Syndrome of pedagogical violence over the schools which are not promoting strengthening of health: reflections above a problem

Ganuzin V.M., Rousina N.A., Ganuzina G.S.

Yaroslavl Medical University. Yaroslavl. Russia

School age is a difficult period of transition from the childhood to a maturity. There are convincing data revealing frequent pre-neurotic and psycho-somatic disorders in schoolchildren related to classroom environment of training process. One of the reasons of such disorders can be the factor called in this publication "the syndrome of pedagogical violence " (1). By "the syndrome of pedagogical violence we mean the influence of a number of inadequate pedagogical methods, as well as actions and programs on the formation of a complex of deviations in a state of health of schoolchildren. The syndrome of pedagogical violence should be subdivided into a syndrome of the legalized pedagogical violence, administrative pedagogical violence and authoritative pedagogical violence.

The syndrome of the legalized pedagogical violence in our understanding is introduction of such training programs approved by the Ministry of Education into educational process that cannot be acquired by schoolchildren because of their physiological and mental peculiarities. In this situation there is no alternative for both the schoolchildren and their parents on the one hand and for the teachers on the other. They have to accept them. The authors of these programs usually point out the fact that similar programs exist in other countries. But in doing so they don’t take into consideration the level of socio-economical development of our country and the state of health of Russian children. At present a great number of programs, textbooks is created, and more than 40 of percent are focused on the advanced educational level while according to Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation gifted children at schools does not exceed 6 %, and the number of children with greater abilities achieved 15 % (2). Even average programs today are acceptable for more than one third of schoolchildren.

Among other programs the program of training children beginning at the age of 6-years of its influence on their state of health is considered best studied. This program was introduced into practice without creating first as a proper economic, social, psycho-pedagogical or hygienic basis. And as a consequence of such an approach a rise in the number of functional disorders (deviations) of chronic diseases among children was noted.

We understand introduction by school administration of not legalized programs, obligatory and additional subjects, replacement of one lessons by another as a syndrome of administrative pedagogical violence (for example, lessons of physical training by lessons of a foreign language, mathematics, etc.) depending on the type of school, introduction of extended school day for primary schoolchildren, etc.

A special role in the formation of a favorable climate at school and in the class belongs to teachers. Unfortunately, in Russian schools authoritative pedagogic predominated. That has been found that in classes with an authoritarian, hard, hostile teacher illness is 3 times more and the number of children with neurological disorders is 1,5-2 times is more, than in classes with the quiet, close teacher (2).

We offer an express method for revealing the syndrome of authoritative pedagogical violence. It has been conducted by means of the questionnaire which includes some questions, showing the relationship between pupils and teachers:

A. 1. Have you had conflicts with teachers? Yes / No

2. Were you afraid of your teachers? Yes / No

3. Have you ever had humiliation by your teacher? Yes / No

4. Have your teachers ever been unjust to you? Yes / No

B. Listed above kinds of relationship between teachers and yourself were the reason of:

1. Your neurotic state Yes / No

2. Depressive mood Yes / No

3. Depressive state Yes / No

4. Headache Yes / No

5. Pains in the abdominal area Yes / No

C If you had chronic diseases, did negative relationship with your teachers lead to their aggravation? Yes / No

We have carried out a survey of questionnaire form 220 students of the Yaroslavl Medical University who before entering the university studied in secondary schools of different parts of Russia.

By results of our survey shared that:

- 58.6 % of schoolchildren had conflicts with their while studying at school,

- 51.8 % - were shared of the teachers;

- 35.1 % - were subject to humiliation on their teachers’ side;

- To 75.7 % - the teachers were unjust.

The relationship between pupils and teachers was deterioration of the state of health of the pupils:

- 67.1 % of schoolchildren showed neurotic disorders ;

- 52.7 % - had depressed mood;

- 22.5 % - had depressive state;

- 14.4 % - had abdominal pains;

- 47.5 % - complained of headaches;

- 14.9 % - had aggravation of their chronic diseases.

Any form of the bad treatment of schoolchildren on the teacher’s side is violence over them on his part as the schoolchildren cannot defend themselves. Authoritative pedagogical violence is best revealed during the process of training. It can be directed towards the whole class, a group of children or some specific girl or boy. In such a situation simultaneously suffer both the schoolchildren and their parents on the one side and teachers themselves on the other side.

When authoritative pedagogical violence is present we can mention the following signs in schoolchildren:

1. Fear. In classes where the pedagogical violence is the norm, the schoolchildren of especially primary classrooms often experience an acute feeling of fear of lack production. vulnerability. Their behaviour in such a situation can vary from that of being a dreamer, a liar, a deceiver, of being indecisive or passive to coming to autism and even aggression. Sometime children develop marginal psychic neurosis like status and neuroses.

2. Isolation. In most cases, when pedagogical violence is present, the fact of violence is not discussed. The teachers let the children know that it is not necessary to discuss this situation with the parents or with the friends. It makes the children involved in to the conflict, feel isolated and different from other children. Their may be a situation when teachers openly discuss the conflict, trying to involve to their side most of the classmates and thus do their best to isolate the child or group of children from the class and thus promote isolation of the separate pupil or group of schoolchildren.

3. Disappointment. Some schoolchildren because of circumstances, such as bad training at the preschool stage, a certain type of mentality, frequent acute form of diseases or along, periodically aggravating chronic illness, forced non-attendance of lessons, etc. cannot master the new material, without basic knowledge. Gradually the number of subjects in which the pupil has unsatisfactory marks, increases. Instead of the teacher’s understanding the problem and help from him/her, such schoolchildren get offensive nicknames and insults. They get disappointed with school and with the life. Living under constant stress they develop a specific kind of behaviour. Some become “dimwit-hooligans” and constantly create conflict situations at school, in the street, in the family. Others develop depressive mood, a feeling of being useless in this life.

4. Aggressive behaviour. A part of teenagers develops a vulgar variant of adult behaviour. They become truants, begin to smoke openly, come drunk to school. All this leads to emotional strain, showing itself in aggressive behaviour.

5. Psychosocial disadaptation. In these cases schoolchildren demonstrate absence of formal skills of educational activities, communicative skills, and insufficiently developed self-control. Striving of such teenagers for dialogue and leadership in combination with emotional imbalance leads to conflict situations with the teachers and schoolmates at school and in the street.

6. A feeling of well-deserved cruel treatment. Some schoolchildren who find themselves isolated and disappointed with themselves can develop a low self-esteem and a feeling well-deserved cruel treatment of them on their teachers’ side eventually.

7. Involvement in the conflict. In the senior classes there are strong personalities who wish to stop pedagogical violence and conflicts periodically arising in the class between the teacher and the pupil. Such schoolchildren often feel responsible for the created situation and wish to resolve the conflict. They can be so deeply involved in the conflict that feel guilty for the created situation and become tense nervous.

In turn, forms of the reaction of schoolchildren towards pedagogical violence, violence in the family, can be various and depend on a number of factors. Crisis situations in the family, disfunctional families, conflict structure of family; the personalities of the parents, incomplete family lead to psychosomatic and neurotic disorders.

Thus, the syndrome of pedagogical violence is one of the factors affecting physical and mental health of schoolchildren. Cooperation of medical, pedagogical workers and psychologists in studying this syndrome will help to coordinate their mutual efforts in prevention of diseases and strengthening of the children health at schools or other educational establishments.

The literature:

1. Ganuzin V.M. About the competency of application the term «a syndrome of pedagogical violence» in pediatrics. Materials of VIII Congress of pediatricians of Russia. Moscow, 2003: 77

2. Kuchma R.V. Theory and practice of hygiene of children and teenagers on a boundary of millenia. Moscow, 2001