Parental Perception and Attitude to Children’s Violent Acts in Ife Central Local Government Area Secondary Schools

Abstract

This study identified among others , the level of parental awareness of the violent acts, actions parents will take when their children perpetrate violence and how violent acts can be solved in school. 50 children from 10 senior secondary schools 1 to 3 were chosen randomly and asked to give the questionnaire to their parents in the survey. The results reveal that parents are aware of violent acts that occur in schools and some of the causes are poor supervision by school authorities (82%), peer influence (82.8%), exposure to violent films (85.2%) and emotional instability (79.8%). Children that will report violence to their parents are 84% while 61.4% believed that their children will report to them if they perpetrate violence in schools. Furthermore, 65% of parents would go to schools to approach any child perpetrating violence against their children while 53.8% would go and report to the teacher. In addition (26.2%) would still ask their children to go back to school to retaliate. Opportunity for sports and other recreational activities, games, debate, excursions, club activities, visitation to schools by parents, establishment of Guidance and Counselling units are some of the strategies suggested for solving violent behaviour of children in schools.

Key Words: School violence, parents and violence, strategies for curbing violence