Rutas y protocolos como sensores de violencia entre pares

Routes and protocols as sensors of violence between peers

María Esther Regalado-Martínez

maria.regalado@psg.ucacue.edu.ec

Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Azogues

Ecuador

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3714-8933

Darwin Gabriel García-Herrera

dggarciah@ucacue.edu.ec

Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Azogues

Ecuador

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6813-8100

Sergio Constantino Ochoa-Encalada

scochoae@ucacue.edu.ec

Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Cuenca

Ecuador

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3067-3719

Juan Carlos Erazo-Álvarez

jcerazo@ucacue.edu.ec

Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Cuenca

Ecuador

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6480-2270

Recepción: 09 abril 2020

Revisado: 15 de mayo 2020

Aprobación: 12 junio 2020

Publicación: 1 de julio 2020

ABSTRACT

The objective of the research was to understand the perception that the professionals who work in the SCD of La Providencia Educational Unit in Azogues city- Ecuador have about the routes and the protocols of action as sensors of violence between peers. The study was developed from an interpretive-qualitative approach, based on the ethnographic method. From the emerging categories, it can be expressed that there is a lack of knowledge in the educational community about the routes and protocols of violence; likewise, from the staff of the Student Counseling Department’s point of view, it is of vital importance to give a humanistic touch to the formulation of these routes and protocols as manuals that guide the practice for the attention of peer violence, being the participation of psychologists essential in these fields of action.

Descriptors: Counselling; violence; interpersonal relations; student-teacher relationship. (Words taken from the UNESCO Thesaurus).

INTRODUCTION

The human being is a biopsychosocial and transcendent individual, which results from the combination of determining factors of both the genetic-organic nature and the personal and environmental characteristics, which act in development. It is known that as a result of these interactions adaptive responses are produced, but also maladaptive, one of them being violence that constitutes a problem in the interpersonal relationship, becoming a negative situation within the global task of the individual that consists in the acquisition of a positive identity (Fuertes-Grábalos, et al., 2017). As (Papalia, et al., 2010) refer, throughout the life cycle, the human being must comply with a series of tasks such as normative events and that in their overcoming they gradually form their personality in a functional way and adapted to their environment; However, there are a series of events, such as non-normative events, that could constitute an obstacle in this process and that could even significantly influence the vision of itself and the context.

Etymologically, the word violence comes from the Latin violentus, which means one who acts with great force. Consequently and considering the (Martínez-Pacheco, 2016), violence refers to the intentional use of physical force, threats against oneself, another person, a group or a community that has as a consequence: trauma, psychological damage, developmental problems or death.

For psychoanalysis, violent manifestations have their origin in the instinctual drives of the id. In this sense, Winnicott, a British psychoanalyst, postulates that the real problem lies in how to control, channel or sublimate aggression (Chagas-Dorrey, 2012). In this respect, Winnicott himself states that the question is not to express aggressiveness, but rather its early repression based on moral anxiety, since as a primary aggressive impulse product of the libidinal energy of the human being, it has the need to be expressed and not to be contained to avoid the formation of the so-called reactive aggression.

It should be noted that the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC, 2017) defines violence as an event that arises in the heart of a conflict and in the fabric of unequal relations of power and submission that can occur in various settings (p.19 ); consequently, problems of violence are inherent in the reality of interpersonal relationships. That is why (Barquero-Brenes, 2014) indicates that violence is a phenomenon that exercises power under a strict and abusive figure that deliberately intends to cause harm; therefore, it deserves to be attended to in a timely and effective manner.

Similarly (Caballero-Grande, 2010) expresses that the presence of manifestations of violence represents a conflict that affects coexistence, an important aspect in the development of human relationships that results from the interaction between individuals that is constituted by ties of consanguinity, affinity or legal mandates. In this same sense, (Barquero-Brenes, 2014) also says that trust and respect are the basis of coexistence for the construction of a culture of peace. However, we cannot ignore that we live in a society where conflicts, sometimes, do not usually have a successful solution and that is where violent demonstrations take place and represent an obvious risk.

Thus, violence originated from imitative behavior can become a serious problem in various spheres of development; however, it must be borne in mind that human development is linked to formative processes within the framework of human learning. In this area, each of the individuals can overcome the events that arise in their life, however, if there are conflicts that do not allow their proper development, the subjects possibly manifest violent behaviors, or become victims.

That is why the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proposes that all peoples and nationalities promote values of teaching, education and respect for individual and collective freedoms, making use of progressive national and international measures and their universal and effective application. In other words, it seeks to protect the integrity of each individual, considering compliance with the articles (from 1 to 30) proclaimed by the general assembly on Human Rights (HR). In Article 5, the various forms of violence are highlighted as: forms of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (United Nations, 2015).

In this regard, in the Ecuadorian context, the Transition Commission towards the Council of women and gender equality classifies violence as: physical, psychological, sexual, by omission and virtual. However, in the educational field, forms of violence from an interpersonal approach have been conceptualized as: students against adults, intrafamily, institutional, peer-to-peer, and sexual.

Now, what is proposed when contextualizing it to the educational field implies making some clarifications about the events that have occurred. In this sense, (Hernandez, 2018a) shows with his research that 36.3% of girls and boys were victims of violence by their peers within the educational environment and also that 75.7% of these acts of psychological or physical violence occurred in the classroom. Therefore, the psychologist is a key figure in preventive intervention and school promotion to improve the climate in the classroom, using assertive dialogue and the ability to solve problems.

Also, it is significant to highlight what (Pineda-Almaraz, et al., 2015) express about the perception of students and primary and secondary school teachers in relation to Bullying as an expression of violence. In this sense, the perception between the groups is very contradictory, this is because the students identify it as a situation that occurs frequently and is serious; on the other hand, teachers perceive this phenomenon as something that is shown with low intensity in educational centers, concluding that these differences presented can distort an adequate coexistence within the school context.

Within the framework of the above and entering the Ecuadorian context, it is important to note that in 2015 the MINEDUC itself, UNICEF and World Vision carried out an investigation in different educational institutions in Ecuador about violence between peers, the results show that one of every five students claim to have been victims of school violence (Vera-Mora & León-Acurio, 2017).

Situations such as the one raised demonstrate the growing rise of violence in the educational field; so, they require the implementation of a real policy of intervention in this matter. In this regard, the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador expresses that “Education will focus on the human beings and will guarantee their holistic development, within the framework of respect for human rights, a sustainable environment and democracy; it will be participatory, mandatory, intercultural, democratic, inclusive and diverse (…) ”(Official Gazette 449 of October 20, 2008). Hence, education is considered a process of social interaction, and as such involves a set of parameters that can facilitate it or hinder it. For this reason, the (MINEDUC, 2017) has proposed the "Action protocols against violence detected or committed in the Educational System" that must be assumed as routes to follow and sensors of such phenomenon.

This instrument of action protocols, which are based on theoretical, legal and methodological factors, contains the guidelines for the approach to this phenomenon; in addition, a set of strategies and steps to follow to intervene in a timely manner in situations of violence in the context of conflict resolution, both preventively and reactively, become objects of study in order to understand and improve their particularities.

In this context and according to ministerial agreement 00046-A (MINEDUC, 2016), it has been stipulated that the Department of Student Counseling is the one that must fulfill the functions of psycho-pedagogical and emotional counseling and support hereinafter; besides, it must look after students’ protection and timely assistance when their rights have been violated following up some cases according to the "Comprehensive Attention Model of the Student Counseling Departments". It is essential to apply tests to know the motivations of the students regarding the life project as a goal to work on comprehensive personal growth (Romero & Villasmil, 2017). In the same way, it expresses that it must be governed by protocols regarding the promotion and prevention of social problems; therefore, you should make use of them when you deserve it.

However, the vision of the staff has been divided, since within the legal field a consensus has been reached on the implementation of these procedures, but in their educational application there have been innumerable obstacles to an ideal approach and from a humanistic approach, that seeks to restore and guarantee the rights of students, being feasible for this purpose, family support (Hernández, 2018b). Therefore, it is essential to visualize the active and cooperative relationship between teachers, counselors, authorities and parents in the intervention, in order to know attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of the members of the educational community (Roque-Díaz, 2018), taking them into account for the conception and application of processes and protocols to deal with violence between peers in coexistence (Sáez-de-Heredia, 1998).

Making some theoretical considerations on this issue in the Latin American context, (Duarte-Duarte, 2003) express that from the perception of psychologists and counselors regarding the strengthening of an adequate application of intervention protocols, there are certain aspects that make up the structure of these systems that hinder and affect the implementation of these procedures at the organizational level, thus affecting the achievement of goals in addressing and solving this phenomenon. Likewise, (Alfaro-Molina, et al., 2010) with their study carried out in Costa Rica, with the objective of knowing the management and dominance in intervention protocols in school violence, it was determined that the population does not have adequate knowledge on how to detect and intervene in cases of school violence; since only 16% of those who participated in this study have received some type of training on this phenomenon.

What has been raised is combined with what was expressed by (Sánchez-Carranza & Sandoval-Forero, 2016), who argue that counselors perform functions more attached to administrative procedures and compliance with school rules and regulations, than to the accompaniment function and advice.

Regarding the Ecuadorian field, it is important to consider the view of (Vera-Mora & León-Acurio, 2017) as they show that the timely interventions of the Student Counseling Department reduce the negative impacts caused by violence (fear, apathy, poor academic performance, depression, among other. Hence, the various protocols of violence should be socialized in the face of existing cases for a timely approach.

By virtue of the stipulations, it is important to know that La Providencia Private School of the province of Azogues established a Student Counseling Department composed of the areas of educational, clinical and social work psychology, in order to attend in a timely manner the demands concerning the problems of violence present in the educational system based on the routes and protocols of action established by the ministry. Despite this, the professionals in the aforementioned areas express concerns about certain regulations that obey the rigorous procedures, since it is evident that they have become an obstacle to the resolution of conflicts.

In this sense and considering that the professionals who live in this institution are immersed in this functional practice for the resolution of violence problems, it is essential to ask: How are the routes and protocols of action perceived as sensors of violence between peers at La Providencia School in the city of Azogues in Ecuador? Consequently, the research is framed in understanding the perception that the professionals who work in the Student Counseling Department of the aforementioned school have about the routes and protocols of action as sensors of violence between peers.

METHOD

This research was developed from an interpretive-qualitative approach based on the ethnographic method. Its design is emergent and flexible. It was worked with a group of 5 people or research subjects. The technique used was the focus group.

For the collection of information, an interview protocol with six questions was used. The analysis of the collected data was processed through the construction of analysis units from which the emerging categories about the phenomenon were revealed as the object of interpretation.

RESULTS

The emerging categories and their contrast with conceptual theoretical references that have been previously considered for a better understanding of the phenomenon under study are presented below.

Psychologists' perception: Influence on the resolution process

For the Student Counseling Department staff of La Providencia Private School, the routes and protocols of violence between peers must be approached from a more humanistic vision for the well-being of the educational community, but they should not be seen as an imposition; for this reason, it is vitally important that the authorities in charge socialize them and make them available to the personnel in question.

The foregoing is complemented by the consideration of (Alfaro Molina et al., 2010) and (Vera-Mora & León-Acurio, 2017), in relation to the fact that there is a lack of knowledge and disagreement with the management and application of the protocols to be followed in the case of peer violence; in addition, (Vera-Mora & León-Acurio, 2017) express that humanistic aspects are important factors in the implementation of these processes, to shed the mandatory character.

Perception of Routes and Protocols

The category perception of routes and protocols, shows that these have been constituted in simple bureaucratic procedures whose objective is to obey institutional provisions, which in many cases, hinder the processes and as a consequence there is no satisfactory resolution. This is consistent with the view of (Hernández, 2018a) in the sense that the practice of the psychologist should be more humanized and not only focus on mere administrative procedures.

Routes and Protocols: Difficulty of application

Based on the data analyzed, the main difficulties that arise in the application of the Routes and Protocols of violence between peers are: ignorance, the excess of administrative and bureaucratic procedures that have separated Student Counseling Department officials from their substantial work with respect to the welfare of students. This can be in accordance with the opinions of (Alfaro Molina et al., 2010), (Mata-Diz & Penido-Martins, 2017) and (Vera-Mora & León-Acurio, 2017) who state that Student Counseling Department staff and even the teachers do not know the true purpose of these manuals and have considered them as mere administrative procedures. On the other hand, (Pineda-Almaraz, et al., 2015) expose that psychologists or counselors appear as personnel destined to fulfill bureaucratic functions, moving away from their true objective.

Contribution for new editions

From the perspective of the participants, the intervention of Student Counseling Department personnel in the formulation of new editions of routes and protocols of violence between peers, should be taken into account as one of its main axes due to violence is a psychosocial construction that falls entirely within the field of psychology. In addition to this, the advice of legal staff and other members of the educational community is needed as subjects who also experience the phenomenon. Student Counseling Department’s primary role, based on psychology, goes beyond exercising an administrative function; however, it must implement a humanized and humanizing work taking into account the particularities of each student and thus achieve their integral development.

Peer Violence: Significance

Participants signify peer violence as repetitive practices intended to intentionally cause harm, which may be physical, psychological and verbal. In addition, they show that there are three positions towards this phenomenon: victim, aggressor and observers. This interpretation can be complemented with the argument of (Vera-Mora & León-Acurio, 2017) who state that violence in the educational field can be of different types, causing damage to the oher persons beyond a verbal act.

PROPOSAL

Finally, after understanding the perception of the professionals who apply the routes and protocols of violence and carrying out an exhaustive bibliographic review, the following proposal called PIC (Planning - Implementation - Training) is presented, to improve the structuring of future versions of Routes and Protocols in the Student Counseling Department. In this respect, it is necessary to work the psychological sphere (diagnosis, treatment / intervention, evaluation and follow-up) of problems in the educational field, caring about the person beyond the classrooms, and in order to optimize resources and time in the face of this problem. This proposal is detailed below.

PIC project. Source: Own elaboration (2020).

Planning: This is a very important point for the development of a project. It is aimed at professionals in educational communities and also, it is a protocol to follow for the resolution of peer violence. That is why this study shows the need to make some modifications in these routes and protocols of violence between peers, such as:

1. The intervention of the development or improvement of the routes and protocols should be proposed by a team made up of a member of the educational community, a clinical psychologist who has experience in Student Counseling Department, a legal advisor, an educational authority and a professional who work in the Ministry of Education.

2. This protocol should be classified by making a distinction by age because children under 12 years of age are not imputable and the routes cannot be fully executed with them, therefore, other routes and protocols should be carried out for these ranges of age.

3. Look for strategies to approach and collect information away from the excesses of bureaucratic procedures that put aside the search for student welfare as a teleological principle.

Implementation: The implementation of training strategies and improvements in professionals in relation to the routes and protocols of violence between peers is fundamental, since they depend on the knowledge and preparation for a correct approach and follow-up of the cases that occur daily, being essential that they know, above all, the steps to consider within these protocols, as they facilitate work within educational communities.

Training: It is important to implement professional training in educational establishments in order to achieve an improvement in the knowledge of each member and also address the situations presented in a more humane way, strictly comply with the follow-ups for the good of the students and thus comply with all the requirements set out in the routes and protocols of violence between peers. So, for professional excellence through training, several proposals are described:

1. Each Student Counseling Department coordinator at the district level will share the routes and protocols to follow with the professionals of the Institutional Student Counseling Department. In the same way, they will socialize with the authorities and personnel who work in the educational institution at the beginning of the school year.

2. Train teachers through talks, workshops, focus groups, informational events and thus achieve unanimity and articulation for the approach and compliance with the routes and protocols.

3. The members of the Student Counseling Department must create informative materials such as infographics, brochures, and signs so that students may be motivated to report and request the respective help from these professionals.

4. The routes and protocols of violence between peers should be disseminated on social networks.

5. A radio program should be negotiated with the local and institutional authorities, in order to address issues specifically related to psychological and sexual cases of violence between peers.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the research carried out, it may be stated that the educational community of La Providencia School located in the city of Azogues lacks knowledge in relation to the routes and protocols of violence between peers. Likewise, it was revealed that for Student Counseling Department staff is vital to give a humanistic tinge to the formulation of these routes and protocols of violence with the support of psychologists and professionals focused on these fields.

These results are important to understand within the educational context; since they are fully assisted by the International Law of Human Rights, as well as the International Covenants and Conventions. Thus, in Ecuador, the Constitution of the Republic that was approved by the National Constituent Assembly of Full Powers in 2008 and ratified by the Ecuadorian people in that same year; guarantees and establishes the progressiveness of this inherent right to human development.

From this point of view, Ecuadorian education, from solid pedagogical foundations, has to be developed in a favorable environment for meaningful learning. This construction of the favorable environment requires solid biopsychosocial foundations and timely sensors that are determined as routes and protocols for the detection of inappropriate behaviors that affect the productivity of the student in terms of their school performance; and that with the PIC project they have to be developed in a didactic and pedagogical way.

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