The quality of school life as a factor in the prevention of peer violence among students

Abstract

Based on insights from earlier research, it was found that the quality of school life can be a factor in the prevention of peer violence among students, which was the basis for the selection of this research problem. The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of elementary and high school students about the quality of school life and to establish whether the quality of school life is statistically significantly associated with peer violence. The research methods used were the method of theoretical analysis and the descriptive-analytical survey method, while the techniques of questioning and scaling were employed. The research instruments included the Sociodemographic Variables Questionnaire, the Quality of School Life Questionnaire (Ainley & Bourke, 1992; Leonard, 2002) and the Peer Violence Scale (Rimac et al., 2012). The research sample consisted of 300 elementary and 300 high school students, selected by a random sampling method. The research results showed that there is a statistically significant correlation between the quality of school life and experienced as well as committed peer violence: the higher quality of school life is, the less experienced and committed peer violence is. It was concluded that the results of the research can be the basis for the creation and implementation of preventive socio-pedagogical programs for the improvement of student quality of school life and the prevention of peer violence in elementary and high school, and the creation of professional training programs for teachers to enhance the quality of school life. Keywords: school satisfaction, relationship with teachers, social integration, school achievement, learning experience