Bullying in school toilets: Experiences of secondary school learners in a South African township
This article reports on a qualitative study that explored bullying in the learner toilets of a township secondary school in South Africa and the reasons for its persistence in this particular school. The exploratory study used focus group discussions to collect data to address the research question....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Education Association of South Africa
2018-10-01
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| Series: | South African Journal of Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/article/view/1588/794 |
| _version_ | 1797633858716303360 |
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| author | Ndumiso Daluxolo Ngidi Relebohile Moletsane |
| author_facet | Ndumiso Daluxolo Ngidi Relebohile Moletsane |
| author_sort | Ndumiso Daluxolo Ngidi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article reports on a qualitative study that explored bullying in the learner toilets of a township secondary school in South Africa and the reasons for its persistence in this particular school. The exploratory study used focus group discussions to collect data to address the research question. Newman’s ‘defensible space’ framework, which stipulates that the design of an area, as well as its physical settings, can facilitate violence, informs data analysis. In the study, learners experienced toilets as the most dangerous areas inside their school, reporting that they encountered a lot of bullying in these spaces. In particular, bullying in the school toilets was characterised by violence, including physical and sexual assaults, as well as criminal activity (mostly muggings) and threats of violence. According to learners, the toilets and what happened within them were removed and hidden from the teachers’ view and supervision, leaving the victims at the mercy of the bullies and perpetrators of violence. Informed by these findings, we conclude that because of their physical design and location within the school, which made it difficult to exercise any supervisory duties or to enforce security measures and protect learners, the toilets in this school remained indefensible spaces. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:59:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-32bd35adbfdc47d4aede91f89da140cc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0256-0100 2076-3433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:59:29Z |
| publishDate | 2018-10-01 |
| publisher | Education Association of South Africa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Journal of Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-32bd35adbfdc47d4aede91f89da140cc2023-11-08T08:08:56ZengEducation Association of South AfricaSouth African Journal of Education0256-01002076-34332018-10-0138Suppl. 1S1S810.15700/saje.v38ns1a1588Bullying in school toilets: Experiences of secondary school learners in a South African townshipNdumiso Daluxolo Ngidi0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5287-8531Relebohile Moletsane1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8493-7479School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South AfricaSchool of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pinetown, South AfricaThis article reports on a qualitative study that explored bullying in the learner toilets of a township secondary school in South Africa and the reasons for its persistence in this particular school. The exploratory study used focus group discussions to collect data to address the research question. Newman’s ‘defensible space’ framework, which stipulates that the design of an area, as well as its physical settings, can facilitate violence, informs data analysis. In the study, learners experienced toilets as the most dangerous areas inside their school, reporting that they encountered a lot of bullying in these spaces. In particular, bullying in the school toilets was characterised by violence, including physical and sexual assaults, as well as criminal activity (mostly muggings) and threats of violence. According to learners, the toilets and what happened within them were removed and hidden from the teachers’ view and supervision, leaving the victims at the mercy of the bullies and perpetrators of violence. Informed by these findings, we conclude that because of their physical design and location within the school, which made it difficult to exercise any supervisory duties or to enforce security measures and protect learners, the toilets in this school remained indefensible spaces.http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/article/view/1588/794bullyinggender-based violenceschool-based bullyingschool geographyschool toiletsschool violence |
| spellingShingle | Ndumiso Daluxolo Ngidi Relebohile Moletsane Bullying in school toilets: Experiences of secondary school learners in a South African township South African Journal of Education bullying gender-based violence school-based bullying school geography school toilets school violence |
| title | Bullying in school toilets: Experiences of secondary school learners in a South African township |
| title_full | Bullying in school toilets: Experiences of secondary school learners in a South African township |
| title_fullStr | Bullying in school toilets: Experiences of secondary school learners in a South African township |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bullying in school toilets: Experiences of secondary school learners in a South African township |
| title_short | Bullying in school toilets: Experiences of secondary school learners in a South African township |
| title_sort | bullying in school toilets experiences of secondary school learners in a south african township |
| topic | bullying gender-based violence school-based bullying school geography school toilets school violence |
| url | http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/article/view/1588/794 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ndumisodaluxolongidi bullyinginschooltoiletsexperiencesofsecondaryschoollearnersinasouthafricantownship AT relebohilemoletsane bullyinginschooltoiletsexperiencesofsecondaryschoollearnersinasouthafricantownship |