A SOCIO-PEDAGOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEER VIOLENCE AND THE QUALITY OF FAMILY AND SCHOOL LIFE AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to carry out a socio-pedagogical analysis of peer violence, the quality of high school students’ family and school life, and to examine the relationship between peer violence and the quality of family and school life among high school students. The research was conducted employing a method of theoretical analysis and a descriptive-analytical survey method. Furthermore, scaling and survey techniques were applied. The research instruments included a Peer Violence Questionnaire, a Perception of Family Relations Scale and a Quality of Life in School Questionnaire. The research sample comprised 300 high school students, namely the first, second and third graders. The research results showed that there is a statistically significant relationship between peer violence and the quality of family and school life, i.e. the high school students who report a higher level of peer violence at the same time obtain lower scores on the scales of family and school life. Moreover, the results indicate that high school students experiencing a higher quality of family relations and a higher quality of school life are statistically significantly less likely to be victims and perpetrators of peer violence. In the conclusions we emphasize the need for the development of a quality parenting education program, the need for urgent socio-pedagogical interventions in schools to assist bullies and victims of peer violence, the need to include social pedagogues as expert associates in the educational work of schools, as well as the need for introducing a unique model of peer violence prevention that would be compulsory in elementary and high schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina.