Cycle of Violence in Schools: Longitudinal Reciprocal Relationship Between Student’s Aggression and Teacher’s Use of Corporal Punishment

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the longitudinal reciprocal relationship between student's aggression and teacher's use of corporal punishment. An autoregressive cross-lagged model was analyzed with the data drawn from 4,051 Korean secondary students (male = 2,084, female = 1,967), in Gyeonggi Education Panel Study for three waves (seventh-ninth grades). Results revealed that student's aggression provoke teacher's use of corporal punishment and also teacher's use of corporal punishment provokes student's aggression. It is important in that it suggests the cycle of violence with the reciprocal relationship between student's aggression and teacher's use of corporal punishment, rather than positing the unidirectional effects. Practically, teachers should keep in mind that corporal punishments, which are at least partially attributable to student's aggression, actually worsen the problem and lead to a cycle of violence in schools. Accordingly, they should instead respond with alternative disciplinary strategies or direct interventions dealing with the causes of aggression.

A Systematic Review of the Prevalence and Correlates of Emotional Violence by Teachers

“…Although causal conclusion cannot be drawn from existing evidence, it is reasonable to assume that victimization by teachers in the classroom may expose students as targets of victimization by peers. At the same time, the positive associations between exposure to emotional violence by teachers and students' aggressive behavior as well as perpetration of violence against teachers and peers lend support to the notion of cycles of violence in the classroom (Choi, 2021;Karcher, 2002). Such a cycle may translate beyond school to students' and teachers' use of violence in their families and communities.…”

Teacher violence from the perspectives of teachers and students and related factors: A survey in Southern Iran

“…Studies conducted on physical violence indicated that people, who were angry a lot and did violent behaviors, put a lot of pressure on their bodies, leading to prolonged problems in heart and the nervous system ( Payne and Gottfredson, 2019 ). According to previous studies, aggressive students with no academic achievement provoke their teachers to act violently against them ( Choi, 2021 ). Violence is mostly verbal and occurs frequently in schools with ethnic minorities from marginalized areas ( López García et al, 2022 ).…”

Exploring Perspectives: Implementation of the UNCRC in Primary Education in Saudi Arabia from the Viewpoints of Principals, Teachers, and Students

“…They found, additionally, that children and educators in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati supported the use of physical punishment by teachers and saw it as a part of the education and disciplinary processes. Choi (2017) found that the use of the corporal punishments in the name of discipline in Korea does not control the children's behaviour. Choi said that the use of this practice leads to more misbehaviour by children, which in turn leads to more use of corporal punishments by educators against children.…”