Affordances to Prevent School Violence in the Classroom: The Case of Dialogic Gatherings

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Restorative Approaches for Supporting School Community, Climate, and Culture (Table 11)

Abstract

Educational actions focused on dialogue and interaction are a powerful tool to address the challenge of violence in schools. Dialogic Gatherings (DG) have been widely studied as a Successful Educational Action (SEA) rooted in egalitarian dialogue. However, its potential to prevent violence in inclusive contexts (taking together students with and without special educational needs) remains underexplored. This case study investigates the impact of DG in two elementary classrooms and its potential to prevent school violence in a comprehensive school setting (43 students, 10-12 years-old, from which 5 had SEN). Qualitative analysis of classroom observations (4) and focus groups (5) reveal that DG support students’ awareness about the difference between violent and non-violent relationships, which nurtured their preferences towards the latest.

Authors

• Garazi Álvarez Guerrero, University of Deusto

• Andrea Khalfaoui, University of the Basque Country

• Icy Fresno Anabo, University of Deusto

• Rocio Garcia-Carrion, University of Deusto