The school conflict: An opportunity to create a harmonious coexistence

Abstract

The phenomenon of peer bullying in schools and all its variants occur in El Salvador which can be observed in numerous situations going from verbal abuse like calling names up to physical aggression that had, sometimes, resulted in hospitalization or student suicides.

The former statement represents the main reason for the presentation of this research theoretical approach. This approach is based on the social representations teachers construct based on their comprehension and response to situations they must face during their school day. In addition, the theoretical approach of this research is supported by the contributions of Dan Olweous and his tenants on bullying, and the takeaways on social representations by Tania Rodríguez. To provide better understanding of this phenomenon, it is delimited in four dimensions: understanding, approach, professional training, and policies. All these dimensions are addressed from the lens of social representations teachers have. In this respect, the methodology of the research is developed through the hermeneutic approach so that teachers’ ideas and perspectives of bullying in public schools can be understood and interpreted. As of the methods, semi-structured depth interviews, participant observation and policy documents revision were selected as techniques.

The teachers play the leading role in this research since their outlook is key to generate meaningful learning from the conflict.