Implementing school-based violence interventions from an ethics of care perspective: educators’ experiences

Abstract

Even though numerous measures have been implemented to combat this issue, school violence still poses a significant challenge in South African schools. School violence is not just a challenge in regular schools, special schools also have to deal with it. Educators’ experiences with school violence interventions are covered in this article. This empirical paper uses the results from my doctoral thesis, which examined strategies for reducing school violence in a special needs school. An interpretive paradigm and a phenomenological case study design were used to perform a qualitative investigation. Five educators and 10 learners from a school with learners with disabilities were specifically chosen to participate in the doctoral study. Semi-structured interviews, qualitative questionnaires, and documents were employed to collect the data. The study found that because the participants believed their efforts were not appreciated, they lacked the motivation to contribute to the reduction of school violence. They believed that the present interventions were ineffective, and some participants complained that the educational system was overly forgiving of the learners. Additionally, they said that the Department of Basic Education and the parents were not providing them with enough support.