Violence in schools : An investigative study in the Rustenburg District

Abstract

Safety and security have become major educational problems in secondary schools because many learners report feeling unsafe in the school environment. For example, the South African Institute of Race Relation conducted a research study in 2008 that indicated that 23 percent of learners still feel unsafe in their schools. Typical of present-day schooling system, teachers are scared of learners, and that is why many parents - even the poorest of the poor- are taking their children to former model C schools. The problem that was researched was the impact of violence in schools and how it affects learners and teachers' performance. The study was conducted in the Rustenburg District of Bojanala Region in the North West Province, South Africa. Data was collected from five (5) secondary schools because of their history of violence. A questionnaire was set to ensure that the questions were structured not to miss any important factor of violence in schools. Individual teachers and learners were questioned in face-to-face interview. The tape recorder was used to record the interview sessions because it is reliable, and taped answers can be analysed by several judges. Qualitative research analysis was used to interpret the data to draw inferences as well as conclusions. Inferences drawn from the survey were that there was a 70% certainty that violence contributed to low performance in schools; 52.7% agreement that violence causes physical and bodily harm; 48.7% certainty that violence can be addressed.