Violence and Aggression Toward Teachers: A Longitudinal Examination of Risk Factors, Negative Consequences, and School Responses

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

Abstract

This study builds upon and extends a two-wave panel quantitative study funded by the NIJ to investigate teacher victimization by students. It is the first to examine teacher victimization using a panel design. Data come from a mixture of closed and open-ended questions as part of a four-wave longitudinal study of 4,005 middle and high school teachers among 50 largest school districts across the nation. This ongoing research is currently supporting the collection of waves III and IV from teachers in 611 participating schools. The study documents short- and long-term negative consequences of teacher victimization, including negative emotions, physical health issues, disconnection to students/schools, and turnover. In addition, the study considers mediating/moderating effects of various factors such as procedural justice and how school administrators handle teacher victimization incidents, framing issues with theories of procedural and distributive justice. Data analysis draws upon change over time in experiences of teacher victimization and victimization sequelae. The findings provide a theoretical and empirical foundation to reduce repeated teacher victimization and mitigate its adverse outcomes.

Authors

• Byongook Moon, University of Texas at San Antonio

• John McCluskey, University at Albany

• Jihoon Kim, University of Alabama