Socio-Psychological Functions of Dormitory Graffiti: A Case of Zimbabwean Secondary Boarding Schools

Makarati Piason
Midlands State University, Zimbabwe
Email: pmakarati@gmail.com

Abstract: Using the Social Cultural framework, this paper examines the functions of graffiti in selected secondary boarding schools in the Gutu District of Zimbabwe. It focuses on how socio-psychological functions of graffiti are created through informal spaces such as the dormitory in secondary boarding schools. The study followed a qualitative exploratory design in which the researcher observed the messages expressed in dormitory graffiti and conducted a social-cultural analysis of their functions on the moral fabric of their immediate society. A purposive total sample size of seven secondary boarding schools in the Gutu District was used for the study. Among the major findings of this study was the view that the messages conveyed through the graffiti expressed quite a number of issues that range from remembrances, loneliness, boredom, religion, and issues of bullying in the school. The study concluded that although graffiti tend to deform and deface some public utilities, their call for normative social behaviour in society shows there is a need to deconstruct some societal ideas that view graffiti as nonsensical. The findings of this research paper may contribute to the study of sociocultural in general and communication, particularly, in schools. It has been established that students use graffiti to communicate a lot of information that would be beneficial to the school authorities, student counsellors, policymakers, and other stakeholders.