Addressing Domestic Abuse and Violence via a Non-Formal Environment Seen as a Pedagogical Tool at University

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to identify how family abuse and violence could be addressed via a non-formal educational environment seen as a pedagogical tool at university. The study utilised an exploratory case study design. Quantitative and qualitative data were drawn from observations of sampled students’ performance in the programme entitled “Legal and Psychological Domains of Domestic Abuse and Violence” and through the interview. The Attitudes towards Domestic Violence Questionnaire (ADV), the quiz entitled “Dimensions and dynamics of family violence” was administered to measure the impact of the domestic abuse and violence on the students’ awareness of legal and psychological consequences. IBM SPSS Statistics software was used to process the above data. MS Office Excel Software was used to consolidated and process the data drawn from the interview. The study showed that non-formal university settings have the potential to enrich pedagogic tools for addressing domestic abuse and violence. The prevention intervention had a positive impact on students’ awareness of legal and psychological aspects of domestic abuse and violence, students’ perceptions of committing abusive and/or violent actions by men and women in family settings. It was validated by measurements, observations, and students’ feedbacks. The experiment raised some implications like attracting experts, raising funds, finding sufficient evidence, and cases to fill the programme content. Further research is needed in developing methodology and instruments of evaluation of the effectiveness of such intervention programmes.