A quantitative study on the culture of violence amongst learners in South African schools

• Main Author: Van der Merwe, Nicola
• Other Authors: Ladikos, Anastasios, 1948-
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: School violence; Pro-violence attitude; Violent behaviour; Attitude-behaviour relationship; Culture of violence; Moral degeneration; Juvenile delinquent; School violence prevention; Causes of school violence; Learner; Victim; 371.780968; School violence > South Africa; School violence > South Africa > Prevention; Children and violence > South Africa; School discipline > South Africa; Criminal behavior
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10500/3101

The focus of this thesis falls on school violence. The research addresses the possibility that a culture of violence exists amongst some South African school-going youth. The researcher identified the attitudes and behaviour of learners towards violence as indicators of the culture of these learners. The research specifically focused on the pro-violence attitudes and violent behaviour of learners. The definition of ‘culture’ which was employed suggests the link between a person’s attitude, behaviour and culture. Information was gathered through literature and empirical research. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire with closed-ended questions and a well-tested tool, namely the Attitudes towards Violence Scale. The results of the empirical research were analyzed with the SPSS Windows data editor computer program. Conclusions and recommendations regarding school violence were made. In addition, a programme to curb such violence was proposed. Some suggestions for further research into this subject were also advanced. === Criminology and Security Science === M.A. (Criminology)