Die uitwerking van skoolkultuur en -klimaat op geweld in Oos-Kaapse skole: 'n onderwysbestuursperspektief

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Date
2010-11
Authors
Barnes, Abraham Karel
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University of the Free State
Abstract
English: 77% learners in South African schools experience their schools as unsafe. This shocking fact, coupled with various media reports about incidents of violence in schools, necessitates that this problem be addressed. The Department of Education, teachers, parents and learners, expressed their shock and concern about this situation. From this background, the influence of school culture and school climate as a possible solution to the problem of violence in schools is studied. In Chapter 2 the concepts school culture and school climate are described according to the literature. In this study, school culture is regarded as a reflection of shared ideas, suppositions and convictions which determine each school‟s own identity and standard of behavioural outcomes. School climate is regarded as the quality and character of school life. According to that, school climate is based on learners‟ experiences of school life and it reflects the norms, objectives, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching en learning practices, and organisational structures. An overview of the concept school culture is firstly provided by taking a look at the elements of school culture, the importance of school culture, the effect of school culture upon school life, and the correlation between school culture and violence at a school. The concept school climate is studied from a broad perspective by describing and analysing the core dimensions. Finally, the relation between the two concepts school culture and school climate are discussed. This is done by studying the similarities, differences and related characteristics of school culture and school climate. In Chapter 3 the concept violence at schools is described according to the literature. This study has been undertaken against the background of general violence in the South African context and the possible effect of this violence upon South African schools. After a general discussion of the concept violence, violence as schools in the South African environment and the possible causes thereof are investigated. In Chapter 4 the research design and the methodology of this study are described. An exposition is given of the explanatory design model, which is indicative thereof that both the quantitative and qualitative research methods have been utilised. In this chapter, the data collection techniques of both the quantitative and the qualitative research are set forth and discussed. Finally, the compilation of the random sample, the role of the researcher in the data collection process and the ethical considerations are set forth. The focus in Chapter 5 falls on the presentation, analysis and interpretation of the quantitative data. The quantitative data were collected with the California School Climate and Safety Survey – Short Form (CSCSS-SFI), whereafter the data were analysed and interpreted statistically in order to determine the influence of school culture and school climate upon violence at schools. With the analysis of the data it has been determined that the more positive the school culture and school climate are experienced, the lower the levels of violence. The opposite, namely, the worse the school culture and climate are experienced, the higher the levels of violence, is also true. In Chapter 5, the qualitative approach to the research is explained. In this chapter, all the individual aspects of school culture and school climate, as well as the aspects of violence at schools are investigated and described by means of semi-structured interviews. The semi-structured interviews were done with learners from high-risk schools as well as learners from low-risk schools. This method renders itself thereto that learners could convey their personal experiences pertaining to school culture, school climate and violence at their respective schools. By applying the quantitative and qualitative research methods, the triangulation of data ensures the validity and reliability of the study. In the last chapter, a summary is provided of the findings in the different chapters. Findings regarding the problem questions, namely what school culture, school climate en violence at schools entail, as well as what the influence of school culture, school climate and violence at schools in the Eastern Cape Province are, coupled with the experiences of learners pertaining to school culture, school climate and violence at schools, are set forth. It has come to light that there are deficiencies in the school culture and school climate and that these correspond with the occurrence of incidents of violence at schools. However, the most important finding is that school culture and climate play an important role in the prevention of violence at schools. These findings pertaining to school culture and school climate are of importance for education, particularly with regard to the future planning and management of programmes to prevent violence at schools. Finally, findings emanating from the research have been formulated in order to reduce or prevent violence at schools.
Afrikaans: 77% leerders in Suid-Afrikaanse skole ervaar hulle skole as onveilig. Hierdie skokkende feit, asook verskeie mediaberigte oor insidente van skoolgeweld, noodsaak dat hierdie probleem aangespreek behoort te word. Die Departement van Onderwys, onderwysers, ouers en leerders het hulle skok en besorgdheid oor hierdie situasie uitgespreek. Vanuit hierdie agtergrond word die invloed van skoolkultuur en - klimaat as ʼn moontlike oplossing vir die probleem van skoolgeweld in die Oos-Kaapprovinsie bestudeer. In hoofstuk 2 word die begrippe skoolkultuur en skoolklimaat aan die hand van die literatuur omskryf. In hierdie studie word skoolkultuur gesien as ʼn weerspieëling van gedeelde idees, veronderstellinge en oortuigings wat elke skool sy eie identiteit en standaard van gedragsuitkomste gee. Skoolklimaat word beskou as die kwaliteit en karakter van die skoollewe. Daarvolgens word skoolklimaat gebaseer op leerders se ervaringe en belewenisse van die skoollewe en reflekteer dit die norme, doelwitte, waardes, interpersoonlike verhoudings, onderrig en leerpraktyke en organisatoriese strukture. ʼn Oorsig van die begrip skoolkultuur is eers gebied deur na die elemente van skoolkultuur, die belangrikheid van skoolkultuur, die effek van skoolkultuur op die skoollewe en die verband tussen skoolkultuur en - geweld te kyk. Ook die begrip skoolklimaat is in breë perspektief bestudeer deur die kerndimensies te beskryf en te ontleed. Ten slotte is die verhouding tussen die twee begrippe skoolkultuur en – klimaat bespreek. Dit is gedoen deur ʼn studie van die ooreenkomste, verskille en verwante karaktertrekke van skoolkultuur en - klimaat te doen. In hoofstuk 3 word die begrip skoolgeweld aan die hand van die literatuur omskryf. Hierdie studie is gedoen teen die agtergrond van algemene geweld in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks en die moontlike effek van hierdie geweld op Suid-Afrikaanse skole. Na ʼn algemene bespreking van die begrip geweld, is daar ʼn ondersoek na skoolgeweld in die Suid-Afrikaanse omgewing en die moontlike oorsake daarvan gedoen. In hoofstuk 4 word die navorsingsontwerp en die metodologie van hierdie studie beskryf. Daar is ʼn uiteensetting gedoen van die verklarende ontwerpmodel wat ʼn vaanduiding is dat daar van beide die kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodes gebruik gemaak word. In hierdie hoofstuk is die dataversamelingstegnieke van beide die kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsing uiteengesit en bespreek. Laastens is die samestelling van die steekproef, die rol van die navorser in die dataversamelingsproses en die etiese oorwegings uiteengesit. Die fokus in hoofstuk 5 het op die aanbieding, analisering en interpretasie van die kwantitatiewe data geval. Die kwantitatiewe data is met die California School Climate and Safety Survey – Short Form (CSCSS-SF) ingesamel waarna die data statisties ontleed en geïnterpreteer is om die invloed van skoolkultuur en - klimaat op skoolgeweld te bepaal. Met die ontleding van die data is daar bevind dat hoe beter die skoolkultuur en - klimaat ervaar word, hoe laer is die vlakke van geweld. Die omgekeerde, naamlik dat hoe swakker die skoolkultuur en - klimaat ervaar word, hoe hoër is die vlakke van geweld, is ook waar. In hoofstuk 6 word die kwalitatiewe benadering van hierdie ondersoek uiteengesit. In hierdie hoofstuk is al die individuele aspekte van skoolkultuur en - klimaat, asook die skoolgeweldsaspekte deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude ondersoek en beskryf. Die semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gedoen met leerders uit hoërisikoskole, asook leerders uit laerisikoskole. Hierdie metode het hom daartoe geleen dat leerders hulle persoonlike ervarings ten opsigte van skoolkultuur, - klimaat en - geweld in hulle onderskeie skole kon weergee. Deur die toepassing van die kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsingsm etodes verseker die triangulasie van data die geldigheid en betroubaarheid van die studie. In die laaste hoofstuk word ʼn opsomming aangebied van die bevindinge in verskillende hoofstukke. Bevindinge rondom die probleemvrae, naamlik wat skoolkultuur, - klimaat en - geweld behels, wat die uitwerking van skoolkultuur en - klimaat op skoolgeweld in die Oos-Kaapprovinsie is en wat die ervaringe van leerders ten opsigte van skoolkultuur, - klimaat en - geweld is, word uiteengesit. Dit het aan die lig gekom dat daar leemtes in die skoolkultuur en - klimaat voorkom en dat dit ʼn ooreenkoms toon met die voorkoms van insidente van skoolgeweld. Die belangrikste bevinding is egter dat skoolkultuur en - klimaat ʼn belangrike rol te speel het in die voorkoming van skoolgeweld. Hierdie bevindinge ten opsigte van skoolkultuur en - klimaat is van belang vir die onderwys veral ten opsigte van die toekomstige beplanning en bestuur van programme in die voorkoming van skoolgeweld. Ten laaste is aanbevelings voortspruitend uit die navorsing gemaak ten einde skoolgeweld in skole te verminder of te voorkom.
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School violence -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Prevention, School violence -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape, School environment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape, Thesis (Ph.D. (Comparative Education and Education Management))--University of the Free State, 2010
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