Investigation of Teachers’ Violence Sensitivity Levels Towards Children According to Different Variables

Abstract

The study aims to reveal relationship between the secondary school teachers’ violence sensitivity levels towards children according to different variables. The study sample consists of 563 teachers working in Erzurum, Turkey in the academic year of 2017-2018. In this study, “Violence Sensitivity towards Children” scale, which was developed by Arzu Özyürek (2017), was used. SPSS 21 package program was used to analyze the data. In the analysis of the data, frequency distribution was used to determine the demographic characteristics, the Independent Samples T test was used to examine the differentiation status between two independent variables and the violence sensitivity level towards children, and the One Way Anova analysis tests were conducted to examine the differentiation status between more than two variables and the violence sensitivity level towards children. All these tests were analyzed in SPSS 21 package program and the significance was evaluated at p<0.05 level.

Findings of the study showed that there was a significant difference between the teachers’ violence sensitivity levels towards children and gender, age, status of having a child, place of childhood, administrative duty status and tenure of office. However, no significant difference was found between variables of family structure and employment status.

Measures should be taken to prevent children’s exposure to violence by identifying violence sensitivity levels of teachers towards children, who play an active role in the teaching and the development of the children, and by examining the variables that differ in their sensitivity levels. In addition, the study suggests further researches on different groups and more comprehensive studies for better understanding of and awareness about the subject of violence and children.