Violence in Schools - A Multilevel Analysis on the Impact of Upbringing in the Family and Class Composition

The family is a key factor in the occurrence of school violence. In this paper, we will transcend the traditional explanatory models according to which domestic violence and hegemonic masculinity increase the prevalence of school violence while parental support for their children might decrease the likelihood of them turning violent in school. In our view, in addition to the direct effects of the domestic conditions on school violence, we also need to consider the micro-social properties of the class as causal factors contributing to its occurrence. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate that there are not only children who suffer from unfavourable domestic conditions who turn violent in schools. Instead we assume, that the average level of domestic violence, of parental support and of hegemonic masculinity in a given class also contributes to the frequency of violence committed by those students who themselves are not subject of such disadvantaged conditions.