Original Research

Strategies to address learner aggression in rural South African secondary schools

Gunam D. Singh, Gertruida M. Steyn
Koers - Bulletin for Christian Scholarship/Bulletin vir Christelike Wetenskap | Vol 78, No 3 | a457 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koers.v78i3.457 | © 2013 Gunam D. Singh, Gertruida M. Steyn | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 03 December 2012 | Published: 08 November 2013

About the author(s)

Gunam D. Singh, Department of Educational Leadership and Management, University of South Africa, South Africa
Gertruida M. Steyn, Department of Educational Leadership and Management, University of South Africa, South Africa

Abstract

Managing learner aggression in the school system is central to learners’ academic performance and holistic development. In order to manage learner aggression, it is important to understand the contributory factors and the forms of learner aggression. This article reports on an investigation of factors contributing to learner aggression in rural secondary schools in the Empangeni district of KwaZulu-Natal in order to identify the forms of learner aggression and to establish strategies to manage such aggression in these secondary schools. A qualitative research design was adopted to investigate the phenomenon through an interview process with participants from five rural secondary schools. The findings showed that the factors contributing to learner aggression include family factors, environmental factors and school-related factors whilst the most common forms of learner aggression in schools are verbal aggression, physical aggression and bullying. The article concludes with the role that the school, parents and the Department of Education can play in addressing learner aggression in schools.

Keywords

Learner discipline; Aggression; Managing aggression; Disruptive learners; Disorderly conduct

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