Relationship between academic achievement and personal protective factors against school violence

Abstract

The objective of this investigation was to determine the relationship between academic achievement in Mathematics, and Language & Communication and the personal protective factors against violence at the high school level. The methodology used was non-experimental, quantitative, and correlational, with a sample of 4822 Mexican high school students. A structural equation modeling technique was applied to empirically validate a theoretical model that associates the studied variables (school violence, the type of school violence, personal protective factors, and academic achievement). To make this analysis, the database used was Achievement Evaluation from the National Educational System (ELSEN) corresponding to the National Plan for Evaluating Knowledge (PLANEA) 2017. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 25 and AMOS 25 software. A modeling technique with structural equations was applied to verify the proposed model empirically. The results showed that academic achievement is directly and negatively related to violence at school. Also, the personal protective factor is related to violence: when the former increases, violence decreases. These results allowed to build and suggest strategies for prevention and intervention that promotes empathy, self-regulation, in addition to a system of decisions that will help reduce this violence phenomenon in high-school students.