Reducing School Violence
Purpose of the Research
Burdick-Will (2013) addresses the problem of safety in modern schools by scrutinizing the factors that contribute to the development of school violence. Particularly, the issue of violent crimes in schools is explored. The author aims at connecting the variables of school crime and learning.
Problem Statement
According to Burdick-Will (2013), the levels of school safety have plummeted over the past few years. Moreover, schools have become a rather unreliable academic environment due to the increased exposure to possible violence. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the source of school violence and remove it from the identified academic environment. The article is linked to the research topic directly since it analyzes obstacles to school safety promotion. Thus, it is relevant to the research topic.
Gaps in Literature That Studied the Problem
Current explanations of school violence as a phenomenon, including its origin, the factors that enhance it, etc., leaves much to be desired. The link established between the said variables in previous studies is rather tenuous. Thus, there is a necessity to deconstruct the current approach toward handling the instances of school violence.
Research Question and/or Hypotheses
Therefore, the study seeks to answer the question of whether there is a connection between school violence and the factors such as the academic environment and students’ academic achievements.
Theory or Conceptual Framework
The analysis of the available factors is supported by the “theories of agency and self-efficacy” (Burdick-Will, 2013, p. 344).
Findings of the Research
According to the results of the analysis, there is a distinct connection between the school climate, the overall level of academic achievement, and the propensity toward crime that students display. The specified phenomenon can be explained by the lack of support and leadership provided by teachers to students that display the propensity toward aggressive behavior.
School Crime and School Environment
Purpose of the Research
The goal of the study is to develop the strategy that will contribute to a drop in the levels of school violence by redesigning the environment in which students communicate.
Problem Statement
According to Johnson (2009), it is crucial to reduce the levels of school violence since they have a detrimental effect on students’ mental, emotional, and even physical development. The failure to use opportunities that the contemporary school setting provides for reducing school violence is likely to lead to drastic outcomes. Since the article sheds light on the effects of school violence prevention tools, it is connected to the research topic (school safety).
Gaps in Literature That Studied the Problem
The research points to the lack of information about the ways in which the physical setting of a school, as well as the atmosphere thereof, can be shaped to reduce the levels of violence within the specified setting. Therefore, there is a necessity to introduce the approaches that are based on using the school environment.
Research Question and/or Hypotheses
Thus, the main question of the study is what changes in the academic setting of a school can help adders the increasingly high levels of violence that can currently be observed.
Theory or Conceptual Framework
The research is supported by the violence theory, which allows determining the roots of violence in the context of contemporary schools.
Findings of the Research
According to the research outcomes discussed in the article, Johnson (2009) proved that the design of the classroom environment that has a predominantly academic focus and tends to encourage friendliness and open communication among students is likely to contribute to a massive drop in school violence rates.
School Climate and School Safety
Purpose of the Research
Kutsyuruba, Klinger, and Hussain (2015) seek to determine the connection between the propensity toward school violence among students and the variables such as the school climate, the levels of well-being of individual students, and their academic achievement.
Problem Statement
According to Kutsyuruba et al. (2015), it is essential to focus on creating the environment in which learners feel secure. However, for this purpose, one will have to reconsider the contemporary school culture. The author explores the issue from the perspective of physical, academic, and social dimensions, thus, creating the platform for building a comprehensive framework for reducing violence. Particularly, addressing the problem by managing the changes in students’ emotional experiences at school should be deemed as a refreshingly new and admittedly promising strategy. Because of the focus on the tools that contribute to school safety promotion, the article supports the topic of this research.
Gaps in Literature That Studied the Problem
A review of the literature has shown that there is a significant gap in exploring the connection between students’ achievements, school climate, and the propensity toward violence among learners.
Research Question and/or Hypotheses
Therefore, the question that Kutsyuruba et al. (2015) ask is whether the focus on improving the school climate by encouraging cooperation, tolerance, and acceptance, as well as the reconsideration of school policies by preventing discrimination, will help reduce the levels of school violence.
Theory or Conceptual Framework
The research is supported by the theory of personality, openness, and health.
Findings of the Research
The research findings show that the redesign of the school policies and the change of the school climate toward collaboration and acceptance reduces the threat of violence significantly.
Perception of Skills and School Safety
Purpose of the Research
Although school safety is typically linked to the problem of school violence, the issue also needs to be viewed from the perspective of students’ ability to identify the risk factors associated with the tasks that they are expected to complete.
Problem Statement
In their research, Salonen, Hartikainen-Ahia, Hense, Scheersoi, and Keinonen (2017) analyze the opportunities for improving learners’ perception of safety when completing tasks. According to the authors of the study, students often fail to develop the understanding the significance of maintaining safety in the academic environment. The specified tendency transcends the specified area and expands into their professional experience, thus, increasing the chances of an accident. The authors shed light on how the efficacy of school safety policy can be enhanced, which is why it is related closely to this research.
Gaps in Literature That Studied the Problem
An analysis of the recent studies conducted by Salonen et al. (2017) indicates that there is a lack of instructions that assist students in acquiring the skills for maintaining safety in the school setting. Therefore, a comprehensive framework for encouraging the target population to develop the specified abilities is required.
Research Question and/or Hypotheses
The question that the authors ask is whether there are significant differences in safety perceptions among students depending on the area of their career choice. Particularly, Salonen et al. (2017) compare the viewpoints of students majoring in science to learners that explore other fields.
Theory or Conceptual Framework
Salonen et al. (2017) have introduced a coherent theoretical framework built on the concept of design-based research. Thus, an opportunity for an in-depth exploration of the problem is provided.
Findings of the Research
The authors of the study show that, to increase the levels of school safety, one must consider focusing on an improvement in the design of safety instructions. Furthermore, the significance of the specified instructions must be made explicit to students. For instance, the gravity of failing to comply with the specified standards must be explained to the target audience. As a result, the platform for enhancing school safety can be created.
Reference List
Burdick-Will, J. (2013). School violent crime and academic achievement in Chicago. Sociology of Education, 86(4), 343-361. Web.
Johnson, S. L. (2009). Improving the school environment to reduce school violence: A review of the literature. Journal of School Health, 79(10), 451-465. Web.
Kutsyuruba, B., Klinger, D. A., & Hussain, A. (2015). Relationships among school climate, school safety, and student achievement and well‐being: A review of the literature. Review of Education, 3(2), 103-135. Web.
Salonen, A., Hartikainen-Ahia, A., Hense, J., Scheersoi, A., & Keinonen, T. (2017). Secondary school students’ perceptions of working life skills in science-related careers. International Journal of Science Education, 39(10), 1339-1352. Web.