A Holistic Approach to Multidimensional Aspects of School Safety
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18485/fb_ijcss.2025.1.2.1Keywords:
dimensions of school safety, physical-technical and social-psychological factors, integrated approach to safety, quality of school climate, prevention of school violenceAbstract
School safety is a complex and multidimensional concept that includes physical, social, and psychological aspects of the school environment. The aim of this paper is to investigate how different dimensions of safety affect students' and teachers' perceptions of safety and to evaluate the importance of an integrated approach to improving the school climate. The analysis of relevant literature and evaluation studies shows that physical-technical factors (such as architectural solutions and surveillance systems) significantly contribute to the objective sense of protection, while social-psychological factors - the quality of interpersonal relationships, the sense of belonging, and teacher support - have the most significant impact on the subjective sense of security. The organizational aspect, based on the school's cooperation with parents, the local community, and institutions, proves crucial to building a long-term culture of safety and the school's resilience to risks. The results indicate that an integrated, holistic approach, which combines physical protection measures with the prevention of violence and the development of a supportive climate, contributes most to perceptions of safety and the overall quality of the educational process. Applied multidimensional analysis provides guidelines for the development of school safety policies by linking legal, organizational, and psychological factors.
Downloads
References
1. Aleem, D., & Moles, O. (2023). Review of research on ways to attain goal six: Creating safe, disciplined, and drug-free schools. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
2. Bear, G. G. (2020). Improving School Climate: Practical Strategies to Reduce Behavior Problems and Promote Social and Emotional Learning. New York: Routledge.
3. Bo, N. (2021). School climate matters: Shanghai schools from a comparative perspective. London: Routledge.
4. Bucher, K. T., & Manning, M. L. (2015). Creating safe schools. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues, and Ideas, 79(1), 55-60.
5. Buhs, E. S., Ladd, G. W., & Herald, S. L. (2016). Peer exclusion and victimization: Processes that mediate the relation between peer group rejection and children’s classroom engagement and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 1-13.
6. Calabrese, R. L. (2018). Leadership for safe schools: A community-based approach. London: Scarecrow Press.
7. Cornell, D. G., Huang, F. (2016). Authoritative school climate and high school student risk behavior: A cross-sectional multi-level analysis of student self-reports. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(11), 2246–2259.
8. Cvetković, V. (2015). Faktori uticaja na znanje i percepciju učenika srednjih škola u Beogradu o klizištima kao prirodnim katastrofama [Factors influencing the knowledge and perception of secondary school students in Belgrade about landslides as natural disasters]. Bezbednost, 1, 32–51.
9. Cvetković, V. M., Nikolić, N., & Lukić, T. (2024). Exploring students’ and teachers’ insights on school-based disaster risk reduction and safety: A case study of Western Morava Basin, Serbia. Safety, 10(2), 50. https://www.mdpi.com/2313-576X/10/2/50.
10. Cvetković, V. M., Nikolić, N., & Lukić, T. (2024). Exploring Students’ and Teachers’ Insights on School-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Safety: A Case Study of Western Morava Basin, Serbia. Safety, 10(2), 50.
11. Cvetković, V. M., Tanasić, J., Renner, R., Rokvić, V., & Beriša, H. (2024). Comprehensive risk analysis of emergency medical response systems in Serbian healthcare: Assessing systemic vulnerabilities in disaster preparedness and response. Healthcare, 12(19), 196. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/19/1962.
12. Dada, K. S. J., Mohammed, H. A., & Quadir, R. O. (2025). Disaster risk management in academic institutions: An assessment of preparedness and recovery at Kashim Ibrahim Library, Nigeria. International Journal of Contemporary Security Studies, 1(1), 1–15.
13. DeWitt, P., Slade, S. (2014). School climate change: How do I foster a positive learning environment? Alexandria: ASCD.
14. Duke, D. L. (2022). Creating safe schools for all children. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
15. Đurić, S. (2008). Strategije za identifikovanje parametara bezbednosnih rizika u školama. Beograd: Fakultet za specijalnu edukaciju i rehabilitaciju.
16. Hawkins, J. D., Lishner, D. M., & Catalano, R. F. (2021). Childhood predictors and the prevention of adolescent substance abuse. Etiology of Drug Abuse: Implications for Prevention, 20(4), 75-125.
17. Henrich, C. C., Schwab-Stone, M., Fanti, K., Jones, S. M., & Ruchkin, V. (2016). The association of community violence exposure with middle school achievement: A prospective study. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 25(3), 327–348.
18. Jankovic, B. ., Cvetkovic, V. M. ., Ivanovic, Z.., Ivanov, A., Jovanovic, S. ., & Otasevic, B. (2023). Sustainable development of trust and police presence in schools: implications for school safety policy. Journal of Liberty and International Affairs, 9(3), 22-52.
19. Janković, L., Cvetković, V. M., Gačić, J., Renner, R., & Jakovljević, V. (2025). Integrating psychosocial support into emergency and disaster management and public safety: The role of the Red Cross of Serbia. International Journal of Contemporary Security Studies, 1(1), 99–124.
20. Juvonen, J., Nishina, A., & Graham, S. (2020). Peer harassment, psychological adjustment, and school functioning in early adolescence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(2), 349-359.
21. Kitsantas, A., Ware, H. W., & Martinez-Arias, R. (2022). Students’ perceptions of school safety: Effects of community, school environment, and substance use variables. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 24(4), 412-430.
22. Klinger, A., Klinger, A. (2018). Keeping Students Safe Every Day: How to Prepare for and Respond to School Violence, Natural Disasters, and Other Hazards. Alexandria: ASCD.
23. Lazarus, P. J., Sulkowski, M. L. (2024). Leadership for safe schools: The three-pillar approach to supporting students’ mental health. New York: Taylor & Francis.
24. Mayer, M. J., & Cornell, D. G. (2017). New perspectives on school safety and violence prevention. Educational Researcher, 39(1), 5-6.
25. Metić, A. (2025). The Significance and Role of Police Officers in Building the School as a Safe Environment for All Students. International Journal of Contemporary Security Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1, 17-24. https://doi.org/10.18485/fb_ijcss.2025.1.1.2
26. Popović Mančević, M. (2025). Non-Traditional Roles of Military Actors: NATO’s Engagement in Natural Disaster Response. International Journal of Contemporary Security Studies, 1(1), 75–84.
27. Preble, W. K., Gordon, R. M. (2016). Transforming school climate and learning: Beyond bullying and compliance — creating safe schools from the inside out. California: Corwin.
28. Sprague, J. R., & Walker, H. M. (2021). Safe and Healthy Schools: Practical Prevention Strategies (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
29. Spring, J. (2015). The politics of American education. New York: Routledge.
30. Sulkowski, M. L., Lazarus, P. J. (2017). Creating safe and supportive schools and fostering students’ mental health. New York: Routledge.
31. Tadić, V. (2022). O pristupima definisanju i operacionalizaciji pojma bezbednosti u školi. Nastava i vaspitanje, 71(2), 249-266.
32. Vidović, N., & Beriša, H. (2025). Economic aspects of cyber security: Socio-financial consequences of cyber attacks. International Journal of Contemporary Security Studies, 1(1), 149–162.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Admir Metić (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
By submitting a manuscript to the International Journal of Contemporary Security Studies, authors acknowledge and agree to the following copyright terms and conditions:
-
Author Rights and Ownership
- Authors retain the copyright to their submitted work. However, by submitting their manuscript, authors grant the International Journal of Contemporary Security Studies a non-exclusive right to publish, distribute, and archive the work in any format (print, digital, or electronic).
- Authors are free to share, reproduce, and distribute their published work, provided proper credit is given to the original publication in this journal.
-
Licensing and Open Access Policy
- The journal publishes under the [insert applicable license, e.g., Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY)], which allows others to share and adapt the work with appropriate attribution.
- Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submission complies with the journal's licensing terms and does not violate any third-party rights.
-
Originality and Permissions
- The submitted work must be original and not previously published or under consideration elsewhere.
- If the manuscript includes copyrighted materials (e.g., figures, tables, excerpts), authors must obtain the necessary permissions for reproduction and provide appropriate attribution.
-
Author Warranties
- By submitting, authors confirm that their work does not infringe on any intellectual property rights, is free from plagiarism, and adheres to ethical publishing standards.
- The journal is not responsible for any legal disputes arising from copyright infringement, misrepresentation, or unauthorized use of third-party materials.
-
Editorial and Publication Rights
- The International Journal of Contemporary Security Studies reserves the right to make editorial modifications to ensure clarity, consistency, and compliance with journal standards.
- If accepted, the manuscript will be published online and made publicly available according to the journal’s open-access policy.
By proceeding with submission, authors confirm that they have read and agreed to the terms outlined in this Copyright Notice.
