Exploring 12 to 14 year old children's perceptions of the causes and effects of physical violence between children : a Lynedoch study

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Violence occurs everywhere in the world, yet in poor communities like Lynedoch,located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, physical violence betweenchildren has become endemic. It is so severe that in 2004 a child from thiscommunity was murdered by peers. Furthermore, a trend has been observedthroughout South Africa, of serious acts of physical violence between children. Thishas escalated to such an extent that in 2008 the country's schools were declared themost unsafe and dangerous in the world.The present study was undertaken to obtain a firsthand understanding of the causesand effects of physical violence between children in Lynedoch. It was furthermotivated by the researcher's location as a Lynedoch resident and school teacher.The information was obtained from 12 child participants who reside in Lynedoch.Qualitative research was employed and a depth focus group interview was used toobtain the information. The information which was obtained was then categorised intounits, from which the themes were extrapolated. It was the research instrument ofchoice, because it is highly recommended for conducting research with children andfor exploring sensitive topics. Once the information was obtained, the participantswere debriefed.In order to formulate a holistic and systemic understanding of the research findingsUrie Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological systems theory was used as a framework. Thisenabled the researcher to discuss the findings within the constructs of the microsystem,the meso-system, the exo-system, the macro-system and the chrono-system. The discussion also included the issue of the influence of nature versus nurture, theemotional system, the cognitive-system and the behaviour-system.The findings of the present study revealed that the perceived causes of the physicalviolence between children in Lynedoch include a lack problem solving skills,difficulty dealing with certain emotions, low self-esteem, poor conflict resolutionskills, domestic problems, difficulty communicating, a need for attention, and adultsmodeling physical violence to children. The perceived effects of physical violencebetween children in Lynedoch include painful emotions, desensitisation, displacedanger, vengefulness and suicidal ideation.In order to practically address the problems that were revealed through theformulation of the research findings, the present study recommends theimplementation of systemic changes at multiple levels, including political, social,economic and personal changes.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University