D., Bear, G. G., Sprague, J. R., & Doyle, W. (2010). How can we improve school discipline? Educational researcher, 39(1), 48-58.
    36. Rawls, J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. (Revised edition). Massachussets. The Belknap Press of Havard University Press Cambridge.
    37. Republic of South Africa, (1996). Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, Retrieved from https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution-republic-south-africa-1996
    38. Singh, G. D., & Steyn, T. (2014). The impact of learner violence in rural South African schools. Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology, 5(1), 81-93.
    39. State University of New York Press. (2007). Defining violence- defining peace Retrieved from https://www.sunypress.edu/pdf/61489.pdf
    40. Theoharis, G. (2007). Social Justice Educational Leaders and Resistance: Toward a Theory of Social Justice Leadership, Educational Administration Quarter 1(43), 221-258.
    41. UNESCO, (2017). School violence and bullying, Global Status Report, Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000246970