Exploring how a school community copes with violence

Abstract

My study is informed by a partnership initiated between Gun Free South Africa and the Department of Education (District Tshwane South) with the concern of addressing violence in schools. Schools are often seen as professionalised and distant from their local communities. Learners belong to the very communities that are distanced from the school. They bring to school the unresolved issues from their families and interpersonal relations within the community. The study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of violence by a school community and how they cope with it. The study was informed by a qualitative and instrumental case study design within an interpretivist paradigm. Furthermore, the study was guided by an integrated conceptual framework derived from an asset-based and ecosystemic model, coping theories and the management system adapted from Babbie (2001). To address this I incorporated a variety of strategies such as interviews, collages, timeline and concept mapping through which a crystallisation of data could be obtained. I also used informal observations and visual data as additional data generating methods. Through a thematic analysis approach the study reveal the existence of violence as a challenge to the school community, and impacts directly or indirectly to their well-being. The study has further indicated that the perpetrators are known to the victims. The findings of the study suggest that on the basis of the integrated conceptual framework support structures could be mobilized, building partnerships between local schools and the community to provide a firm foundation for educational renewal and community regeneration and to contribute directly to the strengthening and development of the school community. The information gathered might also assist policy developers in developing support and intervention programmes for the restoration of school safety. Copyright