THE DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF SAFETY: A PHENOMENOGRAPHIC STUDY IN THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE SCHOOL

This article analyses the diversity of students’ subjective safety experiences at school, based on a phenomenographic research approach. The aim of the study is to reveal different ways students experience and perceive safety, as well as their interactions, in the social and cultural school context. The study involved 56 students (26 boys and 30 girls) from three urban and three rural schools, purposely selected to reflect regional and social diversity. The data were collected in March and April 2024 through written reflections and focus group discussions. The data analysis was based on phenomenographic principles, identifying categories of description and constructing an outcome space. The study revealed that students’ experiences of safety vary according to regional context: urban students associate safety more often with physical measures and technologies, while rural students relate it to community closeness and teacher sensitivity. The findings highlight how social, cultural and regional factors shape the diversity of safety experiences, and offer recommendations for improving the school climate.