JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AS VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE AT SCHOOL

Abstract

This article discusses the situation of victims of violence at junior high schools, taking into consideration various forms of peer aggression, such as mobbing, bullying and the problem of the so called hazing. At the beginning, it discusses the aspects of the educational environment of junior high schools, then identifies various forms of violence at school, victim selection criteria and perpetrators' motives. The main goal is to point to some characteristic qualities or behavior that make some students susceptible to violence, make them victims. What are the consequences, what type of support do the victims need and what is the scale of this problem in Polish schools? The last part of the article is devoted to educational challenges for a school with regard to prevention of peer aggression.