This master's thesis addresses peer violence in secondary schools. It presents the forms of such violence, defines the roles adolescents may assume during a violent incident, and discusses the consequences of violence. It also examines protective factors and risk factors associated with peer violence and delineates the respective roles of the principal, the school counseling service, and teachers in detecting and preventing it. The aim of the thesis was to determine how staff at selected secondary schools understand and recognize peer violence, which forms they perceive, how they respond to it, and what measures they employ to address and prevent it. To this end, I conducted qualitative interviews with selected principals, counselors, and teachers across four secondary schools (representing two general academic tracks, one vocational track, and one technical track). I also investigated differences based on the educational program. The findings indicate that staff most frequently perceive relational and social violence; however, the research revealed no significant differences regarding responses to or the prevention of peer violence based on the educational program. A noticeable difference emerged regarding staff competence: principals rate it as very high, counselors emphasize the importance of training, while teachers—particularly those who have not yet encountered cases of peer violence—express uncertainty.
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