This study examines the self-report answers of 27 of the most highly aggressive students from 3 different school sites on lower Vancouver Island through the lens of Johnson and Johnson's (1998) Social Interdependence Theory, in order to understand the impact of competitive, individual and cooperative social conditions on adolescent decision-making about the use of violent and aggressive behaviour in schools. The data analysis in this study is based on a quantitative and qualitative mixed methods approach that is anchored in theories that examine the social conditions of decision-making and subsequent action with respect to moral questions. The study's findings suggest that we should shift our understanding of adolescents who engage in violent and aggressive behaviour, away from deficit-based models that portray such young people as somehow morally delayed and disengaged, or as flawed with respect to character development, and instead pursue an examination of the conditions promote positive moral experience through connectedness and collaboration in our quest to assist non-violent choices.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/2273 |
| Date | 24 February 2010 |
| Creators | McNamara, Jessica |
| Contributors | Artz, Sibylle |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
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