THE NATURE OF TEACHER-ON-TEACHER VIOLENCE AND THE ABSENCE OF ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT: CREATING ADEQUATE AWARENESS OF THE PHENOMENON
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Abstract
Violence directed against teachers remain under-studied within the larger school violence literature. This includes the nature of teacher-on-teacher violence, and the type of support teachers attain from the administrators. Employing the phenomenological qualitative approach, the article seeks to unveil teachers’ and the school administrators ‘lived experiences. Advancing the understanding of the nature of teacher-on-teacher victimisation, aimed at creating adequate awareness of the phenomenon. Five participants, comprising 1 principal, 1 departmental head, and 3 teachers, were purposefully selected. Utilising semi-structured interviews to a mass data and thematic data analysis approach, to categorise themes from the results. The findings of the study revealed teachers were subjected to threats, verbal abuse, physical attacks, and sexual violence from their colleagues, particularly the administrators. Most of the participants confirmed that verbal abuse was the most common occurrence, compared to other forms. The acts of lack of administrative support were established at various levels involving multiple individuals. The district officials, especially IDSO’s, given their proximity to schools, should provide constant support to any form of a reported case of abuse. Class visits are essential to teacher development, and they should be properly conducted, and not used as a mechanism to settle scores.
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