Unpacking "Other": What Can Researchers Learn From Write-In Responses on a State School Climate Survey?

• In Event: 69.027 - Using Surveys in School Research

Abstract

Given the widespread, negative effects of bullying and harassment on healthy development, researchers and policymakers have invested significant resources into identifying the causes and consequences of these events. Yet, few studies have looked at youth perceptions of these experiences. The current study takes advantage of a state school climate survey, by investigating questions about participants’ experiences with bullying and harassment, which included a write-in response option. Employing a mixed-methods analytic approach, we share findings that speak to what these data tell us about adolescents’ perspectives of bullying and harassment, their responses to these incidents, and our current measurement tools. Critical engagement with qualitative write-in responses to school climate and victimization surveys may help advance prevention directives and youth centered research.

Authors

• Gretchen A. Brion-Meisels, Harvard University

• Bernice Raveche Garnett, University of Vermont