School of Education Management, Policy, and Comparative Education

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Browsing School of Education Management, Policy, and Comparative Education by Author "Majong, Nomase Sarah"

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    Exploring leadership practices of addressing learner-on-teacher violence in secondary schools
    (University of the Free Stat, 2023) Majong, Nomase Sarah; Makhasane, S. D.
    The manifestation of learner-on-teacher violence is a growing concern for contemporary schools worldwide. Although it is a global problem, it also appears to be on the rise in South Africa and is not adequately reported or addressed. Yet, this phenomenon is still severely understudied, especially from a leadership perspective. Thus, this study aims to explore leadership practices of addressing learner-on-teacher violence in secondary schools. The study adopted a two-pronged theory consisting of the Social Cognitive Learning Theory (SCLT) and the Invitational Leadership Theory (ILT). A qualitative design was employed, and a multiple case study was utilised to call attention to leadership practices for addressing learner-on-teacher violence in secondary schools. Two secondary schools in the eastern Free State were selected for this study. Eight participants were purposively selected for the study. The data was mainly collected through semi-structured interviews (one-on-one interviews) with principals, heads of departments (HODs), and teachers and was supplemented by document analysis. Data collected from this study was analysed using thematic analysis, and five themes emerged. The findings revealed that learner-on-teacher violence in the forms of verbal violence, physical violence, and sexual harassment is prevalent in secondary schools. The study found that school leaders respond to learner-on-teacher violence incidents per the learner code of conduct, involvement of parents, and other school-based targeted violence intervention programs. However, the findings revealed that all these strategies seem insufficient to stop the prevalence of these incidents due to several challenges, including a lack of parent involvement, inadequate policies, and a lack of support from the Department of Basic Education (DBE). Therefore, this study recommends that the DBE capacitates school leaders on the review of policies and supports them with the implementation thereof. Parents and politicians must play their roles and refrain from interfering with disciplinary processes; thus, the Department of Education (DOE) must assist school leaders in that regard.