Educational management and insecurity in school contexts: perceptions and effects on the educational community

Abstract

The study analyzes how the perception of insecurity affects educational management and community well-being in a vulnerable school context. A mixed-methods approach with a non-experimental, cross-sectional, case study design was used. The convenience sample included 38 students, 20 teachers, and 3 administrators from a public educational institution in Milagro, Ecuador. Structured surveys (Likert scale) and semi-structured interviews were applied, processed through descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis. The results reveal a high perception of vulnerability: 65.8% of students do not feel safe on the premises, and 76% associate school absenteeism with neighborhood insecurity. Meanwhile, 70% of teachers experience professional stress stemming from this climate, negatively affecting pedagogical relationships. Although authorities have implemented containment measures such as video surveillance and access controls, they acknowledge that the problem exceeds their resources and requires greater co-responsibility. It is concluded that insecurity significantly deteriorates academic performance and school coexistence. In response, a proposal of strategic guidelines focused on emotional support, preventive training, and infrastructure strengthening was designed and validated by expert judgment, showing that educational management must become an articulating axis for community security.