DOI: 10.26466/opusjsr.1973028 ISSN: 2791-9781

Teachers’ perspectives on school safety and psychosocial processes following school attacks

Kübra Melis Avcu, Erol Koçoğlu
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School attacks are a problem that affects not only physical safety but also the psychological well-being of teachers and students, the school climate, and educational processes. This study aimed to explore teachers’ views on school safety and psychosocial processes following recent school attacks in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş. The study was conducted using a phenomenological approach, one of the qualitative research designs. The study group consisted of 25 teachers working at different school levels during the 2025–2026 academic year. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured interview form and analyzed through content analysis. The findings showed that school attacks weakened teachers’ perceptions of safety and were associated with anxiety, insecurity, occupational stress, and burnout. According to teachers’ observations, students experienced fear, social withdrawal, difficulty concentrating, and reluctance to attend school. Participants generally considered the existing security measures and school administrators’ crisis management practices inadequate. The study demonstrates that school safety cannot be ensured through physical measures alone. The findings indicate that psychosocial support services should be strengthened and feasible crisis plans should be developed. This study is expected to contribute to understanding the psychosocial effects of school attacks on teachers and to inform assessments aimed at developing preventive school safety policies.

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