Personal safety in school
According to the Safety in School Act (2015), schools must meet various requirements in order to provide a living safety policy. The research group advises and supports schools in mapping and improving personal safety through positive behaviour support and social-emotional learning.
As a result of the School Safety Act, attention is being paid to the problem of bullying in schools. On average, 10% of pupils in primary school are bullied. As part of their graduation research, Lio students described the situation in their schools from the perspective of both pupils and teachers. This project provided insight into common bottlenecks. Currently, the focus has shifted to online bullying.
Main research themes
The research group can conduct research and provide advice to achieve better personal safety in schools. We recommend a preventive approach: aimed at creating a positive classroom climate through socio-emotional learning (i.e. broader than reducing bullying).
Due to the increasing use of the internet by children of primary school age, online bullying is also increasing in this age group. As this is a problem that is not limited to the school, cooperation between different parties (family, youth workers, sports) is necessary. In addition to the need for more supervision, there is a need for netiquette (network etiquette) and guidance for pupils that focuses on their moral compass.
Follow-up to cyber-bullying
As a follow-up to the Cyber-bullying strand, follow-up research is being conducted to provide more insight into the extent and consequences of cyber-bullying in primary schools and among 16-plus students. Work is also being done on networking. The aim is to develop joint approaches to preventing cyberbullying. The research is funded by the Key Enabling Methodologies programme.
How can we collaborate?
Collaboration is at the core of our research and consultancy work. Collaboration with partners from the field, such as schools, childcare organisations, libraries, consultancy firms, municipalities (local authorities) and province (regional authority). In addition, we collaborate closely with colleagues from other universities of applied sciences and research universities. We collaborate on the themes of VVE, Equal Opportunities and Language, and Personal Safety at School.
Would you like to collaborate on research? We always conduct research projects in collaboration with partners from the professional field. We investigate social issues that arise from practice.
Is there a need for professionalisation through in-service training? Based on our research, we offer refresher courses on current topics that are based on sound knowledge with theoretical depth. These courses enable schools to work on evidence-informed vision development and professionalisation.
Would you like to get in touch with other schools, the municipality or other experts? We have a large network and we would be delighted to help you on your way.
Would you like to collaborate with us? Please contact one of the researchers:
Cathy van Tuijl
Lector Early Child Education
dr. Ingrid Zijlstra
Senior lector/researcher
Simone Soomers
Lecturer/Researcher
Carlinda Boerdijk-Fuselier
Lecturer/Researcher
Young Child Expertise Centre
The Saxion Young Child Expertise Centre consists of a team of early childhood lecturers. It collaborates with the Early Childhood Education Research Group on quality development in early childhood education and care (0-7 years). We create learning networks where we collaborate and co-create, linking good practice with evidence. We also offer targeted and tailored training to support the development of professionals and organisations.