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31 OCTOBER
No 1237
Aggression
Whitmer (1997) has suggested that aggression represents a failure of relationship. Relationships within a school are complex and include interpersonal relationships between students, between groups of students, between students and teachers, between teachers, between administrators, between administrators and teachers, between administrators and students, and relationships between administrators, teachers, and students. Relationships within schools are influenced by what people know about each other, but also what they believe to be true. Similarly, relationships are influenced by a mindset that develops within a school culture.
In the case of the middle school at the centre of this inquiry, the researchers were invited into the school because the administrators had concerns about the level of aggressive behaviour within their grade eight student group. Understanding a complex issue such as youthful aggression within complex environments such as schools requires the application of a broad sociocultural lens (Kenway & Fitzclarence, 1997) to illuminate some of the context-dependent motives, reasons, and values behind aggressive behaviour (Ogilvie, 1996). The concept of social interdependence provides a helpful way to inquire into the complex web of relationships within a school culture that may influence aggressive behaviour.
Background Literature
Social interdependence reflects the extent to which students perceive
people needing and depending on one another. Social interdependence is
said to exist in a group when common goals are shared and each person,
outcomes are affected by the actions of others (Johnson & Johnson, 1998;
Magnuson, 1999). The concept of social interdependence promotes a
needs-based orientation to problem behaviour that Suggests that
problematic behaviours arise out of unmet needs. The unmet needs that
are typically included in explanations for problem behaviour are
belonging, autonomy, and competence (Anderman, 2003; Baker & Bridger,
1997; Battistich, Solomon, Watson & Schaps, 1997; Beck & Malley, 1998;
Caraway, Tucker, Reinke & Hall, 2003; Schaps, 2002).
As students move from elementary to middle school, they are more likely to be in a school environment that is less supportive of their needs for belonging, autonomy, and competence (Roeser, Eccles, & Sameroff, 2000). Experiences with cooperation are important for students to achieve a sense of belonging at school (Battistich, et al., 1997; Natvig, Albrektsen and Qvarnstrom, 2003; Schaps, 2002). One way that schools neglect to address student needs for belonging is by structuring classes and schools in ways that promote competition rather than cooperation (e.g., reward ceremonies that celebrate only individual achievement) (Pelligrini, 2002). Competition serves to bolster dominant masculinity, and both males and females find it hard to resist the acceptance and illusion of safety that accompanies the assertion of power and strength (Mills, 2001). Yamaguchi (2001) also states that when competition to do better than others is valued over individual improvement in learning, people will find it virtually impossible to cooperate, engage in effective communication, or collaborate – in essence, they will be unable to have an experience with social interdependence. Finally, teacher relationships with students are critical to establishing a climate conducive to belonging. Chang (2003) found that teachers who were warm and supportive of all students promoted a culture of acceptance between students in their classrooms.
Schools neglect student needs for autonomy and competence by placing a high priority on control (Roeser, Eccles, & Sameroff, 2000). When schools emphasize control inside and outside the classroom, students are likely to feel less important to teachers and administrators than the structural demands of running a school (Beck and Malley, 1998). Fallis and Opotow (2003) found that student disengagement in school is often a response to their concerns not being taken seriously. Baker and Bridger (1997) state that many “discipline†problems in schools are linked to a lack of opportunity to experience autonomy and competence and can be prevented by ensuring that students have a legitimate voice within the school community.
This study, in taking a needs-based approach to investigating students’ problem behaviour does not focus on determining what prosocial skills students lack, but rather, attends to “the reasons, values, and motives that give rise to those behaviours†(Kohn, 2004, p.35).
DIANA NICHOLSON
Nicholson, D. (2006). Taking a second look at
aggression. Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, 7, 1.
Summer 2006. pp. 31-33.
References
Anderman, L. (2003). Academic and social perceptions as predictors of change in middle school students’ sense of school belonging. The Journal of Experimental Education, 7, 2(1), pp.5-22.
Baker, J. & Bridger, R. (1997). Schools as caring communities: A relational approach to school reform. School Psychology Review, 26, (4,) EBSCOHOST, retrieved April 24, 2002.
Battistich, V., Solomon, D., Watson, S. & Schaps, E. (1997). Caring school communities. Educational Psychologist, 32(3), pp.137-151.
Beck, M. & Malley, J. (1998). A pedagogy of belonging. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 7(3), pp.133-137.
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Chang, L. (2003). Variable effects of children’s aggression, social withdrawal, and prosocial leadership as functions of teacher beliefs and behaviours. Child Development, 74(2), pp.535-548.
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Kohn, A. (2004). Safety from the inside out: Rethinking traditional approaches. Educational Horizons, Fall, 33-41.
Mills, M. (2001). Challenging violence in schools: An issue of masculinities. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Ogilvie, E. (1996). Masculine obsessions: An examination of criminology, criminality and gender. Australian New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 22, pp.205-226.
Pelligrini, A. (2002). Bullying, victimization, and sexual harassment during transition to middle school. Educational Psychologist, 37(3), pp.151-163.
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Schaps, E. (2002). Community in school: Central to character formation and more. Paper presented at the White House Conference on Character and Community, June, 19, 2002, Washington, DC. [electronic] Retrieved June 18, 2004 from http://www ed gov/admins/lead/sa et /character/schapS,pdf
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