The purpose of this study is to explore the lives of the female victims of school violence in a more in-depth and personal manner and thereby understanding the lives that they have led. The specific questions addressed in this research are the followi...
The purpose of this study is to explore the lives of the female victims of school violence in a more in-depth and personal manner and thereby understanding the lives that they have led. The specific questions addressed in this research are the following. First, how have the experiences of school violence manipulated the life stories of these victims? Second, what meaning do experiences of school violence give to their lives?
To accomplish the objectives of this study, the following research utilizes the ‘Narrative Inquiry’ method as it is seen to be the most suitable in understanding the experiences of the research participants. Research data have been collected by interviews over nine months with three research participants. Method of data collection included field diary, research journal, open consultation, memory boxes, movies, and messages from the participants. I analyzed the data by writing out the stories from the research participants as narratives and then according to the research questions, drawing out the meanings within these narratives, analyzing and interpreting them repeatedly.
The three research participants, Hayan Kim, Jinjoo Jung and Sihyun Choi, all currently above twenties in age, have suffered from school violence that combined both physical and emotional offences as teens. Hayan Kim experienced beatings, bullying, and verbal abuse for an entire year from classmates in her fourth year. Jinjoo Jung suffered from beatings, bullying and verbal abuse from classmates as well as school seniors from fifth grade to second year high school. Sihyun Choi underwent beatings, bullying, verbal abuse and extortion from friends and school seniors from first year middle school to second grade.
Findings of this study can be summarized as follows:
The story of Hayan Kim is [The beginning of the violence: Time endured alone], [My standpoint ignored due to those of the adults], [Dissociative Disorder and Hyperventilation Syndrome: “Time when I felt love even through the pain”], [Position that can be protected from bullying], [Times when I truly met myself]. The story of Jinjoo Jung is [Schooldays exposed to violence], [“I needed a refuge to escape to”], [Breaking away from the torment], [“It’s not your fault”], [Communities experienced once more]. The story of Sihyun Choi is [Violence that felt much like another one of the processes in “their line of work”], [“All I had in life were my friends”], [“There even were ranks among us”], [Problem unable to handle alone], [Bequest of violence], [Starting with a small affection].
The meanings derived from the experiences of these three victims of school violence can be classified as the following. On an existential context, it is [Confronting your own self, continuously creating a means of self protection], on a relational context, it is [Experiencing conflicting relationships, Belonging to a community once more: The beginning of the mending], and on a social·cultural context, [Recognizing it was pain caused by power dynamics].
This research creates thorough understandings of the victims through their experiences and holds significance in providing insight to education and consultation that aid victims recuperate their lives.