Safety incidents encountered by school staff commonly involve physical violence

PRESS RELEASE

A new research publication titled “Dimensions of safety in learning environments and a timely snapshot – managing safety in basic education based on safety notice reports” was published on October 25 in Administrative Studies.

The study aims to provide a snapshot of safety in basic education learning environments based on safety reports submitted by school staff. There is no systematic national data collection on safety observations, which means that no research-based snapshot has been available. Creating such a snapshot is essential for anticipating and reducing safety incidents in learning environments and, in turn, improving schools’ safety culture. This research addresses the question: What is the current safety situation in basic education learning environments based on safety reports made by school staff?

The safety incidents reported by staff primarily concerned realized risks in the areas of physical, psychological, social, and structural safety in learning environments. The majority of safety incidents fell within the dimension of physical safety (62% of the data), with the most common type of incident being physical violence (69%), either directed at school staff or another student. The study suggests that the role of safety deviations in school safety culture should be incorporated into the basic and continuing education of teachers and school principals.

The research was conducted as part of the Success in school safety project (ONNI), which involved 20 comprehensive schools: 15 pilot schools and five control schools. The participating schools included primary schools, lower secondary schools, and comprehensive schools (grades 1–9). The schools were located in five different regions and were categorized into three groups based on student population size: small schools (fewer than 100 students), medium-sized schools (100–400 students), and large schools (400–800 students). The study was carried out as a multiple case study, where each safety report was treated as an individual case and analyzed through thematic content analysis.

More information:

University Lecturer Miika Leino, miika.leino@utu.fi

Leino, M., & Lindfors, E. (2024). Oppimisympäristön turvallisuuden osa-alueet ja tilannekuva – Perusopetuksen turvallisuuden hallintaa turvallisuusilmoitusten perusteella [Dimensions of safety in learning environments and a timely snapshot – managing safety in basic education based on safety notice reports]. Hallinnon tutkimus [Administrative Studies], 43(3), 226–245. https://doi.org/10.37450/ht.131217