Violent manifestations in educational contexts: Prevention and participatory actions

Abstract

This article emerges from results of the research project known as violence within educational institutions: A perspective from the experiences of secondary students in the Central Pacific Region, 2010-2012, it was accomplished in six high schools from the Costa Rican Central Pacific Region. From there, it emerges the concern that is urgent to address, from a preventive perspective, conflict and violent situation within educational environments. The research explores, from a qualitative approach, the experiences and beliefs that students give to the violence which lives in their high school. The used tools were projective drawing, focal group and semi-structured interview. One hundred twenty two students participated, with ages between eleven and sixteen years old. The results show that violence exists at many levels of educational relations, physical, psychological and symbolic violence, both outside and inside the classrooms. It highlights the need to think about inequalities and educational and social gaps, construct educational links, supporting networks, and improve educational methodologies. It is carried out, from the psychosocial and subjectivity theories, a reflection about violence within the educational environments; and based on resilience approach, It finishes with the proposal of a psychopedagogical resource which allows the teaching population opens a space to reflect about the educational link and identifies the presence or absence of resilient capacities, both as in students as in institutional level.