PREVENTION AND DEALING WITH VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS

Abstract

The purpose of this paper “Prevention and Dealing with Violence in Schools” is to identify the fundamental reasons for students’ violent behavior, as well as to offer strategies to prevent cases of violence. The research is based on the need for a safe school environment and it observes the risks and the consequences in children’s social and emotional development caused by the violence. It also focuses on which ways the school system can react when there is violence, to reduce its impact and to ensure adequate support for all affected parties. The methodology of the research includes quantitative and qualitative methods – surveys and interviews with students, teachers and parents, which help to obtain information about their experiences and opinions on the aspect of violence. The results of the research show that violence is most often caused by a combination of social and individual factors, the most prominent of which are peer pressure, socio-economic difficulties and family circumstances. These factors have a great impact on the occurrence of physical and verbal violence, which can cause long-term consequences for students’ health. The results also show that the teachers often have difficulties dealing with violence due to insufficiency of proper training and resources. The conclusions of this research emphasize that a wide-ranging and multidimensional approach to dealing with violence is necessary, which includes all participants in the educational process: students, parents, teachers and professional services. The recommendations include creating educational programs to raise awareness among students, training teachers to recognize the early signs of violence, and forming teams who can immediately intervene in case of an incident. Additionally, strengthened communication and collaboration between all the participants in the school to prevent potential problems is recommended. With all these steps, the schools could become a safer environment where the children can develop and learn without fear and stress.