School Violence: A Multi-Level Perspective

Abstract

School violence has been a recurring theme in the Swedish media over the last decade. Unfortunately research on this subject has been scarce and the media picture has therefore often been accepted uncritically. This article presents an overview of what is known about school violence in Sweden. Using a contextual approach it is also investigated to what extent individual level characteristics and features of the school context account for the risk of victimization. On the whole it is found that in schools where social capital, e.g. family and community resources, is low, violence tends to be higher, especially among students with low self-esteem and weak school involvement.

School violence and globalisation

“…In France, such a survey was conducted in 1996 by Carra and Sicot on a sample of about 3,000 pupils. In Sweden, this methodology has been employed on several occasions (Andersson and Hibell, 1995; Lindström, 2001). In Quebec, a large‐scale survey, not yet published, has just been carried out on 30,000 pupils by Michel Janosz, a researcher in Montreal.…”

“…As David Farrington (1986) wrote: “Children who live in deprived inner cities areas tend to be from ethnic minorities, tend to have parents with low status, low paid jobs, or no job at all, and tend to have friends who commit deviant acts” (see also Kauffman, 1997). Literature on this question is abundant and, despite the offensives of conservative ideologists, it is particularly convincing:A Swedish study (Lindström, 2001) shows, for instance, that while 22 per cent of schools in privileged urban areas report violence (especially verbal) the figure rises to 47 per cent in deprived urban areas.An Irish study (O'Moore et al , 1997) reports that the level of bullying is higher in schools with higher proportions of pupils in socio‐economic difficulty.The NCVS proves, on the aggregate data over four years (1992‐1996) that teachers are assaulted twice as often in urban schools in the USA and that 24 per cent of pupils in those schools say that there are problems with firearms there (cf Canada, 1999). Many reviews of the question show this close correlation between social inequalities and violence, such as Lipsey and Derzon (1997, cited in Gottfredson, 2001) based on a meta‐analysis of 34 independent longitudinal surveys.…”

“…A Swedish study (Lindström, 2001) shows, for instance, that while 22 per cent of schools in privileged urban areas report violence (especially verbal) the figure rises to 47 per cent in deprived urban areas.…”

School bullying as a quality issue in educational institutions

“…Previous research stressed that parents’ immigrant status is an important trigger of victimization (Hong and Espelage, 2012). Moreover, students with an immigrant background have been found to be more likely to report and perpetrate aggressive behaviors at school (Lindström, 2001). Therefore, it could be assumed that school bullying and social disadvantage – which is generally attached to migrant status – are mutually related: specific interventions are required to handle and address the risks of school bullying among pupils with an immigrant background (Özdemir et al , 2016).…”