Preventing and Reducing Violence in Schools by Forming Prosocial Behaviors

Abstract

The general aim of this paper is to form and develop prosocial behaviors in order to prevent school failure and to promote a unified and positive school environment, with no social exclusion, with the purpose of improving students’ academic and social results. Recent research shows that educational institutions should concentrate not only on students’ cognitive development but also their socio-emotional skills. In doing so, teachers consistently aim developing student socio-emotional competences therefore building a positive learning environment favorable to academic learning. Social and emotional development should be on the teacher’s agenda, they need to understand the great importance of social competence, and the strong link between cognitive, emotional and social competences to better implement them will foster the development of a healthy and inclusive educational climate. In other words, students that are not happy in school are not able to easily focus or learn. Results show how such projects that develop social skills and behaviors are necessary and implicitly lead to school performance.

Keywords: Organizational culture, prosocial behavior, school organization, social skills, school climate

Introduction

Seen in society, and especially in the educational environments all over the world, violence is a phenomenon on the rise particularly in Romania, where social changes have favoured an emergence and spread of new patterns of aggressive acts. Traditional approaches on school discipline continue to be mostly based on punitive and exclusion policies. While teachers used to be perceived as authority, now their authority is questioned, and they face a series of problems especially when dealing with these students that contest their authority. When dealing with students’ challenging behaviours, traditional education uses punitive actions and reactive practices, in other words discipline was associated with punishment. As we seek to assure inclusive and positive learning environments, the views and positions regarding disciplining students must evolve. In modern society, teaching students should focus on the process, on the path that leads them to success and responsibility. This is based on the belief that positive behavior, the socially appropriate behavior can be taught.

At school level, the new teaching philosophy aims to positively discipline students, therefore fostering an inclusive and positive educational settings and climate that supports the students’ emotional social and cognitive growth and development. Disciplining consists of teaching strategies, aiming at preventing and correcting the present paradigm on education, it is a new approach on behavior management, replacing the traditional paradigm that is founded on punishment, harassment, angst, intimidation, or any kind of aggression (Constantinescu et al., 2017).

Using behavior corrective and preventive techniques, educators are able to impede the acceleration of conflicts in classrooms with students that have socio-emotional and behavioral problems (Folostina et al., 2022). In these situations, it is the educator’s task to concentrate on students’ energy in positive activities, towards proper, socially appropriate behaviors for the rest of their life. Engaging students in various activities will have positive effects, by reducing disruptive behaviors resulting from lack of activity (Dumitru Tăbăcaru, 2021). Discipline does not mean sanctioning the child, and its long-term purpose is that of helping the child to self-control is and making them understand boundaries, showing them the right path, following us as a sign of love and determination, not just to avoid the pain and the punishment. To positively discipline a child means to apply some fundamental principles and deeds (actions), some to encourage and other to correct. It specifies the boundaries and the limits in a firm but loving manner. Positive and inclusive approach to discipline process praises good behavior and corrects bad behavior, encourages respect for the child, for every child’s uniqueness, it assumes understanding the needs, the temper and habits of the child without trying to change them too much.

Under the influence of social consequences most children show change in their behavior. Also, it was shown that, when social changes are applied by a hostile person, the chance for a positive influence is reduced. For example, when a student makes a mistake and the teacher is not satisfied to disapprove using fair methods, but uses aggressive and offensive methods, it may lead to opposite results, the student thus “becoming troublesome”.

Problem Statement

Teacher-student interaction has a strong impact on the climate school and on the student’s academic performance. If the interaction is positive, build up on a mutual respect and trust, students improve their mindset on the learning process and on the attitude towards school. School success is supported by the academic involvement of students. “Managing disruptive behaviors in the classroom to ensure a positive school climate is a concern expressed by teachers in Romanian schools, confirming the growth of problematic behaviors and the need to seriously address them” (Constantinescu et al., 2019, p. 161).

Research Questions

Will school results and prosocial skills improve if the values and expectations of prosocial skills are defined in a clearer manner?

Are inappropriate, unwanted behaviors expected to decrease, if specific social skills are taught to and mastered by students?

If teachers implement the principles of the framework programs to support appropriate behaviors, are those expected to increase and inappropriate behaviors to decrease?

Purpose of the Study

The research purpose was to prevent school failure and to promote a positive, unified school environment, without social exclusion, in order to improve the academic and social results of students.

The general objective: Optimizing the educational climate by implementing an experimental program aimed at training social skills and behaviors in the school environment.

Specific objectives:

• Preventing unwanted behaviors and improving the educational environment turning it into a positive and safe one by implementing an experimental program, a support system for positive behavior in order to reduce aggression / violence in school.
• Building and developing a vision of the school and clearly defining common values and expectations regarding social behaviors in the educational institution.
• Monitoring the implementation quality of the framework system (adequate and quality procedures).

Research Methods

We used the sociological survey based on the questionnaire as research method. The research design is experimental for the development of students 'social skills and is based on a framework program to support teachers in developing students' social skills. The assessment of the initial situation is based on the evaluating sociological survey which establishes the existence of social skills in school, how to learn the social rules and norms (within the school) and was applied to a group of 300 students and 40 teachers from two schools. The two variables work in the experiment: the independent variable (the experimental program) and the dependent variable (the learning outcomes following the implementation of the framework program). If teachers implement the principles of the framework programs to support appropriate behavior, it is expected that good behavior will increase and inappropriate, violent, aggressive behavior will decrease. Teachers are taught to repeat with students the basic values of the school (respect, tolerance, responsibility), to master and apply them through a desirable behavior.

Findings

The scientific process foresaw some main moments. In a first phase, was achieved a documentary analysis of the theoretical studies concerning the

The scientific approach provided some key moments. In a first stage, we carried out the documentary analysis of the theoretical studies on the manifestation of the phenomenon of violence with a certain thematic grid that aimed: the explanatory theories of aggressive, violent behavior, focusing on understanding the etiology of the phenomenon, the types and forms of manifestation, the actors involved and the methods of reduction and prevention; the analysis of the main international and national programs, aiming to identify directions for addressing and managing aggressive behavior that disrupts the learning environment; the analysis of the main ways of detecting and identifying the aggressive potential. In order to carry out the proposed research and aiming to achieve the targeted goals, we used a series of research methods to gather relevant data that would support the confirmation or refutation of the established hypotheses.

The sociological survey through questionnaire, a method chosen for its efficiency in probing and evaluating the size of the educational climate at classroom and respectively school level, by reaching a significant number of students, teachers and parents. The aim of these questionnaires was to obtain a diagnosis and to understand how school environment is affected by the educational actors.

There were created and applied two questionnaires:

• The questionnaire for students; “Students’ perception of the school where they learn” was created within the research, based on documentary analysis, focusing on the following aspects: students’ behaviors in school, students’ behavior’s during study classes, their opinion about the school where they study, student-teacher relationships, parent-school relationships. The questionnaire was made of 42 items, mainly closed type, using a Lickert-type scale (where 1 was lowest and 5 highest) because the interest was to detect the appearance frequency of a behavior.
• The questionnaire for teachers; “Teachers’ perception of the working climate in school” was created within the research, based on documentary analysis, focusing on the following aspects: teaching experience, function, working environment, school climate, the support of the institution/community, managing inappropriate behaviors among students. The questionnaire aimed to identify, with the help of the practitioners, different prevention and management measures of aggressive behaviors. The questionnaire was made of 42 closed Lickert-type scale items (where 1 was lowest and 5 highest).

The questionnaires, applied to a number of 350 students in two schools and 30 teachers, aimed to understand and acknowledge behavioral norms in educational institutions, by operationalizing the values established at school level, and to identify ways of intervention and prevention at a socio-educational level. After applying the questionnaires, we continued by teaching and consolidating students’ socio-emotional skills by creating positive relationships with them in the classrooms, where the emphasis should be on positive behaviors.

The aim was to develop a positive learning environment in the classrooms by:

• Teaching appropriate social behaviors (e.g., how to be an active listener, to follow given instructions and wait for their turn);
• Systematic recognition of the behaviors expected from the student and instructive correction of inappropriate ones;
• Requiring parents to become positive role models in school (e.g., if an adult speaks loudly to students, they are more likely to imitate such a verbal behavior).

Thus, the aim was to teach certain skills, such as such as speaking nicely or waiting their turn. These behaviors allowed them to develop a sense of belonging to the school and to become more independent in their learning.

At the end of the program, it should be noted whether the initial result will be changed, improved, if good relationships are established between teachers, parents become participants in school life, students feel safe and happy, learning outcomes increase, aggressive behaviors among students decrease, teachers express satisfaction and support for their work. Results showed us that such projects for the development of social skills are needed, implicitly leading to school performance.

A study that captures the effects of implementing a positive behavioral approach promotes the achievement of a healthy learning environment, because it is often positively correlated with a positive school climate (Constantinescu et al., 2019).

It was found that, by developing social skills and behaviors, through the creation of a solid approach focused on the duality of theory – research, based on the implementation within an experiment, of a framework program in which support is provided for positive behavior at school level, a positive work environment is achieved at class level. The implementation of this research project aims at primary prevention, in terms of improving students 'social behaviors and, therefore, creating a positive school climate and improving students' cognitive performance. Primary prevention focuses on creating a behavioral language, common among adults, students and families, in behavior management. The research project aims to reduce behavioral problems among the student population and at the same time, aims to improve the educational climate, in order to build a positive and safe school environment for all as well as to improve school performance.

Behavior management techniques are useful for educators especially when working with students with vulnerabilities, such as students with emotional-behavioral issues or problematic behaviors (Dumitru Tăbăcaru & Ciobanu, 2021). To positively discipline a child means to apply some fundamental principles and deeds (actions), some to encourage and other to correct. Positive approach is effective in preventing disruptive behaviors, encourages respect for the child, for every child’s uniqueness, it assumes understanding the needs, the temper and habits of the child without trying to change them too much.

It was found that most students had practice deficits in social behaviors. To reduce the frequency of inappropriate social behavior (e.g., screaming in the classroom) and to increase the frequency of inappropriate behavior (e.g., the use of an appropriate voice level), students need practice, exercise, repetition (Dumitru & Ciucă, 2019).

If in a school the values are operationalized through positive, social behaviors then the work environment becomes optimal for learning, teaching and assessing knowledge.

The determination, that underpinned the idea of conducting this research, is the belief that any education system can be improved by implementing programs or by finding appropriate ways to change.

Conclusions

The proposed study is based on the analysis of education from a microsociological perspective, this being emphasized on the one hand by highlighting the main ideas of ethnomethodology that offers “a special microsociological approach to the phenomenon of education and on the other hand by capitalizing on microsociology in the activity of (re)defining the school organization and the class of students (Constantinescu, 2018).

At present, schools are considered both an “educational space for personal development, transfer and preservation of knowledge” and an “educational institution, a protected environment, a living space, a realm of experience, a socializing authority, a selection tool and an institution for the reproduction of the company” Gorun (2006, p. 120). Discussions with professionals, concerned with the well-being and safety of students, confirmed the need for further research into the problems that children face.

Within the research project our concern is to minimize the imbalance by emphasizing both sides of the child's needs, based on a systemic sociological approach. In this sense, we list some of the representative sociological theories about education: the theory of systemic analysis, the theory of structural analysis, symbolic interactionism, ethnomethodology. The first two are representative theories of macrosociology, which try to provide an explanation of education from an institutional perspective, while symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodology are theories in the field of microsociology, concerned with the study of student-student interactions; students - teachers etc. in contexts and sequences of life, of concrete education, which we will also try to achieve in the sociological research undertaking undertaken.

The determination that underpinned the idea of conducting this research is the belief that any education system can be improved by implementing programs or by finding appropriate ways to change.

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