NCJ Number
152716
Journal
Criminology Australia Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: (August 1994) Pages: 16-19
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article summarizes the situation in Australian schools vis-a-vis violence.
Abstract
Violence in schools can occur in various forms: between students, staff member to student, student to staff member, between staff members, caused by or involving a parent, or caused by outside forces not directly connected to the school. Most studies have found that the harassment of students by other students in Australian classrooms is relatively common, as is verbal abuse and physical aggression between students in the schoolyard. Verbal abuse toward teachers occurs often enough to be of concern, but the situation is not out of control, and physical violence perpetrated against teachers is rare. There seems to be a positive correlation between school size and socioeconomic status of the student body, and level of violence in it. An effective school behavior management plan, designed to reduce the incidence of school violence, should: view the management of student behavior in a holistic manner and relate it to a range of aspects of education; involve parents, students, and teachers in policy development; encourage teachers to be open about disciplinary problems; ensure the provision of adequate support; provide a series of consistent consequences responding to certain actions; and recognize that the problem of school violence is caused by a small number of disruptive students and not allow those students to undermine their peers' educational opportunities. 1 table and 9 references