A Mixed-Methods Examination of the Unique Root Causes of School Violence

• In Event: Findings that Build on Knowledge about the Root Causes and Consequences of School Violence

Abstract

This research builds on the meta-analysis of meta-analyses the investigators undertook to develop the NIJ white paper, The Causes and Consequences of School Violence: A Review. The current study specifically compares the predictors of school- and community-level violence to identify factors that uniquely predict school violence. This mixed-methods study created a large, statewide dataset featuring approximately 35,000 incidents of school violence; allowed the simultaneous examination of individual, family, and contextual risk factors for violence; and built a collection of stakeholders’ perspectives on the uniqueness of school violence among forms of youth crime. The research has identified some unique predictors of school violence and examined its relationship with justice system involvement. The presentation will discuss how school-based violence prevention and intervention programs and policies may be tailored considering these results.

Authors

• Sonja Siennick, Florida State University

• Jillian Turanovic, University of Colorado Boulder