The impact of school violence on secondary victims in selected secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

Although a wide body of research on school violence exists, much of the work is concentrated within westernized contexts, particularly within the American context, and is focused on the types of violent behaviours exhibited, the causes of the behaviour, and solutions to reduce the behaviours. Within the local context, research has identified root causes of school violence and possible solutions. These local studies neither purposely focus on the unmet needs of the secondary victims of school violence nor devise programmes to address the needs of this group of victims. This paper reports on research that sought to fill this gap, and presents findings of the first phase of a study that examined the impact of school violence on students who are secondary victims in two schools in Trinidad and Tobago. The research is situated within the fields of criminology and school improvement.