Introduction
Violence in schools is a huge public health problem. The statistic is rather disturbing: the prevalence of violent acts in schools is high, and the number of those has vastly increased during the previous several years. This paper examines the problem, provides the literature research, investigates factors that have the impact on violent behavior, and identifies some gaps in the literature, suggesting the way to fill those.
The Search Strategy to Investigate the Problem of Interest
To examine the issue of violent behavior in schools, the literature analysis is needed. There are a lot of books, articles, and World Wide Web resources that provide plenty of information regarding the prevalence of acts of violence in schools, their types, their impacts on society, factors that describe offenders and their victims, methods to reduce violent behavior, and so on. Both qualitative and quantitative data in necessary for the paper. To cover the topic, five or six sources will be enough. After those are found, the information should be structured and presented in accordance with the required plan.
Literature Review
The fact sheet Understanding School Violence provided by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, or CND (2015), shows statistical figures that help to understand the real scope of the researched problem. The data is relevant since the fact sheet gives the information up to the present year. Another Web source, 11 Facts About School Violence (n.d.), complements this one.
The statistic is rather disturbing. Although homicides and other school-associated violent deaths, including suicides, are rare (11 homicides in the 2010-2011 school year and 33 deaths in the 2009-2010 school year), school violence has many other manifestations and consequences (11 Facts About School Violence, n.d., par. 9; CDC, 2015, p. 1). Those vary widely from pushing or bullying to different types of assault, including those with weapons. As the literature shows, the victims of youth violence involve not only pupils but even teachers. Nearly 9 percent of educators were threatened with injury by their students, and approximately 5 percent of them were physically attacked (CDC, 2015, p. 1). Even though homicides in schools are rare, gangs are not. In 2011, almost 20 percent of students aged from 12 to 18 reported the presence of gangs in their schools (CDC, 2015, p. 1).
The fact sheet also differentiates types of traumas people get because of youth violence. Except for fatal injuries, numerous nonfatal exist. Those can be both minor, such as bruises or cuts, and serious, like broken bones and gunshot wounds (CDC, 2015, p. 1). Additionally, school violence does not always have visible consequences. Victims of violence are more likely to be engaged in dangerous activities or develop harmful habits, including alcohol and drug abuse (CDC, 2015, p. 1). Plenty of psychological effects can follow: fear, anxiety, sleep disorders, panic attacks, etc. (CDC, 2015, p. 1). The fact sheet also provides several methods that help to prevent and control aggression.
The rest of the sources address factors that lead to school violence (Eisenbraun, 2007; Leary, Kowalski, Smith, & Phillips, 2003; Smokowski & Kopasz, 2005). Eisenbraun (2007) divides the risk factors into three different categories: at-risk students, at-risk families, and at-risk schools. So, she discusses both patient-related factors and system-related ones. Talking about students, the author states that biological, individual, social, and cultural variables matter. As for biological ones, Eisenbraun (2007) focuses on the testosterone levels: the higher the level of this hormone, the more aggressive an individual (both male and female) is (p. 462). However, males are more often involved in violent behavior in schools, which is equally true for victims and offenders. Then, the author talks about age and additional risk factors, such as alcohol and drug usage. As for school factors, Eisenbraun (2007) states that location, size and physical condition of an educational establishment, as well as school policies and the distribution of nationalities, have an influence on the level of violence (p. 464). At the end of the study, ways to address school violence are discussed.
Smokowski and Kopasz (2005) focus on one of the most common types of school aggression – bullying. The term can be defined as a form of youth aggression manifested by a physically and psychologically powerful person, who aims to harm a weaker individual unable to defeat himself of herself (Smokowski & Kopasz, 2005, p. 101). Bullying varies from annoying calls and insults to physical assaults. After discussing the characteristics and the prevalence of bullying, the authors move to personalities, considering both victims and their offenders. The major focuses are set on personal characteristics of bullies and victims and their family backgrounds. Additionally, the third type, so-called bully-victims, is defined: it includes people who both bully and are bullied (Smokowski & Kopasz, 2005, p. 105). Finally, the study talks about methods of bullying prevention.
The last study that has been reviewed addresses the most severe manifestation of youth violence – school shootings (Leary et al., 2003). The authors gathered the information regarding fifteen well-documented school-related shootings and tried to estimate to what extent social rejection played its role in each of them. Almost all cases involved acute or chronic rejection that refers to love rejection, bullying, and several other types (Leary et al., 2003). Some of the shooters had more serious problems: a fascination with firearms or death, sadistic tendencies, psychological disorders, etc. (Leary et al., 2003).
Patient-Related Factors
Patient-related factors include gender, age, genetic, family background, passions and interests of an individual, and so on. As for gender, males are more likely to participate in school violence, both as victims and offenders (Eisenbraun, 2007, p. 462). Age determines the form of aggressive activity an individual is involved in: junior high students are usually engaged in fights in the schoolyard while older students can be reported to use drugs or possess weapons (Eisenbraun, 2007, p. 462). Family background and upbringing have their impacts as well: offenders usually come from families with hostile and rejecting parents and inconsistent discipline while victims are raised by overprotective and sheltering parents, who fail to teach their child to use basic conflict resolution skills (Smokowski & Kopasz, 2005, p. 104). Additional factors, such as bad habits, poor school performance, social withdrawal, uncontrollable anger, and many others, also matter.
System-Related Factors
This group includes factors associated with schools and their environments. The first variable that matters is the school size. Violent behavior is much more common for large schools since it is easier for students to get away with their acts. As the research conducted by Eisenbraun (2007) stated, while almost ninety percent of surveyed large schools were involved in violent incidents, only 38 percent of small ones participated in such (p. 465). The next important factor is the location. According to several sources cited by Eisenbraun (2007), rural schools are less likely to witness a violent behavior of its students (p. 465). The physical condition of a school is important as well. If it is not optimal (an old building that needs repairs, uncomfortable temperatures in classrooms, lots of graffiti, etc.), it can affect students’ attitudes and behavior. Finally, school policies and law enforcement should also be adequate.
Gaps in the Literature
The most significant deficiencies that can be found in the literature discussed above is the following one. Although some sources do address the territorial factor talking about levels of violent activity in rural schools in comparison to those in large cities, none of them talks about particular cities or states. Besides, the literature discusses mainly the United States and does not take into account other countries. How does violence in schools depend on a particular country? How is it different in Europe, or Russia, or Australia? How do various nationalities affect school aggressiveness? All of these questions are the gaps in the literature, which should be addressed in the further research.
Conclusion
School violence is one of the greatest concerns of public health. It affects not only students, but also their teachers, parents, and the society as such. The statistic proves that the problem is urgent. An aggressive behavior in educational establishments is not rare, and its prevalence is growing: the number of violent threats in schools has increased by 158 percent within a year (11 Facts About School Violence, n.d., par. 7). Considering factors school violence depends on, it can be addressed with various policies. As an example, principals of large schools in big cities should pay more attention to the attitudes and behaviors of their students. Since the literature used in the paper does not consider how youth violence differs from state to state or from country to country, the further studies should address this issue. The research can be conducted through the literature analysis again. However, the focus should be set on this particular question of interest.
References
11 Facts About School Violence. (n.d.). Web.
CDC. (2015). Understanding School Violence: Fact Sheet. Web.
Eisenbraun, K. D. (2007). Violence in schools: Prevalence, prediction, and prevention. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12, 459-469.
Leary, M. R., Kowalski, R. M., Smith, L., & Phillips, S. (2003). Teasing, Rejection, and Violence: Case Studies of the School Shootings. Aggressive Behavior, 29, 202-214.
Smokowski, P. R., & Kopasz, K. H. (2005). Bullying in School: An Overview of Types, Effects, Family Characteristics, and Intervention Strategies. Children & Schools, 27(2), 101-110.