Urban Teachers' Social Distance from Students and Incidents of Classroom Violence: A Mixed Methods Study

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Applications of mixed methods research: Designs tailored to unique contexts

Abstract

This study investigates how early-career mathematics teachers conceptualize social distance from their students and how this relates to their experiences with classroom violence in NYC public schools. Drawing on social distance theory, we employ a sequential mixed methods design with survey data. The qualitative, thematic analysis reveals that teachers perceive their social distance from students along multiple dimensions, and these perceptions often reflect deficit-based views of students. The quantitative results indicate that teachers who report certain differences and, in one case, a similarity on the dimensions that emerged in the qualitative analysis face greater odds of being attacked. The study offers insights into teacher-student dynamics and informs policy efforts aimed at improving school safety, teacher well-being, and retention.

Authors

• Ting-Yu Ariel Chung, University of Maryland

• Andrew M. Brantlinger, University of Maryland

• Elnaz Safarha, University of Maryland

• Aliya Kadirov, University of Maryland