The impact of the level of exposure to the July war on students' aggression levels and academic achievement

النوع : Mémoire

Wars and their effect on the people who experienced them has long been the subject of extensive research. A bulk of this research has been dedicated to children's reactions to war, especially after it became established that children's responses to wars differ from adults, although they can be as severe and long lasting. Lebanon has witnessed many wars and therefore its children have been the subjects of numerous studies focusing on war effects and children. Most recently, Lebanon was the scene of yet another war, the July War that caused the displacement of millions of people and the destruction of much of the country's infrastructure.This study focuses on the July War and its impact on the academic achievement levels and aggression levels of the children in the South, who among the most exposed to this war. While most studies on children and war focus on PTSD, the most common children's reaction to war, this study chose aggression and academic achievement as they are what usually concerns school teachers the most.The study took a sample of 380 students in the fourth and fifth grade levels from six different schools in Marjeyoun, South of Lebanon. Parents were asked to fill out the Exposure to Events Questionnaire (EEQ) in order to determine the level of the child's exposure to war. Teachers were asked to fill out a portion of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) focusing on the child's aggression level and report cards were obtained from the principals to determine the child's level of academic achievement. The results were discussed and analyzed and recommendation for further research was made.