An Exploratory Assessment of Students’ Perceptions of School Climate and Its Relationship with Victimization at School

• In Event: Assessing Differences in the Impact of Multiple Risk and Protective Factors on Adolescent Behavior

Abstract

Extant research suggests that school climate impacts students’ performance, relationships, teaching and learning, and environmental-structural factors. This study builds on previous research by examining how school climate is related to victimization at school and whether this relationship varies across important subgroups of students based on gender, race, and grade level. The data for this study were collected from eight low income schools located in a southeastern county in Florida. Three objectives guided the current study: 1) to identify and define the dimensions of students’ perceptions of school climate, 2) to examine how the different dimensions of school climate are related to school safety (i.e., victimization), and 3) to assess whether the impact of school climate on school safety varies by important demographic characteristics. Our findings suggest that improving school climate is critical to improving school safety. Additional research and policy implications of our findings are discussed.

Authors

• Sara Bryson, University of Central Florida

• Kristina Childs, Univeristy of Central Florida