Ingrid Emmerová, PhD, Tomáš Jablonský, PhD, Jasmina Starc, PhD The Current State of Aggressive Behaviour of Primary and Secondary School Pupils in the Slovak Republic DOI: https://doi.org/10.55707/ds-po.v40i2.175 Prejeto 7. 2. 2025 / Sprejeto 9. 5. 2025 Received 7. 2. 2025 / Accepted 9. 5. 2025 Znanstveni članek Scientific paper UDK 364.632-053.5(437.6) UDC 364.632-053.5(437.6) KLJUČNE BESEDE: agresivno vedenje učencev, KEYWORDS: aggressive behaviour of pupils, bully- medvrstniško nasilje, spletno ustrahovanje, preventiva ing, cyberbullying, prevention POVZETEK – V zadnjih letih se povečuje pojav ABSTRACT – In recent years, there has been an in- agresivnega vedenja med učenci in njegova priso- crease in the occurrence of aggressive behaviour tnost pri vse mlajših učencih, kar postaja v šolskem among pupils and its presence among younger and okolju resen problem. Ta pregledna študija se osre- younger pupils, which is becoming a serious problem dotoča na agresivno vedenje učencev v osnovnih in in the school environment. This review study focuses srednjih šolah na Slovaškem. V pregledu literature so on the aggressive behaviour of pupils in primary and analizirane raziskave aktualnih znanstvenih študij in secondary schools in the Slovak Republic. The litera- raziskav državnih institucij na Slovaškem, v katerih ture review analyses the research results from recent so objavljena končna poročila raziskav agresivnega scientific studies and research by state institutions in vedenja med osnovnošolci in srednješolci, in sicer v Slovakia that have published their final reports on obdobju od januarja 2018 do februarja 2023. Raz- aggressive behaviour among primary and secondary iskave kažejo na povečano prisotnost medvrstniške- school students from January 2018 to February 2023. ga nasilja, ustrahovanja in agresivnega vedenja v The research shows an increased presence of peer vi- spletnih okoljih. Rezultati potrjujejo potrebo po bolj olence, bullying, and aggressive behaviour in online sistematičnih preventivnih ukrepih v šolah. Priporoča environments. The results confirm the need for more se intenzivno in učinkovito delo z učenci z namenom systematic preventive measures in schools. Intensive razvijanja socialnih kompetenc, uvedbo programov and effective preventive work with pupils is recom- za obvladovanje jeze in samoregulacijo ter delo s mended, aimed at developing social competencies, skupinami, ki izboljšuje medsebojne odnose in šolsko introducing anger management and self-regulation klimo. Pomembno je tudi ozaveščanje o posledicah programs, and conduct group work to improve inter- nasilja, saj raziskave kažejo, da medvrstniško nasilje personal relationships and the school climate. Rais- in spletno ustrahovanje lahko vodita v povečan stres, ing awareness about the consequences of violence is depresijo, zlorabo psihoaktivnih snovi in celo v sa- also crucial, as research shows that peer violence and momorilne misli. cyberbullying can lead to increased stress, depres- sion, substance abuse, and even suicidal thoughts. 1 Introduction The range of problematic or risky behaviour of pupils is wide (from minor offences to violations of school rules to serious social pathologies) and is constantly changing. Primary and secondary school teachers report an increase in problem or risky behav- iour among their pupils and problems with their indiscipline. Schools are dealing with more and more educational problems, teacher authority is declining, and a diverse range Emmerová, PhD, Jablonský, PhD, Starc, PhD: The Current State of Aggressive... 101 of problematic behaviours is emerging among students. The causes of the increase in problematic behaviour among pupils include a general decline in morality in society, an increase in consumerism, and the preference of economic interests over social interests or morality. This is precisely why we need to create a common basis for understanding this problem, which is crucial for the development of policies and effective programs for the prevention and intervention in school bullying (Danuza et al., 2015, p. 99). Pupil misbehaviour is a frequently discussed topic nowadays. In addition to official statistical data from various sources (e.g. reports from the Office of Labour, Social Af- fairs and Family, statistical yearbooks of the National Centre for Health Information, crime statistics of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic, yearbooks of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic, etc.), school research is an important source of information that brings the reality of school practice closer to reality. The increase in aggressive behaviour among pupils (Söderberg & Björkqvist, 2020) and its prevalence in younger and younger pupils, i.e. as early as the first year of primary school, is becoming a serious problem (Duranovic & Opic, 2013; Lipnická, 2022; Saracho, 2017; Trbojevic et al., 2015). In this context, we ask ourselves what has changed in society. Can we look for the causes of such a situation at the level family, social conditions, school, peers, opportunities to use free time, the media with more and more violent content, etc. (Pšunder & Cvek, 2011, p. 78). Aggressive behaviour of pupils towards teachers is particularly a problem (Anders- en et al., 2021; De Wet, 2020; Masluk et al., 2022). This issue was addressed in more detail in 2023 (Emmerová et al., 2023); we do not pay closer attention to it in this study. Aggressive expressions are also carried over into the virtual environment. One of the characteristics of the virtual environment is accessibility to everyone. It is difficult to assess whether this is good or bad. We can all access a lot of educational, interest- ing and useful content, but on the other hand, we can also use virtual environment for cyberbullying (Opić et al., 2016, p. 143) Individual areas of risky behaviour can overlap and combine in cyberspace. Cy- beraggression manifests itself in different forms (Rey, 2020; Zuo et al. 2020; Kim et al. 2019, López-Vizcaíno et al. 2021; Quintana-Orts, 2022; Schunk et al., 2022) which can potentially harm pupils’ physical, social and emotional well-being (Opić et al., 2016). Cyberbullying and bullying, apart from the obvious differences, also share common features. In some cases, it can be a combination where physical bullying is filmed and then posted online, further hurting and humiliating the victim. Cyberbullying is dangerous and globally prevalent (Emmerová, 2022; Hinduja & Patchin, 2022; Chen & Zhu, 2022; Strohmeier & Gradinger, 2022). The issue of cyber- bullying (in terms of its occurrence, forms, causes, as well as prevention and solution) has been the subject of theoretical and empirical attention for several years in Slovakia and abroad. The research on cyberbullying among students has been conducted mainly by Hollá (2016), Dulovics (2018) and others. For example, Wachs et al. (2018) in the Netherlands, the USA, Germany and Thailand; Kopecký and Szotkowski (2015) in the Czech Republic; Lee et al. (2021) in South Korea, and they have all confirmed that cy- berbullying is relatively widespread. The anonymous environment of the internet also puts children and young people at risk of sexually risky behaviour, and sexting poses a significant risk in the context of cyberbullying. Sexting also occurs in pubescents and 102 Didactica Slovenica – Pedagoška obzorja (2, 2025) adolescents, which has been confirmed by the results of several studies (Frankel et al., 2018; Hollá, 2020). The issue of aggressive behaviour of pupils is the subject of research by academic staff as well as experts from various other institutions or workplaces, sometimes as a result of their collaboration. According to Pšunder and Cvek (2011, p. 78), it is not enough to condemn the aggressive behaviour of pupils, nor is it sufficient to devise measures for its elimination and prevention; rather, we must strive to understand it. Un- derstanding, however, does not mean that we agree with it or that we passively accept it. Instead, it means gaining insight into the causes, conditions, intentions, and messages behind aggressive behaviour, thereby creating opportunities for intervention. According to Pšunder and Kozmus (2020, p. 83), identifying the motives for aggressive behaviour of pupils is essential to implement intervention and prevention in schools. Also, the knowledge of aggressive behaviour from the perspective of the perpetrators can help in planning prevention and intervention strategies in the school environment. 2 Methods In this review study, we present the results of the research on the aggressive be- haviour of primary and secondary school pupils in Slovakia since 2018, as we focus on the current situation. The results of the research have been published in the Slovak or English language in both databased journals and Slovak journals not included in one of the databases. We also evaluated the research of state institutions that have published final research reports. We did not take into account the research within the framework of qualifying theses, only research published in scientific journals. Research question: “What is the prevalence of aggressive behaviour among pri- mary and secondary school pupils in the Slovak Republic?” The first step was to conduct a research in foreign databases, Slovak journals and official websites of state institutions. We chose the period January 2018 – February 2023. For the study, we selected works that present the results of the research on ag- gressive behaviour of pupils. The second methodological step was the analysis of texts that met our chosen criteria. 3 Results In the selected time period, i.e. since 2018, several studies on aggressive behaviour of pupils have been conducted in Slovakia. The issue of pupils’ aggressive behaviour is either researched independently or as part of a broader research, where it is a sub- objective. Their overview is presented in Table 1. Emmerová, PhD, Jablonský, PhD, Starc, PhD: The Current State of Aggressive... 103 Table 1 Studies on aggressive behaviour of pupils in the Slovak Republic Conductor of Year of research the research implementation Research focus Research sample Izrael Pavel, Holdoš Juraj, dren and Ďurka Róbert, 2018 Slovak children and chil adolescents on the internet adolescents Hasák Marek aged 9–17 Primary and secondary primary and Pétiová Marianna 2020 school pupils’ opinions and experiences on/with secondary bullying and cyberbullying school pupils Preventing and addressing primary and Janková Mária 2020 cyberbullying in primary secondary school and secondary schools prevention coordinators Primary and secondary school pupils’ views on manifestations primary and Pétiová Marianna 2021 of extremism, xenophobia, secondary racism, discrimination school pupils and youth subcultures Crime Prevention Department of the Presence of socio-pathological Office of the Minister 2021 phenomena in Slovak schools primary and of the Interior of the in the school year 2019/2020 secondary schools Slovak Republic Madarasová Gecková primary school Andrea, Husárová 2021/2022 Health Behaviour in pupils, or equivalent Daniela et al. School-aged Children years of eight-year grammar schools Holdoš Juraj, The coping and behaviour of Izrael Pavel, children and adolescents pupils of all types Almašiová Angela, 2022 in Slovakia during of primary and Kohútová Katarína the pandemic secondary schools Report on the state and level Štofková Dianovská of education and training in primary and Alžbeta et al. 2022/2023 schools and school facilities secondary school in the Slovak Republic in pupils, school the school year 2022/2023 employees primary and Emmerová Ingrid 2022/2023 Safety of the school environment secondary school teachers The team of authors Izrael et al. (2020) conducted a research in 2018 on a research sample of 969 children and adolescents aged 9–17 years who use the internet. Through the research, the authors proved that cyberbullying was most often carried out through 104 Didactica Slovenica – Pedagoška obzorja (2, 2025) social networks (81.4 %), messages sent on mobile phones (21.3 %) and the least fre- quent form was through email (2.7 %). Cyberbullying via social networking sites is sig- nificantly more frequent among girls (95.6 %) than among boys (64.7 %). The forms of cyberbullying are varied, and multiple methods are used, with the most common being, accordint to the respondents, that they were forced to do something they did not want to do (92 %). Excluding people from a group (79 %), posting embarrassing information for others to see (79 %), and threatening people over the internet (70 %) are also quite common. The Centre for Scientific and Technical Information of the Slovak Republic has carried out and is carrying out many studies; in connection with the issue of aggressive behaviour of pupils, there are three studies in the monitored period: □ Opinions and experiences of primary and secondary school pupils on/with bullying and cyberbullying – the research in 2020 was a follow-up to the research carried out by the staff of the Prevention and Youth Research Department of the Slovak Science and Technology Information Centre in 2005 and 2014. The aim was to find out what the current situation is and what changes have occurred in the area of bullying and cyberbullying over the period. The research was based on Directive No. 36/2018 on the prevention and treatment of bullying of children and pupils in schools and edu- cational establishments and the National Concept for the Protection of Children in Digital Space. The aim was to determine the opinions, attitudes, awareness and per- sonal experiences of primary and secondary school pupils with the manifestations of bullying and cyberbullying. Attention was also paid to the issues of prevention and possibilities of elimination of these negative phenomena with emphasis on the school environment. The research task was carried out using a questionnaire survey method among primary and secondary school pupils throughout Slovakia. The sam- ple consisted of pupils in the 7th, 8th and 9th grades of primary schools and pupils in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades of all types of secondary schools from all regions of the Slo- vak Republic. According to the empirical findings, 45.9 % of primary school pupils and 41.7 % of secondary school pupils had no experience with bullying. Secondary school pupils had more experience with bullying from the position of victim, wit- ness and aggressor (Pétiová, 2021). □ Janková (2020) carried out a research that was conducted on a sample of prevention coordinators in elementary and secondary schools in May 2020 (N = 553 respond- ents; 392 in elementary schools, 119 in secondary vocational schools, and 42 in grammar schools). The survey analysed the prevalence, frequency, and manifesta- tions of bullying and cyberbullying over the past school year. In the 2019/2020 school year, the majority of schools (86.3 %) experienced bullying. Only more than a tenth of the prevention coordinators confirmed that they had not faced this prob- lem at school. Bullying was more common in primary schools than in secondary schools, and, by type of secondary school, more common in grammar schools than in secondary vocational schools. The survey results showed that the majority of schools (73.6 %) reported the occurrence of cyberbullying. Of the different forms of cyberbullying, schools most frequently encounter slander/spreading false informa- tion and insulting/humiliating. Threatening or intimidation was addressed in 26.4 % of schools and sexual harassment in 2.5 % of schools. The research also looked at Emmerová, PhD, Jablonský, PhD, Starc, PhD: The Current State of Aggressive... 105 traditional bullying, showing that the two are linked – where traditional bullying oc- curs, cyberbullying also occurs at a significantly higher rate. □ Primary and secondary school pupils’ opinions on the manifestations of extrem- ism, racism and discrimination is a follow-up research to the research conducted at the Centre for Scientific and Technical Information in 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The field data collection was conducted in September 2021. The aim of the re- search was to determine the opinions, attitudes, awareness and personal experiences of primary and secondary school pupils in regard to the manifestations of extrem- ism, racism and discrimination. The research was carried out using a questionnaire survey method among primary and secondary school pupils throughout Slovakia. The sample consisted of pupils in the 7th, 8th and 9th grades of primary schools and pupils in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades of all types of secondary schools from all over the Slovak Republic. The findings regarding the manifestations of extremism in the school environment are interesting. The research confirmed the occurrence of ag- gressive behaviour with an extremist character, which was mostly experienced by boys (Pétiová, 2022). In 2021, the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic carried out a question- naire survey in primary and secondary schools in order to find out the real situation in terms of the occurrence of socio-pathological phenomena, mapping the situation in the school year 2019/2020. 1,112 primary and secondary schools participated in the survey, representing a 35.5 % participation rate. The questionnaire was distributed to schools through the education departments of the district offices in the regional headquarters. The results showed that the three most common negative behaviours among pupils were smoking (56.4 %), truancy (47.3 %) and bullying (30.8 %). Cyberbullying (24.4 %), vio- lence among students (21.9 %), and vandalism (18.7 %) were also significantly repre- sented. Violence towards authority was encountered in 5.5 % of schools, representing up to 61 of the participating schools, 50 of which were primary schools. Manifestations of extremism were recorded in 37 schools, half of which were primary schools and half secondary schools. Every four years, the international research on pupils’ health called Health Behav- iour in School-aged Children is carried out (since 1983, in Slovakia since 1993/1994). The aim of the study is to monitor the health and health-related behaviours of pupils in their social context, including risky behaviours. The results are published in the Nation- al Report on Health and Health-Related Behaviours of 11, 13 and 15-year-old pupils. In the current research, 10,163 pupils completed the questionnaire, with data collection taking place between April and June 2022 (Madarasová Gecková et al, 2023). The re- sults in the violence module confirmed its appearance among pupils. Less than 15 % of boys (13–14 %) and about 5 % of girls (5–7 %) reported having been involved in a fight at least three times in the last 12 months. Approximately one tenth of 11- and 13-year- olds (10–12 %) and more than five percent of 15-year-olds (6–7 %) reported that they had been the victim of bullying. About a tenth of boys (8–9 %) and about five percent of girls (5–6 %) reported that they had been involved in bullying 2 or more times in the past few months. Less than 10 % of pupils (4–10 %) confirmed that they had been a victim of cyberbullying. Only a fraction of pupils (3–6 %) confirmed that they had been the perpetrator of cyberbullying. Boys were more likely than girls to have been the perpetrators of cyberbullying. 106 Didactica Slovenica – Pedagoška obzorja (2, 2025) Holdoš et al. (2022) conducted a research on a research sample of 1,423 children and adolescents aged 9–17 years. Data collection took place in June 2021 in all types of primary and secondary schools across the country through stratified selection of school classes from a list of all primary and secondary schools. They found that 26 % of re- spondents aged 9–17 years admitted to having experienced bullying. Bullying is most common in the 9–11 age group and the most common form of bullying is face-to-face bullying. Although the prevalence of bullying according to EU Kids Online Slovakia with data from 2018 was among the lowest among European countries (6 %), data from the current research indicates that the current prevalence (26 %) is higher than the Euro- pean average in EU Kids Online (23 %). The State School Inspectorate of the Slovak Republic has carried out and is carry- ing out inspections in primary and secondary schools, in which it also checks the safety of the school environment, focuses on the incidence of aggressive behaviour and bully- ing of pupils, as well as the readiness of schools to deal with the issue of bullying in pri- mary and secondary schools. In primary schools, they (Štofková Dianovská et al., 2023) found out that 33.7 % of pupils witnessed bullying. Also, 16.8 % admitted to having been bullied, 8.3 % of them in the form of cyberbullying, most of them through social networking sites (5.9 %). In grammar schools, 9.4 % of the respondents had experienced bullying of their own person, with bullying mainly experienced through the internet and mobile phone (6.2 %). In other types of secondary schools, 10.1 % of pupils experienced bullying, 20.7 % witnessed bullying (12 % of them multiple bullying). Cyberbullying was confirmed by 8.2 % of the respondents. The research aimed at investigating the safety of the school environment was car- ried out between October 2022 and March 2023, using a questionnaire method among primary and secondary school teachers in Slovakia (N 384 respondents); all regions were represented (Emmerová, 2023). The results concerning aggressive behaviour and bully- ing of pupils are of concern. The occurrence of aggressive behaviour very often, weekly, was reported by 23.70 % and bullying by 5.47 % of teachers, 1–2 times per month was reported by 26.04 % for aggressive behaviour and 13.80 % for bullying. The empirical findings also confirmed the trend of transferring aggressive behaviour to cyberspace. Never having experienced cyberbullying was reported by 46.88 % of teachers. In Slovakia, the issue of cyberbullying has become of interest to many experts in recent years, and research shows that its occurrence among children and youth is sig- nificant. 4 Discussion and Recommendations for the School Practice Studies conducted in the school environment since 2018 in the Slovak Republic have confirmed the occurrence of aggressive behaviour among pupils. Individual stud- ies predominantly use questionnaires to collect empirical data. In addition to the studies implemented directly among primary and secondary school pupils, they also investigate this issue among teachers. Emmerová, PhD, Jablonský, PhD, Starc, PhD: The Current State of Aggressive... 107 More attention is now being paid to the risks of the online environment, hence the prevalence of research on cyberbullying. The consequences of aggressive behaviour, particularly bullying and cyberbully- ing, can be varied and, in many cases, very serious. Experts point to its negative im- pact on the physical and mental health of children and youth (Wolke & Lereya, 2015), increased stress and depression (Martinez-Monteagudo et al., 2020), substance abuse (Sanchez et al., 2016), suicidal thinking (Dorol-Beauroy-Eustache & Mishara, 2021). Intensive and effective preventive work with pupils is extremely important. Within the framework of preventive activities, school proceedings should be aimed at develop- ing pupils’ social competences regarding the promotion of protective factors, the devel- opment of social perception, anger management, self-regulation, etc. Preventive work with a group of pupils is particularly beneficial. The advantages include the use of group dynamics, socialisation of group members, social learning, and the promotion of pupils’ social development. Group relations influence individuals and by influencing group re- lations, the school climate and the educational process are improved. Preventive work with a group of pupils increases understanding and appreciation for the feelings of fel- low pupils; pupils can be convinced that expressing feelings has communicative value, they practice open and functional communication, they understand that people can have different opinions on things. According to Jablonský (2017), interpersonal skills, such as the ability to communicate and work in a team, are increasingly important. In the context of prevention, Nešpor (2019) emphasizes the so-called life skills: self-management skills (to motivate a healthy lifestyle, to protect one’s self-esteem, to plan one’s time, to lead a balanced lifestyle) and social skills (the ability to cope with social pressure, empathy, healthy self-assertion, communication, finding compromises, decision-making, the ability to anticipate the consequences of one’s actions, media lit- eracy, etc.). The emphasis of contemporary education should clearly be on producing creative learners who think critically, who are able to cooperate and solve problems (Jablonský, 2023). In addition to specific prevention, aimed at individual types of problem or risky behaviour, non-specific prevention is also necessary in school. This includes develop- ing pupils’ social skills, promoting effective problem-solving and conflict resolution, developing social communication, empathy and assertive behaviour. Non-specific pre- vention activities are not directly related to specific risky or problematic behaviours but lead to respecting healthy personality development and social rules, to responsibility for oneself and one’s actions. The issue of meaningfully addressing the safety of the school environment is now a matter of great urgency. A safe school environment influences pupils’ satisfaction, which translates positively into learning outcomes. Aggressive pupil behaviour and bul- lying seriously undermine the safety of the school environment and the wellbeing of pupils. 108 Didactica Slovenica – Pedagoška obzorja (2, 2025) Dr. Ingrid Emmerová, dr. Tomáš Jablonský, dr. Jasmina Starc Trenutno stanje agresivnega vedenja osnovnošolcev in srednješolcev v Slovaški republiki Obseg problematičnega ali tveganega vedenja učencev je širok in se nenehno spre- minja. Učitelji osnovnih in srednjih šol poročajo o porastu problematičnega vedenja in težavah z nedisciplino. Šole se soočajo z vedno več vzgojnimi težavami, avtoriteta učiteljev upada, med učenci pa se pojavljajo različna problematična vedenja. Vzroki vključujejo splošen upad morale, naraščajoče potrošništvo in postavljanje ekonomskih interesov pred socialne. To zahteva skupno razumevanje problema za razvoj učinkovitih politik in programov za preprečevanje in intervencijo pri medvrstniškem nasilju (Da- nuza idr., 2015, str. 99). Neprimerno vedenje učencev je danes pogosto obravnavana tema. Poleg uradne statistike raziskave v šolah ponujajo vpogled v šolsko prakso. Porast agresivnega ve- denja med učenci (Söderberg in Björkqvist, 2020) postaja resen problem, ki prizadene tudi mlajše učence v osnovni šoli (Duranović in Opić, 2013; Lipnická, 2022). Raziskati moramo njegove vzroke – ali izvirajo iz družine, socialnih razmer, šole, vrstnikov, pro- stočasnih dejavnosti ali vpliva medijev (Pšunder in Cvek, 2011, str. 78). Agresivno vedenje do učiteljev je prav tako zaskrbljujoče (Andersen idr., 2021; De Wet, 2020). Ta problem je bil obširno obravnavan leta 2023 (Emmerová idr., 2023), vendar ni osrednja tema te študije. Agresija se širi tudi v virtualno okolje, kjer je dostopnost hkrati koristna in ško- dljiva. Eden od njenih pojavov je spletno nasilje, ki se izraža v različnih oblikah (Rey, 2020; Zuo idr., 2020; Kim idr., 2020). Spletno nasilje je lahko povezano s fizičnim ustra- hovanjem, saj se incidente snema in objavlja na spletu, kar še dodatno povečuje poni- žanje žrtve. Spletno nasilje je nevarno in razširjeno po vsem svetu (Emmerová, 2022; Hinduja in Patchin, 2022). Raziskave na Slovaškem in drugje v tujini potrjujejo njegovo široko prisotnost (Hollá, 2016; Dulovics, 2018). Študije na Nizozemskem, v ZDA, Nem- čiji, na Tajskem in v Južni Koreji poudarjajo obseg tega problema (Wachs idr., 2018; Kopecký in Szotkowski, 2015; Lee idr., 2021). Drugo pomembno tveganje, zlasti med mladostniki, je seksting (Frankel idr., 2018; Hollá, 2020). Preučevanje agresivnega vedenja v šolah je v središču akademskih in institucio- nalnih raziskav. Razumevanje agresije je ključno za učinkovite intervencije (Pšunder in Cvek, 2011, str. 78). Prepoznavanje motivov za agresijo je bistveno za preventivne strategije v šolskem okolju (Pšunder in Kozmus, 2020, str. 83). Ta pregledna študija predstavlja raziskave o agresivnem vedenju med slovaški- mi osnovnošolci in srednješolci od leta 2018. Rezultati raziskav so bili objavljeni v slovaškem in angleškem jeziku, vključno s poročili državnih institucij. Upoštevane so bile le študije, objavljene v znanstvenih revijah. Postavili smo raziskovalno vpraša- nje: “Kakšna je razširjenost agresivnega vedenja med osnovnošolci in srednješolci na Slovaškem?” Z raziskavo smo preučili tuje baze podatkov, slovaške revije in poročila državnih institucij iz obdobja od januarja 2018 do februarja 2023. Analizirane so bile relevantne študije o agresivnem vedenju med učenci na Slovaškem. Emmerová, PhD, Jablonský, PhD, Starc, PhD: The Current State of Aggressive... 109 Izrael idr. (2020) so leta 2018 preučevali 969 otrok in mladostnikov (starih 9–17 let), ki so uporabljali internet. Njihova raziskava je pokazala, da se je spletno nasilje najpo- gosteje dogajalo prek družbenih omrežij (81,4 %), sledili so mobilna sporočila (21,3 %) in elektronska pošta (2,7 %). Dekleta so spletno nasilje doživljala pogosteje (95,6 %) kot fantje (64,7 %). Med najpogostejšimi oblikami sta bili prisila (92 %) in izključitev iz skupin (79 %). Center za znanstvene in tehnične informacije Slovaške je izvedel tri študije o agre- sivnem vedenju učencev: □ Raziskava Mnenja in izkušnje učencev in dijakov osnovnih in srednjih šol o nasilju in spletnem nasilju (2020) je preučevala spremembe v primerjavi s preteklimi razi- skavami iz let 2005 in 2014. Raziskava, izvedena na podlagi Direktive št. 36/2018, je zajela učence 7.–9. razreda osnovnih šol ter dijake 1.–3. letnika srednjih šol. Ugotovitve so pokazale, da 45,9 % osnovnošolcev in 41,7 % srednješolcev ni imelo izkušenj z nasiljem. Kljub temu so srednješolci izkazovali večjo izpostavljenost kot žrtve, priče in storilci nasilja (Pétiová, 2021). □ Janková (2020) je maja 2020 izvedla raziskavo med 553 koordinatorji za preven- tivo. Rezultati so pokazali, da se je 86,3 % šol srečalo z nasiljem, pri čemer so bile osnovne šole bolj prizadete kot srednje šole. Spletno nasilje je bilo zaznano v 73,6 % šol, najpogostejše oblike pa so bile obrekovanje, poniževanje in grožnje (26,4 %) ter spolno nadlegovanje (2,5 %). Študija je poudarila povezavo med tradicionalnim in spletnim nasiljem. □ Mnenja osnovnošolcev in srednješolcev o ekstremizmu, rasizmu in diskriminaciji so sledila prejšnjim raziskavam iz let 2010, 2016–2019. Raziskava je bila izvedena s pomočjo vprašalnika med učenci osnovnih in srednjih šol, rezultati pa so potrdili prisotnost ekstremistično povezanega agresivnega vedenja, pri čemer so ga najpo- gosteje doživeli fantje (Pétiová, 2022). Leta 2021 je slovaško ministrstvo za notranje zadeve izvedlo raziskavo v osnovnih in srednjih šolah o pojavu sociopatoloških pojavov v šolskem letu 2019/2020. Skupno je sodelovalo 1.112 šol (35,5 %). Rezultati so pokazali, da so bili med učenci najpogostejši problemi kajenje (56,4 %), izostajanje od pouka (47,3 %) in ustrahovanje (30,8 %). Po- membni so bili tudi spletno ustrahovanje (24,4 %), nasilje med učenci (21,9 %) in van- dalizem (18,7 %). Nasilje nad avtoritetami je bilo prijavljeno v 5,5 % šol (61 primerov), medtem ko je bil ekstremizem zabeležen v 37 šolah, in sicer enakomerno med osnovnimi in srednjimi šolami. Vsaka štiri leta se z mednarodno raziskavo Zdravo vedenje učencev (Health Beha- viour in School-aged Children) spremlja zdravje učencev in z njim povezana vedenja, vključno s tveganji. Na Slovaškem je v anketi leta 2022 sodelovalo 10.163 učencev. Rezultati so pokazali, da je manj kot 15 % fantov in približno 5 % deklet bilo udeleženih v pretepu vsaj trikrat v preteklem letu. Približno 10–12 % 11- in 13-letnikov ter več kot 5 % 15-letnikov je poročalo, da so bili žrtve medvrstniškega nasilja. Okoli 4–10 % jih je doživelo spletno nasilje, 3–6 % pa jih je priznalo, da so bili storilci, pri čemer so bili fantje pogosteje kot dekleta vpleteni v spletno nasilje. Holdoš idr. (2022) so preučevali 1.423 otrok, starih od 9 do 17 let, ter junija 2021 zbirali podatke iz različnih šol. Ugotovili so, da je 26 % otrok doživelo medvrstniško na- silje, pri čemer je bilo to najpogostejše v starosti 9‒11 let. Medtem ko je imela Slovaška 110 Didactica Slovenica – Pedagoška obzorja (2, 2025) leta 2018 eno najnižjih stopenj medvrstniškega nasilja (6 %), trenutna študija kaže na porast na 26 %, kar presega povprečje EU, ki znaša 23 %. Slovaški državni šolski inšpektorat spremlja varnost v šolah, agresivno vedenje in medvrstniško nasilje. Študija iz leta 2023 je pokazala, da je 33,7 % učencev osnovnih šol bilo priča medvrstniškemu nasilju, 16,8 % ga je doživelo, 8,3 % pa se je soočilo s spletnim nasiljem, predvsem prek družbenih omrežij (5,9 %). V gimnazijah je 9,4 % di- jakov poročalo, da so bili žrtve medvrstniškega nasilja večinoma prek spleta (6,2 %). V drugih srednjih šolah je 10,1 % dijakov doživelo medvrstniško nasilje, 20,7 % mu je bilo priča (12 % večkrat), 8,2 % pa se jih je soočilo s spletnim nasiljem. V okviru študije o varnosti v šolah (od oktobra 2022 do marca 2023) je bilo an- ketiranih 384 slovaških osnovnošolskih in srednješolskih učiteljev. Ugotovitve so raz- krile zaskrbljenost glede agresije in medvrstniškega nasilja: 23,7 % jih je poročalo o pogostem agresivnem vedenju, 5,47 % pa jih je tedensko opažalo medvrstniško nasilje. Mesečno so se agresivna vedenja pojavljala v 26,04 % primerov, medvrstniško nasilje pa v 13,8 % primerov. Študija je prav tako potrdila premik k spletnemu nasilju, čeprav se 46,88 % učiteljev z njim še nikoli ni srečalo. Na Slovaškem je problematika spletnega nasilja v zadnjih letih vzbudila zanimanje številnih strokovnjakov, raziskave pa kažejo, da je njegova prisotnost med otroki in mladostniki precejšnja. Od leta 2018 raziskave, ki so bile izvedene v slovaških šolah, potrjujejo agresivno vedenje učencev, pri čemer za zbiranje podatkov tako pri učencih kot učiteljih upora- bljajo vprašalnike. Naraščajoča pozornost je namenjena spletnemu nasilju zaradi tve- ganj, povezanih s spletom. Strokovnjaki poudarjajo njegove resne posledice, vključno s težavami v duševnem zdravju (Wolke in Lereya, 2015), stresom in depresijo (Marti- nez-Monteagudo idr., 2020), zlorabo substanc (Sanchez idr., 2016) ter samomorilnimi mislimi (Dorol-Beauroy-Eustache in Mishara, 2021). Učinkovita preventiva v šolah bi se morala osredotočiti na razvoj socialnih veščin učencev, vključno s samoregulacijo, obvladovanjem jeze in socialno percepcijo. Sku- pinsko usmerjena preventiva spodbuja socialno učenje, komunikacijo in empatijo ter izboljšuje šolsko okolje in izobraževanje. Po mnenju Jablonskega (2017) je krepitev medosebnih veščin, kot sta timsko delo in komunikacija, ključnega pomena za razvoj učencev. V kontekstu preventive Nešpor (2019) poudarja tako imenovane življenjske veščine: veščine samoupravljanja (motivacija za zdrav življenjski slog, varovanje la- stne samopodobe, načrtovanje časa, uravnotežen življenjski slog) ter socialne veščine (sposobnost soočanja s socialnim pritiskom, empatija, samouveljavitev, komunikacija, iskanje kompromisov, odločanje, sposobnost predvidevanja posledic svojih dejanj, me- dijska pismenost itd.). Poudarek sodobnega izobraževanja bi moral biti jasno usmerjen v oblikovanje ustvarjalnih učencev, ki kritično razmišljajo, znajo sodelovati in reševati probleme (Ja- blonský, 2023). Poleg specifične preventive, usmerjene v posamezne vrste problematič- nega ali tveganega vedenja, je v šoli potrebna tudi nespecifična preventiva. Ta vklju- čuje razvoj socialnih veščin učencev, spodbujanje učinkovitega reševanja problemov in konfliktov, razvoj socialne komunikacije, empatije in asertivnega vedenja. 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The influence of stressful life events on depres- sion among Chinese university students: Multiple mediating roles of fatalism and core self-eva- luations. Journal of Affective Disorders, 260, 84–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.08.083 Članek je vmesni izsledek projekta KEGA 012KU-4/2022 Varnost šolskega okolja – nov izziv za razvoj izbranih kompetenc učiteljev osnovnih in srednjih šol. The paper is an intermediate output of the project KEGA 012KU-4/2022 Safety of the school environment – new challenge for the development of selected competences of primary and secondary school teachers. Besedilo / Text © 2025 Avtor(ji) / The Author(s) To delo je objavljeno pod licenco CC BY Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna. This work is published under a licence CC BY Attribution 4.0 International. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Ingrid Emmerová, PhD, Full professor at the Faculty of Education, Department of Pedagogy and special pedagogy, Catholic University of Ružomberok, Slovakia. E-mail: ingrid.emmerova@ku.sk Tomáš Jablonský, PhD, Assistant professor, head of Department of Pedagogy and Psychology at the Faculty of Education, Catholic University of Ružomberok, Slovakia. E-mail: tomas.jablonsky@ku.sk Jasmina Starc, PhD, Full Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Informatics, University of Novo mesto, Slovenia. E-mail: jasmina.starc@uni-nm.si