Exploring secondary school educator experiences of school violence

Abstract

This study intends to explore the very relevant and current issue of violence at school level. Through this case study the experiences of an educator with regard to violence in a secondary school are explored.</p.> Data for this study was collected through observation and unstructured interviews with the participant. Data collected was analysed through several phases of establishing thematic categories. This analysis was done within the parameters of a scientific literature framework. The six main categories were discussed and interpreted in terms of literature to provide the findings portrayed by the study. To ensure the dependability and quality of the data the study incorporated member checking and literature control. An attempt was made to contribute to, and expand upon, the existing body of knowledge with regard to this very important phenomenon. The results of this study show that the educator experiences violence in school as a very serious reality. This study argues that the causes of school violence should be studied from an integrative perspective and it supports the Bio-Ecological Systems theory as a multi-dimensional approach to understanding school violence.