DigitalCommons@Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center

Title

A study of teachers' perceptions of the association between school violence and selected independent variables in a sample of elementary, middle, and high schools in a large urban school district

Author

Lori Ann Reeves, Clark Atlanta University

Date of Award

7-1-1997

Degree Type

Dissertation

University or Center

Clark Atlanta University(CAU)

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Claudette H. Williams

Abstract

The specific problem this research studied is teachers’ perceptions of factors that are associated with school violence in selected elementary, middle, and high schools in a large urban school district. Seven independent factors were selected for this study. They are: presence of security guards, presence of metal detectors, presence of gangs, mass media, family composition, student socioeconomic status, and antiviolence programs.

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of the association between school violence and selected independent variables in a large urban school district. Using a random sampling technique, a sample of 624 teachers were selected from eight elementary, two middle, and two high schools in the Atlanta Public Schools system. A single questionnaire was developed to gather data for this study.

Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The descriptive demographic variables of gender, age, race, school type, and years of experience were used to describe the data gathered. The dependent and independent variables were subjected to inferential statistics using the analysis of variance (ANOVA). Seven hypotheses were tested to determine the statistically significant association between the seven independent variables and the dependent variable. The level of significance used was .05.

The primary findings indicated that there was a statistically significant association between four of the independent variables: student socioeconomic status, family composition, antiviolence programs, and presence of security guards. Therefore, it could be concluded that teachers perceive external factors over which the student has no control are associated with violence in schools. Five main recommendations were made to school administrators, teachers, students, and the community.

Recommended Citation

Reeves, Lori Ann, "A study of teachers' perceptions of the association between school violence and selected independent variables in a sample of elementary, middle, and high schools in a large urban school district" (1997). ETD Collection for AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. 2311.
http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/dissertations/2311