A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GROUP PERCEPTION OF SCHOOL CLIMATE AND INCIDENCES OF BULLYING AT THE JUNIOR HIGH/MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL BY KIMBERLYR. DOUGLASS B.S. UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMTNGTON (1994) M.S. UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE (2000) SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION IN LEADERSHIP AND SCHOOLING UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL Signature of Author: Signature of Dissertation Director: Date: M / W ° 1 Signatures of Other Dissertation ^h^/i A j Committee Members: / 'j&thJU&J
Transcript
A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GROUP PERCEPTION OF
SCHOOL CLIMATE AND INCIDENCES OF BULLYING AT THE JUNIOR HIGH/MIDDLE
SCHOOL LEVEL
BY
KIMBERLYR. DOUGLASS
B.S. UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMTNGTON (1994)
M.S. UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE (2000)
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION IN LEADERSHIP AND SCHOOLING
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
Signature of Author:
Signature of Dissertation Director:
Date: M / W ° 1
Signatures of Other Dissertation ^h^/i A j Committee Members: / 'j&thJU&J
UMI Number: 3357575
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i
ABSTRACT
Bullying at school has become a significant societal issue. Many students in American
schools experience victimization during their school careers. Often, the victims are the students
who appear different or have a handicap. Bullies make victims feel unsafe in school and as a
result, the education of the victims may be compromised, as these students are less available for
learning.
This study focused on the potential link between perception of school climate and
incidences of bullying at the junior high/middle school level. The primary research question was
what, if any, was the relationship between group perception of the type of school climate
identified by the surveyed participants and their perceptions of incidences of bullying in a
school. One hundred two teachers/specialists along withl86 7th-grade students and their parents
from five schools located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts were surveyed.
The findings suggest that school climate cannot be used to predict whether a school has
an issue with bullying. Therefore, the assumption cannot be made that a school that is viewed by
teachers/specialists, students, and parents as having a positive school climate has fewer issues
with bullying than does a school with a more negative climate. However, the data do suggest that
the perceptions among all teachers/specialists, V -̂grade students, and their parents offer valuable
information that educators, administration, and teachers can use to further address bullying issues
in their schools.
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am very grateful for the support and encouragement given to me through the course of this
research project. I thank each and every one of you.
• To Dr. Jill Lohmeier, my Committee Chair and advisor
• To Dr. Michaela Colombo and Dr. David Lustick, members of my dissertation committee
• To Dr. Charles Gobron, my superintendent of schools
• To Susan Whitten and Donald Holm, my school principals
• To Peter Spiliakos, my husband
• To Dale and Natalie Douglass, my parents
• To Karen Wright, my sister
Ill
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii
CHAPTER 1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 1
Statement of the Problem 1
Purpose of the Study 3
Research Questions 5
Significance of the Study 6
Definition of Additional Key Terms 6
Methodology 7
CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 9
Strand One: Bullying 9
Victims 9
Bullies 14
Strand Two: School Climate 19
Leadership 19
Student-Teacher Interactions 22
Teacher Interactions 25
Parent-Teacher Interactions 27
Peer Interactions 30
Discussion 33
Impact of School Climate on Victims 33
IV
Page
Impact of Various Relationships on School Climate 34
Conclusion 35
CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH 37
Participants 37
Data Collection 38
Instruments 39
Teacher/Specialist Survey 39
Student Survey 40
Parent Survey 41
Administrator's Survey 44
Potential Threats to the Psychometric Properties of the Instruments 46
Incidence Reports 48
Procedures 48
Survey Administration 48
Rapport Building 49
Data Analysis 49
Reliability 49
Validity 50
Analyses 51
Ethical Concerns 52
Protection of Human Subjects 52
Ethics in Data Collection 53
Page
Limitations of the Study 54
Timeline 55
Conclusion 55
CHAPTER 4. DATA ANALYSIS 56
School Profiles 56
School I 56
School II 57
School III 57
School IV 57
School V 57
Race/Ethnicity by School 5 8
Respondent Demographics 58
Surveys 59
Reliability 59
Survey Distribution 60
Data Analysis 60
Exploratory Factor Analyses 60
Confirmatory Factor Analyses 68
Correlations 71
Means 74
Potential Issues with Data Analysis 78
Bullying Incidences 79
Pa
Conclusion 80
CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSIONS 82
Implications for Current Research 82
Implications for Practice 86
Importance of Data Sharing from Individual Schools 86
Instruments for Schools to Assess Perceptions of School Climate 87
and Bullying
Limitations
School Selection
Timelines
Respondents
Race/Ethnicity
Survey Development
Survey Administration
Conclusion
References
Appendix A. Cover Letters
Appendix B. Teacher Survey
Appendix C. Student Survey
Appendix D. Parent Survey
Appendix E. Administrator Survey
88
88
89
89
90
90
91
91
94
103
109
112
114
117
vii
Page
Appendix F. Survey Items and their Corresponding Abbreviations 119
Appendix G. Descriptive Statistics 124
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1.
Table 2.
Table 3.
Table 4.
Table 5.
Table 6.
Table 7.
Table 8.
Table 9.
Table 10
Table 11
Table 12
Table 13
Table 14
Table 15
Table 16.
Table 17.
Table 18.
Table 19.
Table 20.
Types of Victimization
Places Victimization Occurs
Items Included in Two or More Surveys
Race/Ethnicity by Percent
Percent of Years Worked by Staff
Percent of Classroom Teachers, Special Area Teachers,
Researchers compared 16 boys aged 16-18 to determine if the eight boys diagnosed with a
conduct disorder had different brain MRI results when compared to boys without the diagnosis
(Decety et al., 2008). The boys were all shown videos of situations in which other individuals
were exposed to pain, occurring both by chance and inflicted on purpose. The results of the boys
with conduct disorders showed abnormal neural response (Decety et al., 2008). These boys
appeared to take pleasure in witnessing intentional pain. Thus, based on the different reasons that
studies have found as to why students bully, educators must be aware that they cannot
necessarily assume one reason over another as to why the student is bullying, and that further
investigation of the cause of the bullying will likely need to be undertaken.
Research conducted throughout the world (i.e., China, England, Ireland, Spain, and
Japan), is notable due to its conclusions regarding the lack of social consequences for students
who bully (Eslea et al., 2003). Eslea and his fellow researchers indicated that there appears to be
little motivation for a student to stop engaging in bullying behavior in a society, which as a
whole, does not isolate or ostracize the bully. There still may be the mentality existing that "boys
will be boys." Another finding from the Pellegrini, Bartini, and Brooks (1999) study was the
unexpected conclusion that it appears that bullies do not necessarily view their behavior as
negative. They self-identified on questionnaires without concern as to whether their responses
were socially acceptable; that is, they did not care if their actions conformed to socially
acceptable behavior (Pellegrini et al , 1999). Therefore, even though bullies may recognize that
their actions are not socially acceptable, in adopting the persona of a bully, in some cultures, they
may be able to act out without significant consequences.
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Contributing school characteristics. Certain characteristics of a school can further
perpetuate bullying. The presence of gangs in a school can lead to higher incidences of bullying
(DeVoe & Kaffenberger, 2005). The students associated with gangs attempt to exert control and
therefore bully their weaker peers (DeVoe & Kaffenberger, 2005). Regardless of gang presence,
unmonitored halls also lead to more incidences of bullying (Bradshaw et al., 2007; DeVoe &
Kaffenberger, 2005). When adult supervision is lacking, students are not held accountable for
their behavior. Additionally, if there is no observation of the students, the teachers or supervisors
in the school will likely lack direct data about the occurrence of bullying. Students, therefore,
learn to avoid certain areas of schools in an attempt to avoid victimization (i.e., stairs, parking
lots) (DeVoe & Kaffenberger, 2005). Supervision in schools appears to be critical to preventing
bullying.
Leff, Power, Costigan, and Manz (2003) also explored the circumstances when students
were in the school cafeteria and on the playground and the role that these less structured areas of
the school day may play in bullying. The study found that even though these environments were
less structured than a classroom, there were fewer incidences of bullying on playgrounds and in
cafeterias where children were better supervised, were aware of the rules, where communication
between adults occurred (i.e., cafeteria monitors shared with classroom teachers what happened
in the cafeteria), and where appropriate and varied activity choices were presented (Leff et al ,
2003). Even without the formal structure, as long as the cafeteria and playgrounds still had rules
and an adult presence, students could practice social competency skills in an environment that
supported such practice (Leff et al., 2003). Thus, while certain locations and times in a school
are designed to facilitate monitoring to reduce the incidences of bullying, an effort must be
18
undertaken to ensure that during unstructured times, adults are in fact monitoring in an attempt to
combat bullying.
Teacher reactions. The Bradshaw study (2007) also found that many teachers, while
concerned about the occurrence of bullying in their schools, actually underestimate the issue.
Staffs report that they are less likely to intervene if an incidence is reported to them rather than
when they directly observe the act (Bradshaw et al, 2007). Students who report bullying may
find no assistance.
Another study published in 2008, proposed that teachers' perceptions and views about
victims of bullying impact how they address bullying (Kochenderfer-Ladd & Pelletier, 2008).
For example, if a teacher feels that students that can stand up for themselves will avoid
victimization, then the teacher encourages the students to advocate for themselves and will not
necessarily directly address the bully. How teachers respond to bullying was found in the study
to directly impact how the teachers encourage students to react to the bully (Kochenderfer-Ladd
& Pelletier, 2008). Student perceptions of school climate are also closely related to teacher
perceptions (Brand, Felner, Seitsinger, Burns, & Bolton, 2008). One study found that when a
school is unable to survey the student body, surveying the teachers can serve as a direct indicator
of the students' beliefs, including those relating to the factors of school climate and safety (Brand
et al., 2008).
Conclusion. Middle school students appear to need the closest monitoring as their age
group is most likely to bully (Brown et al., 2005; DeVoe & Kaffenberger, 2005; Nolle et al.,
2007; Seals & Young, 2003). Students who are not monitored are more apt to bully and can use
various methods to bully. Therefore, an awareness of what age groups are likely to bully, the
types of aggressive behavior used by bullies, the reason that the bullying behavior begins, the
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bullies' and others' perceptions about bullying behavior, and the factors that may worsen/lessen
bullying all need to be reviewed as one addresses the role of the bully. Only by understanding
why students become bullies and how they bully, can educators assess how to deter such
behavior.
Strand Two: School Climate
The second strand this paper investigates is school climate. The types of relationships that
exist between teachers, administrators, parents, and students are explored in this section.
In beginning to explore school climate, "social capital" should first be discussed. In The
Great Disruption, Fukuyama (1999) defines social capital "simply as a set of informal values or
norms shared among members of a group that permits cooperation among them" (p. 14). Social
capital does not just exist in schools but must be developed among the administration, teachers,
students, and community. The establishment of trust is critical in the building of social capital
(Putnam, 2001). Schools function in loco parentis, in the role of the parent, for approximately six
hours a day. Therefore, parents must trust that their child will be taken care of by teachers and
administrators in the school. Teachers also need to trust that the administration makes decisions
in the best interest of the school. Finally, administrators need to be confident that teachers are
providing instruction that meets district/state learning benchmarks and is best practice. From the
ability to trust arises a feeling of connectedness (Putnam, 2001). Such connectedness may be a
deterrent of bullying.
Leadership
Cultures. "Toxic cultures" are places where there are negative values and hopelessness
(Peterson & Deal, 1998, p. 29). For example, in the school setting, a toxic culture could be seen
when the overall goal changes from serving children to serving adults, i.e., the adults' needs
20
supersede the children's needs. Conversely, positive schools are "places with a shared sense of
what is important, a shared ethos of caring and concern and a shared commitment to helping
students learn" (Peterson & Deal, 1998, p. 29). A good leader sets the tone for a positive school.
An example is one urban elementary school that was considered low performing from the
opening of its doors in 1998. The appointment of a principal who worked collaboratively and
implemented a best practice approach resulted in a school that was able to meet No Child1* Left
Behind's definition of adequate yearly progress in a shorter period of time than was expected
(Eilers & Comacho, 2007).
In addition, schools that focus only on academics do not foster a positive environment. In
addition to academic education, teachers must also be prepared to provide emotional, ethical, and
social educations to their students (Cohen, 2006). It is not enough to state that a school addresses
these needs through a specific policy or implementation program. The school community's needs
must be assessed and a plan devised to ensure that school specific issues are addressed. The
school administrator must guide his or her staff through this process (Cohen, 2006).
Characteristics of a good leader. A good leader must possess the following three
characteristics: energy, enthusiasm, and hopefulness (Fullan, 2001). These three characteristics
are critical to building a positive school community (Fullan, 2001). A strong leader must also
possess moral purpose, establish a sense of coherence, understand relationship building,
comprehend the concept of change, have a strong knowledge base, and be willing to share ideas
(Fullan, 2001). A good leader must gain the respect of the other members. Respect fosters a
willingness to engage as a team (Fullan, 2001). Furthermore, a leader must look at current
conditions as well as the school's history, communicate core values, pay tribute to those who
serve students and the school, heed how his or her own nonverbal messages, words and actions
21
shape the climate, and acknowledge accomplishments (Peterson & Deal, 1998). A good leader
must also be an organizer and be able to prioritize all of the responsibilities of the position. There
are numerous characteristics that a good leader should possess in order to produce a positive
climate in a school. While not all characteristics are necessary at all times, the various
characteristics will presumably all be required at some point in order to maintain a positive
climate and foster a continuing positive culture.
Additionally, the support of school administration is a critical factor in building a positive
school climate. Leaders have many roles: they bring people together, honor how people feel
towards their work and one another, speak openly about their feelings, and facilitate a working
environment (Donaldson, 2001). It is the role of the principal to build this social capital. School
leaders must strive to bring teachers and students together. The administrator sets the tone for the
building by creating a unified work environment (Donaldson, 2001). The tone allows for
individuals to feel accepted and then prompts teachers to strive toward a common goal.
Principals' ratings of themselves, however, do not always match how they are viewed by
the teachers in their buildings (Kelley, Thornton, & Daugherty, 2005). Teachers report that a lack
of direction in leadership style leads to a lower school climate; that is, when there is no common
agenda set by the principal but rather individual agendas exist throughout the school, then
teachers cannot be unified around a common goal and that leads to a less favorable learning
environment (Kelley et al , 2005). Teachers want an environment where expectations are defined
and are in the best interest of the school.
Conclusion. The role of the principal in producing a positive school climate is important
and the type of leadership qualities possessed by the principal will likely determine how
successfully he or she is able to obtain a positive school climate. However, the principal's
22
interaction with teachers and goal setting will also influence teachers and must be assessed as
school climate is evaluated.
Student-Teacher Interactions
Teacher-student relationships also impact school climate as students spend an average of
180 days a year in the classroom with their teachers. Teachers are "key agents of change" for the
students in their charge as teachers provide a standard of behavior for their students to model
(Kallested & Olweus, 2003, p. 16). The teachers who see themselves as change agents have been
found more likely to work to build relationships with their students (Kallested & Olweus, 2003).
Accordingly, teachers have the ability to make a significant impact in the lives of the children
whom they are asked to teach. These teachers are invested in the results achieved by their
students.
Teacher behavior. Teacher behavior impacts the relationship between student and
educator. In a study of 61 at-risk African American students enrolled in grades three through
five, students, even at this early age, were found to have opinions about their schooling. They
were either satisfied or dissatisfied with their educational program (Baker, 1999). The amount of
encouragement provided to students impacts school climate. The students who were satisfied
with school were found to receive one positive comment for every three negative ones from their
teacher. The dissatisfied students received one positive to every five and one-half negative
comments from their teacher. Twenty percent of the satisfied students felt that their teachers
wanted their classroom to be a welcoming environment whereas only eight percent of
dissatisfied students felt the same way. The study found that teachers were trying to treat
students equitably, including giving additional support to those students who needed more
assistance; however, the students who were dissatisfied with their schooling indicated that they
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thought they needed more support and felt like they were not receiving it from the teachers
(Baker, 1999). The study suggested that student perceptions are not the same as teacher
perceptions and need to be probed in such a manner as to ensure that students' needs are met.
In addition to teacher behavior, teachers' attitudes toward various cultures can also
impact the student-teacher relationship. Teachers need to be sensitive to the individuality of
their students. They must remember to be aware of the cultural differences of their students and
their families (Ladson-Billings, 1996; Love & Kruger, 2005). Many teachers believe that in
treating all students the same they are doing just that (Ladson-Billings, 1996; Love & Kruger,
2005). However, by ignoring cultural differences, one study found that teachers' actions may
actually send the message that they are devaluing minority children's cultures (Love & Kruger,
2005). Teachers need to learn about the cultural backgrounds of their students in order to
understand the potential implication on the students' learning and to foster a positive classroom
environment where differences are nurtured and appreciated (Nieto, 2000). It is not enough to
celebrate the cultures; one must understand the differences and transfer this knowledge to his or
her teaching (Nieto, 2000). Teachers must expose their students to the different cultures (Ladson-
Billings, 1994; Nieto, 2000). Ladson-Billings provided the example- that when teaching "fairy
tales," different versions from different cultures must all be shared.
In another study conducted in Romanian high schools, 109 teachers and 946 high school
students were surveyed to determine the impact of teacher behavior on students (Sava, 2002).
Researchers found that teacher behavior towards students could actually be demotivating (Sava,
2002). A teacher who uses negative reinforcement to gain control of a class interferes with
students' learning (Sava, 2002). Some students may fear punishment and withdraw as a result.
Other students may rebel against harsher treatment. Students who misbehave in such an
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environment have also been found to resort to blaming the teacher for their own behavior (Sava,
2002). The results confirm that teachers' behavior is reflected in their students (Sava, 2002).
Furthermore, students are acutely aware, even at a young age, of relationship dynamics.
One additional study involving third and fourth grade students found that boys are more likely
than girls to engage in conflict with their teachers (Hughes, Cavell, & Wilson, 2001). Boys are
less likely than girls to be "cooperative, responsible, and non-assertive" with their teachers
(Hughes et al., 2001, p. 298). Also, students have a keen awareness of the varying relationships
between their peers and teacher (Hughes et al., 2001). The idea of the "teacher's pet" is
perceived by students and can affect the learning environment. Students also are able to identify
the students who have conflicting relationships with their teachers because such students also
tend to have conflicting relationships with their peers (Hughes et al , 2001). The study suggested
that if interventions focus on improving the teacher-student relationship, improvements in
teacher-student relationships will then transfer to peer relationships, allowing the student to
possibly be seen more positively by other students (Hughes et al., 2001).
Teachers also have the power to help students feel safe in school. Orpinas, Home, and
Staniszewski (2003) found in their study of students in kindergarten through grade five in a
single school, that between grades three and five, 80% of all students reported committing at
least one act of aggression towards a peer in the previous week and 28% of the students admitted
to over ten acts. Due to such a high degree of unacceptable behavior, staff at that school were
motivated to spend professional release time (20 hours) developing an action plan to reduce the
incidences of bullying (Orpinas et al., 2003). With teachers working together, a 23% decrease
was seen in reports of victimization in grades three through five. In the younger grades, there
was a decrease of 19% in the number of students victimized and a 40% decrease in incidences of
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aggression (Orpinas et al, 2003). This study lends itself to the conclusion that without the
teachers' active involvement in combating aggression, students would have continued to
victimize and be victimized.
Conclusion. How teachers treat their students and how students perceive such treatment
can affect the school climate. Thus, an examination of teacher-student relationships must be
evaluated in an assessment of school climate to determine what effects the student-teacher
relationship has on the school and on individual students within the school. The student-teacher
relationship will also help measure the potential relationship between the general school climate
and the incidences of bullying.
Teacher Interactions
Job satisfaction. Teachers' perceptions of their jobs and their attitudes about their jobs
greatly impact the school climate. Teachers, either individually or through peer interaction, can
be positive, negative, or ambivalent about their work. There are several factors that contribute to
"professional satisfaction" in a school (Chissom, Buttery, Chukabarah & Henson, 2001, p.l).
According to (Chissom et. al , 2001, p.l), some of the factors are identified as:
1. faculty cooperation
2. working conditions
3. personal direction
4. community support
5. family support
6. desire to help youths
7. curriculum features
8. student attitude and enthusiasm.
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Likewise there are factors that contribute to "professional dissatisfaction" (Chissom et. al., p.l).
These include:
1. working conditions
2. collective bargaining
3. administration
4. student behavior
5. materials and equipment
6. communication
7. scheduling and curriculum
8. classroom administration
9. job stress
10. new certification
11. professional prestige.
Thus, there are several factors that can influence a teacher's satisfaction with his or her
job. While some of these factors are obvious, there are other factors that can have a negative
impact on a teacher's attitude that are not readily apparent but are just as damaging. Without
teacher job satisfaction, for whatever reason, school climate is likely to be impacted.
Additionally, job dissatisfaction of one or more teachers can influence other teachers' attitudes as
well.
Attitudes. The Wheelan and Kesselring study (2005) evaluated teacher interactions and
the effects of communications by teachers in regard to affecting change within their own schools.
The study found that as the teaching staff became more trusting of one another and willing to
work together as a group that student grades improved (Wheelan & Kesselring, 2005). By giving
teachers a voice in regard to not only what changes are necessary in the school but also in how to
implement such changes, they found that teachers were more committed to the change process
(Wheelan & Kesselring, 2005). Teachers took ownership for their school environment, and thus
presumably created a more positive school climate.
Role of the specialist. The role of the specialists (e.g., school psychologist, behavior
specialist, special education teacher, occupational therapist, guidance counselor) must also be
briefly explored. Teachers and specialists must work together within the school for the benefit of
all students and by doing so can work towards promoting a more positive climate (Lee-Tarver,
2006). Regular education teachers do not always have the same training in regard to the special
education process as the specialist, and therefore may not always recognize the value added by
the specialists. Therefore, it is important to provide trainings to all relevant staff and educate
them about the rules and regulations that the specialists must follow. Lack of understanding can
lead to adverse feelings which, in turn, impact the overall school climate (Lee-Tarver, 2006).
Teachers and specialists need to recognize that their interactions can affect even those students
who are not directly working with the specialist.
Conclusion. How teachers perceive their jobs and interact with each other and others in
the school can affect the school climate. An evaluation of teacher to teacher relationships is
important to undertake in order to assess the school climate and the resulting attitudes that the
teachers convey about their role and others' roles within the school community.
Parent-Teacher Interactions
Parents' opinions of school climate are also important. Some parents decide to home
school in order to be active participants in their children's education (Green & Hoover-Dempsey,
2007). These parents want to have a voice in their child's education and may feel this in the only
way to do this. Other studies have demonstrated other views on parent involvement in their
children's schooling. Wong and Hughes (2006) interviewed 179 teachers and 481 parents of
ethnically diverse backgrounds in order to examine how language and ethnicity impact parent
involvement in schools. Examples of dimensions the study assessed included positive
perceptions about school, parent-teacher shared responsibilities, and teacher-initiation of
involvement (Wong & Hughes, 2006). Among White, Hispanic, and Black families, parent
involvement in the students' lives was a strong predictor of achievement by the students in
school (Wong & Hughes, 2006). Another finding was that Black parents believed that they
communicated with their children's teachers more often than Hispanic parents did; however, the
teachers reported that, as a group, they were not as connected to the Black parents, and cited that
these parents were least involved with their children's education (Wong & Hughes, 2006). Thus,
this study showed that teachers' and families' perceptions about the level of parental
involvement can be different, and that these varying perceptions could also then affect
perceptions of school climate.
Perceptions. Griffith's research (2000) explored students' (grades three through six) and
their parents' perceptions of the elementary school environment. For parents, the survey assessed
such factors as the school environment and the degree to which the school communicated with
parents about their students' academic performance (Griffith, 2000). A critical result reported
from the study was that the parents' overall feeling of satisfaction with a school is related highly
to the ease with which parents are able to communicate with school staff (Griffith, 2000). A
study by Green, Walker, Hoover-Dempsey, and Sandler looked at the variance in parental
involvement both at school and home despite socioeconomic status (2007).Thus, an open line of
communication between parents and teachers appears to lead to a more positive school climate
29
when teachers and parents interact.
Teachers must also be quick not to conclude that when a parent does not come to school
events that they are not actively involved in their child's schooling (McKernan, Atkin, Hawkins,
Brown & Lynn, 2003). Parent involvement is complex. Joyce Epstein (2004) identifies six types
of parent involvement. The types of involvement include:
1. parenting
2. communicating
3. volunteering
4. learning at home
5. decision making
6. collaborating with the community.
Therefore, the level of involvement at the actual school site is not the only way to assess parents'
interest in their children's schooling (Zellman & Waterman, 1998). For example, some parents
are more involved at home, helping with nightly homework and ensuring that their children have
the necessary supplies. The level of involvement on school grounds does not actually correlate
with the level of involvement in regard to homework. In fact, how parents actually parent (i.e.,
positive, authoritarian, indifferent, unclear) is suggested to correlate more closely with how
students perform academically than the actual involvement at school (Zellman & Watertown,
1998). If parents feel welcome in the school environment, even when they are not often present
in that setting, then they tend to view the environment as positive (McKernan et a l , 2003).
Conclusion. How teachers perceive parent involvement, how parents perceive their
interactions with the school, and how welcoming the school environment is for parents all affect
school climate. Varying perceptions mean that teachers and parents need to recognize the vital
30
role of parent-teacher communications. Parents can provide benefits to their students and the
school by being actively involved, either directly or indirectly, in their students' schooling.
Peer Interactions
Student relationships are critical to establishing peer culture and should therefore be
examined as part of the school climate. Just as they do with their teachers, students spend several
hours a day with their peers.
Student behavior. Students' behavior impacts their relationships with others. For
example, in Fox and Bolton's research project (2005), 330 students in Year 5 and Year 6 classes
and 11 teachers from the United Kingdom were surveyed to determine potential student victims.
Students who were identified by their teacher(s) and by more than 33% of their classmates as
having been victimized were considered victims for the purpose of the study (Fox & Bolton,
2005). The teachers and students were then given the profiles of two known victims and asked to
rate those students' social skills using a pre-set criteria (Fox & Bolton, 2005). Peers and teachers
had highly correlated responses when asked to identify the difference between students who
were victims and non-victims (Fox & Bolton, 2005). Teachers in the study rated the victims as
having greater social deficits than non-victims in all but one of the 20 social skills rated; students
were also able to recognize that their peers who were bullied were not as socially capable (Fox &
Bolton, 2005). The results of this research suggested that the acquisition of social skills is
beneficial to students. It allows them to be perceived as more socially adept by their peers and
teachers so that they are then more able to interact positively with their peers and avoid
victimization. Also one might question whether the students were actually trying to live up to the
expectations they believed others had of them.
Role of friendship. In another study, the data supported that students have a great
31
awareness of each other's social deficits. They also recognize gaps in their peers' social skills.
One thousand three hundred sixty-eight sixth grade students from California were surveyed in
order to gain a better understanding of friendship network variables and peer categorization of
bullies, victims, and "aggressive victims" (those students who are both victim and aggressor)
(Mouttapa, Valente, Gallaher, Rohrbach, & Unger, 2004, p. 317). The study found that victims
received fewer friendship nominations (Mouttapa et al, 2004). The study concluded that
bullying prevention efforts focused on the most aggressive students may also positively affect
friends of the bullies (Mouttapa et al., 2004). In addition, the study suggested that certain
educational programs focusing on bullying or assertiveness training may be useful in dealing
with bullying because students are taught more pro-social manners with which to interact with
others (Mouttapa et al., 2004). One might then draw the conclusion that victims are more
susceptible to bullying because they lack a social network that is willing and/or able to stand up
for the victim.
Similarly, a study by Bollmer, Milich, Harris, and Marris (2005) suggested that the
presence of a friend may give students the confidence needed to combat bullying. Students who
reported having a best friend were found less likely to be victimized (Bollmer et al., 2005).
However, the strength of friendship did not diminish victimization effects for those who had
been the target of bullying (Bollmer et al., 2005).
Perceptions. Anderman (2003), in a study on middle school students' sense of school
belonging, examined social perceptions as one predictor of change. One finding was that from
the spring of sixth grade to the spring of seventh grade, students experience a decreased sense of
belonging (Anderman, 2003). In other words, it appeared that as the students spent more time in
the middle school setting that they felt less accepted by and connected to their peers and teachers
32
(Anderman, 2003). Students, who experienced these feelings of disconnectedness, may have
lacked a sense of academic achievement or motivation to learn or did not see the value to
learning (Anderman, 2003). However, the study also found that when academic tasks were made
interesting and students were pushed to do their personal best, they became more invested in
school membership (Anderman, 2003). Students needed to be provided with a purpose for
learning.
Students who are not involved in bullying may have a more positive perception of the
school and classroom climate (Yoneyama & Rigby, 2006), although students who are not bullied
may still perceive a negative school climate. Peer relationships may impact how a student is
viewed at school. Students often need to feel that they belong. Acceptance into one's social
setting helps to foster a more positive school climate (Yoneyama & Rigby, 2006). Additionally,
perceptions of school climate by students was assessed and it was determined that peer groups
and peer interactions can affect these perceptions (Yoneyama & Rigby, 2006). The Brand study
(2003) findings, in regard to middle school students' views on school climate, concluded that
subpopulations within the school had similar perceptions and students who had similar
backgrounds more often viewed the school in the same manner (Brand et al., 2003). Also of note,
higher levels of negative peer interactions were correlated with higher levels of delinquency
(Brand et al, 2003). There were also higher levels of substance abuse in schools in which
students felt there was less student support, less student commitment to achievement, less
instructional innovation, and more school safety problems (Brand et al., 2003). Thus, lack of
perceived peer support and weaker student relationships can lead to a negative school climate
and the potential for more bullying.
Conclusion. Peer relationships impact how a student is viewed at school. Students need to
33
feel that they belong. Acceptance into one's social setting helps to ensure a more positive school
climate.
Discussion
Bullying issues impact a significant number of students. As discussed throughout the
literature review, too many American schoolchildren have been impacted by bullying in some
form.
Impact of School Climate on Victims
Students are the firsthand observers of bullying. Students often have a high level of
information of which adults may not be aware, or to which the adults may not have access,
which can affect their perceptions of school climate. Students observe their peers who are
repeatedly "grabbed/shoved, punched/kicked, cut, hit with a rock/other object, threatened with
physical harm, yelled/cursed at, and or threatened with a knife" (Eslea & Smith, 1998, p. 4).
Students also recognize that a lack of social skills or one's physical appearance can lead to
victimization.
Unfortunately, the victims are usually the students least likely to respond to the bully,
usually enduring the bully's actions. Some victims may believe that they deserve to be the target
of a bully. School then becomes a battleground of sorts for these children, as they are either
unable to defend themselves against the bullies or resign themselves to the victimization. These
students are also the ones who most often lack a strong support system which could assist them
in stopping the bullying. The research discussed above in "Role of friendship," suggests that if
peers stand by each other then a reduction in the number of bullying incidences will most likely
be observed. The inability to stop the bullying may foster the perception in these victimized
students of an overall school climate that is negative.
34
Furthermore, as a result of bullying, as noted above, the victims become less engaged in
learning as their attention is diverted from academics to violence at school (DeVoe &
Kaffenberger, 2005). The students must be on guard; they have to develop their own safety plan
in order to be less vulnerable, which may foster a negative school climate for these students. The
victims want to escape from the abuse and eventually, school may lose its purpose for the
victims.
Impact of Various Relationships on School Climate
The review of the literature suggests that teachers and administration must be invested in
building a supportive environment. Teachers look for direction from the administration and a
known organizational structure. When teachers know what the expectations are for the school,
they are able to work toward common goals and require that their students do the same. As noted
above, teachers report that leadership without a clear message and goal tends to lead to a poorer
school climate (Kelley et. al , 2005). However, if there is unification between the teachers and
leaders, then such unification, especially if the school supports a particular message, may likely
lead to a positive school climate which is perceived not only by the teachers, but by parents and
students.
Teachers also have a significant impact on how students feel about school. Student-
teacher relationships are critical. As noted above, students who are satisfied with school report
that they receive more positive feedback from adults (Baker, 1999). Students with a positive
attitude toward school also feel acknowledged for being contributing members of the school
community. In addition, students are aware if a peer is not "liked" by their teacher. If the adult in
charge does not respect a student, then such actions offer little reason for peers to show respect
as well. Students, like adults, want validation for their work and efforts; they need praise and
35
support. By being accepting of all students, teachers have the opportunity to model desired
behavior, which helps foster a positive school climate.
The students' parents' assessment of school climate is also important. Open lines of
communication between parents and teachers appears to lead to a more positive school climate
(Griffith, 2000). Parents are then more likely to be provided with information about their
children and, in turn, will be proactive in guiding their children's behavior or in responding to
any inappropriate behavior. When parents feel welcome in the school environment, even if they
are not physically present in the building, they tend to view the environment as positive
(McKernan et al , 2003). Parents may form a co-partnership with teachers which can foster a
more cohesive school environment and the perception of a positive school climate by teachers,
students and parents.
Conclusion
All students are entitled to a public education in an educational environment which is free
from harm. (Note: Some parents make the choice to send their child to a private or magnet
school but these populations were not surveyed for the purpose of this study. Surveying these
populations might lead to different results. )The literature in the areas of school climate and
incidences of bullying has not made a direct connection between the two strands when looking at
student, parent, and teacher/specialist perceptions. However, this paper proposes that the two
strands do affect each other. The purpose of the following study, as based on the research
described above, is to attempt to determine if a relationship between perceptions of school
climate to incidences of bullying at the junior high/middle school level exists. The hypothesis is
that in school buildings where the majority of teachers, students, and parents see the school as
having a positive climate, the number of students who report being the victim of bullying is low
36
in comparison to school buildings where the overall school climate is perceived as negative.
Thus, understanding the relationship between and incidences of bullying and perceptions of
school climate by teachers/specialists, students, and parents will have potential implications
depending on what is learned from the data.
One can theorize that positive school climates discourage bullying behavior. If such a
link is established, then it may motivate school communities to work more diligently toward
building a positive environment in which students are safe and free from incidences of bullying.
Teachers and principals who carefully monitor all students are better able to identify students
who may be victimized and to offer assistance to those students before their learning and self-
esteem are permanently impacted. Peers who stand by each other are able to combat bullying
through their friendship. Parents who can openly communicate with school staff may prevent
potential bullying incidences by alerting the educators in a timely manner. When all members of
a school are united, the issue of bullying can be addressed and, if not eliminated, at least reduced.
37
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The purpose of the study is to examine whether a relationship between group perception
of the type of school climate (positive or negative) identified by a school's teachers/specialists,
parents, and students and the perceptions of/level of incidences of bullying (above average,
average, or below average) in a school exists. In order to collect the data, surveys were designed
to ask questions that assessed perceptions of school climate and bullying at the individual school
level. The four surveys were administered to the principal or assistant principal,
teachers/specialists, seventh grade students, and their parents from five junior highs/middle
schools in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Incidence reports from all schools were also
collected in order to further document incidences of bullying in the schools.
Participants
The surveyed population consisted of four groups: seventh grade students, their parents,
school administrators, and junior high/middle school teachers and specialists. All participants
were from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the time the surveys were administered.
Approximately 850 students from five junior highs/middle schools were selected as the
sample population. At the time of the study, they were enrolled as seventh graders. Two factors
that were used in selecting this population were that 1) research showed that bullying behaviors
decrease as students enter the later junior high/middle school years and 2) that the majority of the
students were enrolled in their current school for at least one school year and therefore had more
experience with staff and fellow students (Bradshaw et al. 2007; Seals & Young, 2003). All
surveyed schools housed grades six and seven so unless the students had moved within the
previous calendar year, they had been enrolled in the school for at least one school year at the
time of survey.
The parent population was defined as the mother, father, or legal guardian of each
seventh grade student. No distinction was made among parents whom may have had a child
already attend the school. The teachers and specialists included sixth, seventh, and eighth grade
teachers as well as special subject area teachers and school specialists. Special area teachers
included those who taught art, music, library, computers, physical education, and technology
education. The school specialists' category included: school guidance counselors, school
psychologists, school adjustment counselors, social workers, special education teachers, behavior
specialists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and reading specialists.
Building administrator referred to either principal or assistant principal.
Over 30 principals throughout the Commonwealth were contacted by e-mail, seeking
permission to conduct student, teacher/specialist, and parent surveys in their schools. The only
criteria that needed to be met was that the school house at minimum, grades six and seven as
most students would then have been enrolled in the school for at least one school year prior to
the survey being administered. The schools were randomly chosen from the Massachusetts
Department of Education website. Five schools granted permission to administer surveys to all
groups.
Data Collection
In order to communicate the intent of the survey to the participants, a letter was included
with the parent, teacher/specialist, and administrator surveys. The cover letters are included at
the end of this paper in Appendix A. Included with each survey was an informed consent form
39
that each participant (and parent/legal guardian for students) was required to sign. The consent
forms were approved by the University of Massachusetts Lowell's Internal Review Board.
Instruments
Surveys were developed to examine teachers'/specialists', parents' and students'
perceptions of school climate and incidences of bullying within their school. The questions
relating to school climate were developed as a result of the review of the literature of leading
researchers in the field including Hoy and Miskel (2005), Peterson and Deal (1998), Fullan
(2001), Kelley et al., (2005), Kallested and Olweus (2003), and Orpinas et al. (2003). The
bullying items for the student and teacher/specialist questionnaires were published by Bradshaw
et al. in 2007 as part of her research project discussed in Chapter Two. The parent items were an
adaptation of the teacher/specialist items.
Teacher/Specialist Survey
The questionnaire for the teachers/specialists took approximately 25 minutes to complete.
This survey also included questions on school climate and bullying. The questions were close-
ended. Four questions were used to determine how long teachers and specialists had worked in a
particular school, their position (i.e., classroom teacher, special area teacher, specialist), their
gender, and how many students they currently taught. This information was used to help
determine how familiar the individual was with the school (i.e., was he/she a first year teacher,
had the teacher/specialist spent the majority of his/her teaching career in the building), and how
many students with whom the teacher/specialist had a relationship. Eighteen questions were
related to school climate. The questions were used to collect data concerning the following:
1. How and how often teachers communicated with parents of students in their classes
40
2. How supported the teachers/specialists felt by their colleagues and the building
administration
3. The teachers'/specialists' feelings regarding the climate or tone (e.g., positive,
negative) of the school
4. Assigned duties and responsibilities.
The next 19 questions were directly linked to bullying. The teacher/specialist items were taken
from the teacher questionnaire presented in the Bradshaw study (2007). The questions were used
to collect data on the following:
1. Prevalence of bullying in their school
2. Types of bullying
3. Attitudes towards students who bully
4. How seriously bullying reports were taken by school personnel
5. How safe they felt at their school
6. Their skill in addressing/handling bullying issues.
Pilot. The teacher/specialist survey was piloted in the fall of 2007. The teacher survey
was piloted in an elementary school that housed students from Kindergarten to Grade Five. The
return rate was 52%. All items were included in the reliability analysis. Cronbach's Alpha was
calculated as .827, which was considered acceptable (Lord & Novick, 1968). The finalized
survey is included in Appendix B of this report.
Student Survey
The student survey included both open- and close-ended questions and true/false
statements. The survey took approximately twenty minutes to complete. The first nine
41
questions/statements related to school climate. The questions/statements sought to determine the
following:
1. How connected to the staff the students were
2. How available adults were when students needed to seek assistance
3. How safe the students felt within the school.
The next 14 questions examined issues regarding bullying. The items were taken from the
student questionnaire presented in the Bradshaw study (2007).The questions were used to collect
data about the following:
1. How students were bullied
2. The students' perceptions about bullying
3. Adult responses/reactions to bullying.
Pilot. The student survey was piloted in the fall of 2007. The student survey was
administered to 5th grade students at the same elementary school as where the survey had first
been piloted. The response rate was 24%. Cronbach's Alpha was calculated as .679, which was
within acceptable limits (Lord & Novick, 1968). The finalized survey is included in Appendix C.
Parent Survey
The questions for the parent survey examined both school climate and bullying. The
questions were all close-ended. Eighteen questions were related to school climate. The questions
were used to collect data concerning the following:
1. How welcome parents felt at the school
2. If parents felt their child's teacher was willing to communicate
3. How often parents communicated with the school principal
4. The number of opportunities for parents to become involved in their children's
education (e.g., volunteering, attending school functions, reading the school newsletter,
parent organization, helping with homework).
There were eighteen questions that related to bullying. They were based on the teacher
questionnaire items taken from the Bradshaw study (2007) discussed in Chapter Two. The
questions were used to collect data on the following:
1. Prevalence of bullying in their child's school
2. Types of bullying
3. Attitudes towards students who bully
4. How seriously bullying reports were taken by school personnel
5. How safe their child felt at school.
Five other questions were included in order to gain a better understanding of 1) whether mothers,
fathers, or legal guardians were the more frequent reporters of their child's victimization, 2) the
sex of the parent's child that was victimized, 3) work schedules of individual parents, and 4)
whether the parent was bullied as a child. The survey is included in Appendix C of this report.
Pilot. The parent survey was first piloted in the fall of 2006 as a requirement of a Survey
Design course at University of Massachusetts at Lowell. The data was collected from 37 parents
of fifth grade students at one school. Parents were informed that their child's name would then
be placed in a drawing for a Borders gift certificate if they participated. There was approximately
a 75% participation rate. A Cronbach's alpha of .814 was calculated for the 21-item survey
(including both school climate and bullying items), which was considered acceptable (Lord &
Novick, 1968). Some questions, however, were added, discarded, or rewritten for the final
survey as further described below. The proposed changes, at the time, were as follows:
43
1. The item, "In the last month, how many times have you spoken with your child's
principal?" was removed as all parents may not have opportunities to speak with the
principal.
2. The item, "Which of the following was your most recent contact with the principal
related to?" was removed from the proposed survey. The item was removed because
in junior high/middle schools it is often not the principal who is in contact with the
parents regarding their children's behavior.
3. The question about specific types of parent/teacher communication was removed and a
more general question ("How confident are you that if you contacted your child's teacher
that they would respond to your correspondence during the same week?") was added. The
purpose of this was that if their child was not having an issue in school, they most likely
did not need to have contact with any teachers.
4. Numerous questions (e.g., involvement in parent organizations, school council,
whether they read the school newsletter, level of involvement in school
projects/homework) that inquired about school climate were added after reviewing the
work of Joyce Epstein and parent involvement in school.
5. Bullying survey questions were removed from the first proposed survey and items
taken from the survey designed by Bradshaw, Sawyer, and O'Brennan. (2007) were used
in their place.
The parent survey was re-piloted in November of 2007. The parents of the fifth grade
students at one elementary school were asked to complete the survey. The response rate was
24%. (Note: The response rate was lower during the second pilot as the parents of this specific
fifth grade class were less likely to return items sent home with their students for completions.
44
Teachers reported that for example, permission slip forms were often not returned unless a phone
class was made.) Cronbach's Alpha was calculated as .713, which was considered acceptable
(Lord & Novick, 1968). Based on the pilot results, no items were revised, added, or eliminated.
Administrator's Survey
In addition, a survey was developed for the school administrator (principal or vice
principal) to complete. The survey took approximately twenty minutes to complete. Twenty-one
questions were used to collect information regarding:
1. Exact job title
2. Years in the position
3. Any recent changes in administration
4. If the administration held regular staff meetings
5. If their school held grade level meetings and if so, did they, as administrators, attend
6. If there was a school newsletter
7. If there were all-school meetings
8. If there was an anti-bullying curriculum and if so, which one was currently being
implemented
9. Supervision procedures
10. Whether the school had a safety office and, if so, for how many hours a week,
11. For how long incidences of bullying had been tracked
12. Number of incidences of bullying reported to the administration
The survey is included in Appendix E of this report.
Teacher/Specialist, Student and Parent Surveys
Table 3 is a list of the survey items included in two or more surveys.
Table 3. Items Included in Two or More Surveys
45
Teacher Parent Student
T24. Have you ever seen a student being bullied at this school?
T27.1 feel safe at school. T28.1 feel like I belong at this school. T29.1 think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first. T30. Where have you seen students being bullied within the past month?
T31. In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month?
T32. Much of the bullying at my school is about...
T33. When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? T34. What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying?
T35. Do you think the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying? T36. Have you seen the adults watching bullying and doing nothing? T37. When I tried to intervene in a bullying situation things have gotten worse. T38. If you saw bullying, how likely is it that you would intervene? T39.1 have effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
T40. Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through. T41. Were you ever bullied as a child?
PI8. How welcome do you feel at your child's school? P24. Has your child ever seen a student being bullied at his/her current school? P25. Has your child ever reported being bullied at his/her current school? P28. My child feels safe at school. P29. My child feels like he/she belongs at his/her school. P30.1 think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first. P31. If your child has reported incidents of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? P32. If your child has reported incidents of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? P33.1 believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about...
P34. What did you do if your child reported bullying at school?
P35. Do you think the adults at your child's school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying? P36. Has your child reported seeing the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
P36. Has your child reported seeing the adults watching bullying and doing nothing? P38.1 agree that my child has effective strategies for handling a bullying situation. P39. Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through. P40. Were you ever bullied as a child?
SI. I feel welcome at my school.
S10. Have you seen someone else being bullied during the last month?
S14.1 feel safe at school. S15.1 feel like I belong at this school. SI 6. It is OK to hit someone if they hit me first. SI7. Where have you been bullied during the past month?
S19 Within the past month, have you been bullied about...
SI8. Within the past month, has someone repeatedly tried to hurt you or make you feel bad by...
520. If you have been bullied in the past month at your school, what did you do when you were bullied? 521. Do you think that the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying? 522. Have you seen adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
523. Teachers who try to stop bullying only make things worse.
524. Have you ever reported bullying to an adult at school and he/she did nothing?
46
Potential Threats to the Instruments
Threats to the results of the survey involved error. First, there was the possibility of
sampling error (Dillman, 2006). While all parents of seventh graders in each school had the
opportunity to complete the survey, it was possible that the subset of parents who did not return
the survey were the ones who were disillusioned with the school. These parents may have felt as
though the school was unresponsive to their concerns and believed that responding to the survey
would not result in any meaningful change, and thus did not make the effort to return the survey.
Conversely, the parents who did take the time to complete the survey with their child may have
been the ones that had positive experiences within the school setting and wanted to share and
elaborate on those experiences. Alternatively, parents who had a negative perception of their
student's school's climate may have taken the opportunity to complete the survey as they felt
that the survey was an opportunity to anonymously express their feelings about and displeasure
with the school.
Also, student responses were possibly influenced by their parents' presence and may not
have been accurate accounts of what truly occurred in the student's life or of his or her
thoughts/beliefs. Students and parents were asked to complete the surveys at home as principals
wanted the surveys completed outside of the school and under the supervision of a parent and not
school staff. However, some students may not have felt comfortable admitting to being the
victim of a bully as they did not want to share this information with their parents. For example,
they may have worried that their parents would contact the school, which they felt could be
embarrassing, or their parents may have told them to stop being victimized, which they may have
been unable to change.
47
Another threat was measurement error (Dillman, 2006). It is important for a surveyor to
make sure that all respondents are answering the same questions. As a result of the first piloting
of the parent survey, a concern was that people do not understand what bullying is. In order to
help with this, bullying was defined for the responder. Also, the questions were written multiple
times in order to ensure that all readers would be answering the same question. For example, not
all participants in the piloting of the parent survey understood that bullying was repetitive and
that it occurred when one student evoked his/her power over another. Bullying needed to be
defined for the respondent before items could be asked relating to bullying. If not addressed, then
the surveys may not have been valid.
Also, the sequence of the items in the survey was important and could lead to bias in
answering. For example, when piloting the survey it became apparent that the order of the
following two questions:
10. When do you believe that bullying occurs? Fill in all that apply:
O Any time a student is teased O Any time a student is threatened verbally/physically O Any time a student is assaulted O Any time a student is ignored/excluded ONo
11. Do you believe that in order for a behavior to be considered bullying, it must occur more than once?
OYes ONo
led parents to respond that if they had first marked a response above that indicated any time a
student is (blank) then a behavior did not have to occur more than once to be considered
bullying. Parents were being asked to answer items using the definition that bullying is repetitive
even if they felt that bullying could be a one time event. By studying surveys developed by other
well-known researchers, and by asking for several readers to review the survey developed for the
purpose of this research design, it was anticipated that such precautions would help lessen this
effect.
Incidence Reports
Principals of all schools involved in the study were asked to supply incidence report data.
The incidence report data provided a number of recorded incidences of physical aggression (i.e.,
punching, hitting, kicking, slapping, fighting) and negative verbal interactions between students
based on what they are expected to report to the state department of education each year
(Massachusetts Department of Education, 2009). By having access to this information, it was
possible to see if the data taken from the survey regarding incidences of bullying correlated with
the actual data collected by school staff.
Procedures
Survey Administration
Surveys were distributed to the school principals or the person designated as the contact
in the school. Student and parents surveys were sent home with the students; envelopes were also
provided with the surveys so that students could return both theirs and their parents' surveys to
their homeroom teacher. Teachers'/specialists' surveys were distributed by the principal or
contact and an envelope was placed in the main office into which the completed surveys were
returned, unless other arrangements were made (i.e., being distributed and completed at a staff
meeting). The decision was made to have the surveys returned to the school rather than mailed as
staff could then encourage the participants to return the surveys if they felt a lot were not being
returned where as this information would have been lacking if the surveys were directly mailed.
Also students in the study who returned the survey and consent form were offered an
incentive of being eligible to receive a gift certificate for a local store such as Borders or Target
49
(one student from each participating school received a gift certificate). (Note: One school
principals expressed that she preferred that an incentive not be offered as she wanted the students
to complete the survey in order to assist in providing data and not to receive a tangible.)
Rapport Building
When using human subjects, one must build rapport and trust with the study participants.
The first step in the process was building trust with school principals. In order to build rapport,
school principals were contacted through e-mail. Each correspondence was individual. No group
e-mails were sent, as it seemed impersonal. Meetings to answer questions in regard to the study
were offered and arranged when requested. Four out of five school principals requested such a
meeting. Schools that participated were guaranteed anonymity in the write up of the survey
results. The schools were identified by code and not by name and/or any other identifying
information.
Data Analysis
For the basic purpose of this study, inferential statistics was used. These types of statistics
allow one to make predictions about what would occur (i.e., incidences of bullying) in the larger
population based on the sample data. In this case, assumptions were made about junior
high/middle school students in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Sprinthall, 2000). The
specific plans for analysis of the data are described below.
Reliability
First, a Cronbach's coefficient alpha was calculated for each survey in order to determine
the reliability of the three survey instruments. Variability in the item scores was assessed as to
whether it is due to "error" or "the actual variation across individuals in the phenomenon that the
scale measures," which is the desired outcome (DeVellis, 2003, p. 29).
50
Validity
When considering validity, it was important for the surveys to measure what they were
designed to measure. Therefore, the content, criterion, and construct validity were evaluated
(DeVellis, 2003). Content validity assessed if the test items were measuring the construct they
needed to measure (DeVellis, 2003). In this case, the questions that helped examine true
incidences of bullying and the actual climate of a school were based on a review of the literature
available, which was essentially the experts' findings and opinions. Criterion validity measured
whether the scores could be used to make a prediction; in this situation, that one could predict
that if a school had a positive school climate it would therefore have limited bullying issues. In
examining the criterion validity, the attempt was made to determine not why but if a relationship
existed (DeVellis, 2003). Therefore, evidence of a strong correlation between the school climate
and bullying scales was sought. Construct validity measured the degree to which items that were
supposed to be measuring the same construct were inter-related, or highly correlated, with one
another (DeVellis, 2003). It was the expectation that each item (a question from the survey) act
the way in which it was believed it should have, thereby eliciting similar responses when the
item was compared to other questions in the school climate or bullying constructs. Descriptive
statistics were used to measure the construct validity.
Subjectivity as a Potential Threat to Validity. Subjectivity was defined as "the personal
qualities of an investigator that affect the outcome of scientific or medical research by
unconsciously communicating a bias to the subject of the experiment" (Merriam- Webster's
Medical Dictionary, 2007). When conducting research, it was important to be cautious that
opinions or experiences were not allowed to negatively or positively skew the analysis of the
data. By being upfront about belief systems, it was possible to avoid this phenomenon.
51
School bullying was a topic of interest for many years. As a school psychologist, there
was the opportunity to observe student interactions and to witness the emotional harm that
bullying incidences inflicted on students. As a member of the Northborough School District's
Anti-Bullying Committee and as an attendant at a series of seminars on the topic, the opportunity
was available to further explore the topic. Despite personal feelings, it was important to be aware
that the hypothesis may, in fact, not have been true as there may have been no connection
between school climate and incidences of bullying. Rather, other factors may have contributed to
bullying incidences. Therefore, the importance of maintaining objectivity was recognized.
Analyses
Initially an exploratory factor analysis was done on the survey items to determine if the
items factored into bullying and school climate factors, or into additional, not-yet-determined
factors. Next, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in order to look at the variability
among the responses (DeVellis, 2003).
Next correlations were calculated. Factor scores from each survey type were combined at
the group and school level and then correlated.
Consistency among the parent, teacher/specialist, and student responses for each school
was also analyzed using means. Mean scores were also examined by individual factor at the
group and school levels.
The number of incidences reported by the school was also compared to the survey results.
In calculating whether a school had an above average bullying rate, it was important to determine
if the opinions of parents, teachers/specialists, and students were similar to school-based reports.
52
Ethical Concerns
There were two types of ethical concerns that were considered for this study. They
included: protection of human subjects, and ethics in data collection.
Protection of Human Subjects
Appropriate protocol for human participants was followed. Permission to conduct the
study was given by the University of Massachusetts at Lowell's (UML) Internal Review Board
ORB).
Based on the information collected from the survey, a determination was made as to
whether each individual school had a positive or negative school climate. If publicly shared, this
information could be damaging to the individual school's reputation, as well as the district in
which it was located. Therefore, it was critical for the purpose of this study that all schools were
coded and that the actual identities of the schools were concealed from the public. The
superintendents and principals who agreed to allow their schools to be involved in the study were
assured that the results of the research would be confidential.
Another concern is that the students were asked questions about another's behavior
towards them. This may have caused them to experience feelings of anxiety, anger, and/or
sadness. Parents were asked to be nearby while their children were completing the survey and to
discontinue the survey and talk to their child if at any time he/she appeared upset. The students
may also have formed the opinion that if they were being asked questions about bullying that
their school might have had a bullying issue. It was important that the information provided to
the student clearly stated that no assumption was being made about bullying incidences in their
school and that the school was picked by chance.
53
Also, by exposing adult survey participants to questions about bullying and school
climate, the survey might have caused memories to occur that may be upsetting to one or more of
the individuals. Therefore, it was important that all individuals understand that participation in
the survey was voluntary and that they could stop at any time.
Ethics in Data Collection
The development of each survey followed guidelines provided in the text, Scale
Development: Theory and Applications (DeVellis, 2003). The questions were written based on
information gained from the review of the literature. The surveys underwent review by both the
dissertation chair as well as peer review (i.e., other students in the UML Leadership in Schooling
Program, colleagues). A middle school principal also reviewed and provided feedback about the
survey. She suggested adding a question about the role of the assistant principal, for in her
building, discipline was the assistant principal's primary responsibility.
The surveys were distributed to homeroom teachers to send home and students and
parents were asked to complete the surveys outside of the school setting and return them in a
sealed envelope to the main office. The teachers/specialists were asked to return their surveys in
a sealed envelope as well. All individuals gave written consent and the student participants also
had signed parent approval. Furthermore, the parent and student survey participants were assured
that their identity would be kept private because no survey required any identifying information.
Once a survey was returned by a student, it was detached from the consent form and no method
of identifying the student respondent was maintained. The teacher/specialist surveys contained
identifying information, such as job title, but since the schools were de-identified, the
respondent's position in the school was not linked back to the individual.
54
Limitations of Study
The study had some limitations. The first was that the sample was not truly random. The
schools selected for this study were selected because the principals and superintendents had
agreed to be used as a site. Not all schools were willing to participate or have their students
participate. Some administrators approached for the study declined to participate, expressing
concern that the survey would be given directly to the students. Thus, the study was based only
on responses provided by students and schools that were readily willing to participate in the
survey. The sample, therefore, was most likely not representative of the general population of
seventh grade students in the Massachusetts public school system. For example, there were more
suburban schools than urban or rural schools that agreed to participate. These suburban schools
may have had increased emphasis on social curricula that addressed bullying.
A second limitation was that the students surveyed were all enrolled in the seventh grade.
The surveys were completed during the November to February time frame. It may be that the
results occurred due to an unrecognized variable that existed within this population. It may have
been that if students in the sixth grade or eighth grade were surveyed, the results would have
been different since those students were at a different developmental stage.
A third limitation was using the students as messengers to take home and return the
surveys. Using this delivery method, some parents may not have received the survey. Also,
some surveys may have been completed by the parents but not returned to the classroom teacher
as the students may have forgotten to or decided not to return the parent surveys. One way in
which to compensate for this was by offering a gift card drawing at each school in hopes of
motivating the students to return the surveys.
55
In attempting to select schools for the purpose of the study, there was no certainty
regarding the type of school climate that existed in a particular school. This may have resulted in
skewed samples as well because schools may have decided to participate or declined to
participate based on self-perceptions of school climate. For example, a school administrator who
was willing to participate in the study and have his or her students participate may be one who
worked hard to build a positive school climate and was aware of and proactively addressing any
issues of bullying. Also, schools may have been reluctant to participate in the study because,
despite the promise of anonymity, administrators and teachers/specialists were fearful of being
identified as a school that did not have a positive climate.
Timeline
Following committee and IRB approval, the student, parent, and teacher/specialist
surveys were completed with the teachers/specialists and fifth grade students in a Northborough,
Massachusetts, elementary school in the early fall of 2007. In late November 2007 through early
February 2008, the surveys were delivered to the principal (or designated contact) of each school
to distribute to teachers/specialists, students, and parents. The data was analyzed and the results
and the concluding chapter of the dissertation were written during the summer and fall of 2008.
Conclusion
The purpose of this survey design was to determine if the overall opinion rating of school
climate could be correlated to the perception of/incidences of bullying issues. By establishing the
relationship or lack of relationship between the overall perception of school climate by
teachers/specialists, students, and parents and incidences of bullying, educators may be better
able to understand the circumstances in which bullying occurs and address the issue.
56
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS
The data collected from five middle/junior high schools was analyzed in order to respond
to the primary research question, what, if any, was the relationship between perceptions of the
school climate identified by a school's teachers/specialists, parents, and students and the
perceptions of incidences of bullying in a school. The data also was analyzed in an attempt to
answer the following underlying questions:
1. How were perceptions of school climate similar among groups of teachers/specialists,
parents, and seventh grade students?
2. How did perceptions of school climate differ between groups of teachers/specialists,
parents, and seventh grade students?
3. What data was collected regarding incidences of bullying for each school?
4. Were collected incidence reports and the overall perceptions of bullying incidences in a
school similar (i.e., positive climate/below average levels of bullying, negative
climate/above average levels of bullying)?
5. Is there a relationship between the three groups' collective perception of school climate
and their collective perception of the level of bullying in a school?
School Profiles
School I
School I is located in Worcester County. Six hundred and sixteen students in grades six
through eight were enrolled in this suburban school at the time of the study. The principal is
female. The school has both an anti-bullying curriculum and policy. A school safety officer is
available on an as needed basis.
57
School II
School II is a suburban school located in Worcester County. Five hundred and fourteen
students in grades six through eight attended the school at the time of the study. The principal is
female. There is a curriculum that was designed and is implemented by the school staff to
address issues of bullying. There is also a policy against bullying. There is no school safety
officer.
School III
School III is located in Middlesex County. Grades six and seven are housed in this
suburban school with an enrollment of 413 students at the time of the study. The principal is
female. The school has an anti-bullying policy and an anti-bullying curriculum. The school has a
safety officer; however, this person is rarely on site.
School IV
School IV is located in Suffolk County. The school is considered an urban school.
Enrollment at the time of the study consisted of 429 students in grades six through eight. The
principal is a female. While the school has an anti-bullying policy, there is not a curriculum in
place to address issues of bullying. A school safety officer is available on an as needed basis.
School V
School V is a suburban school located in Essex County. Three hundred and ninety-three
students in grades six through eight attended the school at the time of the study. The principal is
a male. While there is an anti-bullying policy in place, there is not a curriculum program in place
that addresses issues of bullying. The school does not have a school safety officer.
58
Race/Ethnicity by School
Table 4 breaks down the race/ethnicity for each school for the 2007-2008 school year.
The data includes all students enrolled in the school at the time, not only the seventh graders that
participated in the survey. Tables are from the Massachusetts Department of Education Website
(2008). Data regarding the languages spoken by each group were not available.
Table 4. Race/Ethnicity by Percent
School I School II School III School IV School V
African American
Asian
Hispanic
Native American
White
Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander
1.5 5.8
1.4
0.0
90.9
0.8 8.0
1.8
0.3 88.0
1.9 2.2
4.4
0.0
91.0
3.5 2.3
32.2
0.0
59.4
2.0 12.7
3.1
0.0
80.7
0.0 0.6 0.2 0.7 0.0
Multi-Race, Non-Hispanic 0.4 0.5 0.2 1.9 1.5
Respondent Demographics
Demographics were collected from the teacher and parent surveys. No survey items were
specific enough to collect such information from the student surveys. On the teacher survey,
data was collected in regard to years taught, gender, and job category (i.e., classroom teacher,
special area teacher, specialist). Tables 5, 6 and 7 present a breakdown of the demographics at
the school level. The information in Tables 8 and 9 were taken from the parent survey; they
provide demographic information on the type of parent and gender of his/her child.
Table 5. Percent of Years Worked by Staff
0-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 10+ years
School I 16.7 33.3 27.8 22.2
School II 22.6 19.4 48.4
9.7
School III 52.6 21.1 21.1
5.3
School IV 57.1 9.5
19.0 9.5
School V 23.1 23.1 53.8
-
59
Table 6. Percent of Classroom Teachers, Special Area Teachers, and Specialists.
School I School II Classroom Teacher 77.8 54.8 Special Area Teacher 5.6 19.4 Specialist 16.7 22.6
School III 57.9 5.3
31.6
School IV 76.2
9.5 9.5
School V 84.6 15.4
Table 7. Percent of Males and Females
School I School II Male 16.7 19.4 Female 83.3 77.4
School III 15.8 84.2
School IV 42.9 57.1
School V 30.8 69.2
Table 8. Percent of Mothers, Fathers, and Guardians.
School I School II Mother 93.6 92.0 Father 6.4 8.0 Guardian
School III 82.4 17.6
School IV 82.9 14.6 2.4
School V 92.3 7.7
Table 9. Percent of Student's Gender.
School I School II Son 55.3 48.0 Daughter 44.7 52.0 Son/Daughter
School III 50.0 50.0
School IV 61.0 36.6 2.4
School V 33.3 66.7
Surveys
Reliability
Cronbach's alpha was calculated as a measure of reliability using the SPSS program.
Alpha determines the degree to which the survey items measure a single, one dimensional latent
construct. Cronbach's alpha was calculated as .850 for the teacher survey, .834 for the student
survey, and .915 for the parent survey. All calculated numbers fell within acceptable limits (Lord
& Novick, 1968). The items that were used to factor Cronbach's alpha for each survey are
included in Appendix G.
Survey Distribution
Enrollment data was gathered from the Massachusetts Department of Education website.
Teacher surveys were distributed by the principals; parent and student surveys were distributed
by homeroom teachers. Follow-up letters were sent to teachers directly; parent letters were sent
home with students to remind parents to return the surveys and to thank each participant for
his/her help. (Note: All surveys and letters are included in Appendixes A-D.) Return rates are
documented in Table 10.
Table 10. Survey Return Rate
School I School II School III School IV School V Teacher 31(59.6%) 18(45.0%) 19(54.3%) 21(56.8%) 13(38.2%) Student 47(23.7%) 25(13.7%) 35(17.1%) 39(29.3%) 40(28.4%) Parent 47(23.7%) 25(13.7%) 34(16.9%) 41(30.8%) 39(27.7%)
Data Analysis
Exploratory Factor Analyses
For each data set (parent, teacher, and student) an exploratory factor analysis using a
principle components extraction was conducted to search for components among the items.
Using SPSS, the matrix was rotated using the Varimax method (Kline, 2005). A Scree plot was
used to determine the "elbow", or the most solid components with Eigenvalues greater than one.
The findings from each analysis will be discussed individually below.
Teacher/Specialist items. When the data was rotated, the Scree plot for the 47
teacher/specialist survey items showed 13 factors with Eigenvalues over 1.0. As presented in
Table 11, however, the elbow in the Scree plot indicates that the first four components account
for most of the variance in the data. When looking at the components, it becomes clear that only
those four components consist of two or more unique items.
i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i 1 2 3 1 5 6 7 8 9 1011 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8 1 9 2 0 21 2223 2425262728 29 30 31 3233
Component Number
64
The components, which are listed in Table 14 with the factor loadings, were identified as 1)
direct experience with bullying, 2) observed bullying, 3) school climate, and 4) adult reactions to
bullying. In the analysis, all survey items with the exception of the item related to the social
appropriateness of hitting were included in one or more of the components.
Two components were similar to the ones identified from the teacher/specialist data. The items
that examined direct experiences with bullying (i.e., reasons for bullying, types of bullying,
bullying, own response to bullying and locations that bullying occurred) group together on both
surveys. The items that measured both a sense of safety and a sense of belonging were factored
into the school climate on both surveys. However, six additional items (e.g., feel welcome) from
the student survey, not included on the teacher survey, are included in the area of school climate.
Although the factors consisted of different items on the two surveys, both included a factor that
looked at adult responses to bullying. For example, did students report that teachers/specialists
ignored bullying when it occurred, or did the adult report going to the administration when
bullying was reported to him/her?
Parent items. When the data was rotated, the Scree plot for the 34 parent survey items
resulted in nine components. However, as presented in Table 15, the elbow in the Scree plot
indicates that four of the first five components accounted for most of the variance in the data.
When looking at the components, those components consist of two or more unique items.
The components, which are listed in Table 16 with the factor loadings, were identified as
1) bullying, 2) school climate, 3) adult response to bullying, and 4) parent contact with the
r i i (' i i ' ' I •••!"• j - -t • l - 1 — r — , - , (' 3" | r ' T " i ' - - ( r i i ' I f - j - f - i : ' 1 2 3 4 5 8 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15-16 17 13 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 2S 27 28 29 30
Component Number
Parent items. The confirmatory analysis resulted in six factors over 1.0. However, as
presented in Table 21, the elbow in the Scree plot indicates that only the first four of those
components account for most of the variance in the data. When looking at the components in
Table 22, it became clear that only those ones consist of two or more unique items. When
examining how the items clustered together, school bullying, school climate, parent contact, and
reasons for bullying seemed most appropriate for the four factor titles. The school climate factor
corresponds most closely to the school climate factors from the teacher and student data. The
bullying factor corresponds most closely to the direct experience with student bullying factor
from the teacher data and the direct bullying factor from the student data.
71
Table 20. Factor Loading from the Confirmatory Factor Analysis for Student Survey
Feel welcome
Like going
Adults help when asked
Caring teacher
Adults help handle peer conflict
Dislike of school
Witness to bullying
Response to another/Joined in
Response to another/Ignored it
Response to another/Told an adult
Response to another/Other
Response to another/I tried to stop it
Sense of safety
Sense of belonging
Location of incidences/Classroom
Location of incidences/Hallway
Location of incidences/Cafeteria
Location of incidences/ Other
Reason/Student's race or skin color
Reason/ Student's gender
Reason/ Looks
Reason/ Other
Own response/Bullied that person back
Own response/Did nothing
Own response/Told an Adult
Own response/Other
Proactive approach to bullying
Adults ignoring bullying
Bullying worsened with adult intervention
No response to request for help
Direct bullying
.91
.89
.91
.92
.91
.93
.91
.92
.92
.92
.89
.88
Observed bullying
.94
.93
.85
.91
.89
.87
School climate
.69
.73
.49
.66
.55
-.78
.73
.82
Adult response
-.43
-.45
-.49
-.56
.69
.59
.61
Correlations
In order to help establish if perceptions between teachers, parents, and/or students were
similar among the groups of surveyed participants the totals for the bullying and school climate
factors, established during the factor analysis, were calculated for each participant.
The data does not support the earlier hypothesis that schools which are perceived to have more
positive school climates are also perceived to have less bullying incidences.
Correlations at the individual factor level. First the data was analyzed for correlations
between groups at the individual factor level. As presented in Tables 23 and 24, when the data
was correlated by group only one correlation existed. Parent and student perceptions of bullying
were significantly correlated at the p < .01 level.
Correlations between the school climate and bullying factors by school. The next part of
the data analysis sought to establish any correlations between perceptions of bullying and school
climate at the individual school level. A correlation between perceptions of school climate and
bullying existed at both the student (p < .01) and teacher (p < .05) levels for School 5 only. As
presented in Table 25, No other significant correlations existed among the groups.
73
Table 22. Loadings from Confirmatory Factor Analysis Parent Survey
Bullying Reasons for
bullying School climate
Parent contact
Involved with PTO
School Council membership
Contact with administration
Child reported seeing bullying
Child self reported bullying
Sense of safety
Sense of belonging
Location of incidences/Classroom
Location of incidences/Hallway
Location of incidences/Cafeteria
Location of incidences/Other
Type of bullying/Name calling
Type of bullying/Pushing
Type of bullying/ Verbal Threats
Type of bullying/Other
Reason/Student's race or skin color
Reason/ Student's gender
Reason/ Physical differences
Reason/ Other
Response/ Talked to administrator
Response/Talked to bully's parents
Response/ Talked to guidance
Response/ Talked to my child's teacher
Response/ Talked to my child
Response/ Other
.69
.54
.90
.89
.89
.89
.83
.83
.86
.87
.47
.52
.52
.46
.60
.55
.89
.88
.89
.86
.75
.45
.80
.85
.90
Table 23. Correlations (Pearson) for Bullying Factor by Group
Student Parent Teacher Student Parent Teacher
1.00 .62* .16
.62 1.00 .12
.16
.12 1.00
*p < 0.01 level (2-tailed).
74
Table 24. Correlations (Pearson) for School Climate Factor by Group
Student Student 1.00 Parent .04 Teacher -.11
Parent .04
1.00 -.09
Teacher -.11 -.09 1.00
Table 25. Correlations (Pearson) between School Climate and Bullying Factor by School
School I School II School III Teacher -.30 -.08 -.13 Student -.35 -.30 -.26 Parent -.00 -.20 -.23
School IV .06
-.00 -.08
School V Overall .03 -.08
-.56" , -.27** -.51* -.25*
*p < .05, **p < .01 level (2-tailed)
A correlation between parents' perceptions of school climate and bullying was identified only for
School V. This correlation is significant at the .05 level.
Correlations between the school climate and bullying factors by group. When the
bullying and school climate factors were correlated by group, only two statistically significant
correlations were found. As presented in Table 25, there was a correlation between the bullying
and school climate factors for students (p < .01) and parents (p < .05).
Conclusion. Perceptions about school climate and incidences of bullying are not similar
when teacher, student, and parent responses are correlated. Only isolated correlations existed.
The data does not support the earlier hypothesis that schools which are perceived to have more
positive school climates are also perceived to have less bullying incidences.
Means
Mean scores by group. As presented in Tables 26, 27, and 28, teacher/specialist, student,
and parent perceptions of school climate and bullying differ across groups and schools. Overall,
when the mean scores for each group were examined, teachers identified the climate as more
positive than the other groups and had higher scores in bullying than did students and parents.
However, in each school, the groups had differing views of the levels of bullying and school
75
climate when their responses were compared to the others schools. Therefore, it is important for
administrators to be cognizant of the fact that how staff views the school climate and level of
bullying is not necessarily the same as how students and parents perceive them. Attempting to
change either would require input from all three groups.
Table 26. Means (and Standard Error of Mean) for each Factor by School for Teacher Survey
School I School II School III School IV School V Total School Mean 5.61C16) 5.23(.29) 5.26(.37) 5.24(.21) 5.17(.49) 5.30 (.14) Climate Bullying Mean 20.73(2.29) 22.65(1.36) 20.85(2.62) 25.47(1.47) 23.36(2.43) 22.70(.86) Note. There were a possible 6 points for the School Climate Factor and possible 35 points for the Bullying Factor.
Table 27. Means (and Standard Error of Mean) for each Factor by School for Student Survey
School I School II School IE School IV School V Total
School Climate Mean 15.98(.38) 16.84(53) 16.82(.62) 15.79(.53) 17.64(.41) 16.58(.22) Bullying Mean 3.17(1.09) 3.227(1.5) 3.56(1.2) 3.63(1.10) 3.83(1.22) 3.50Q53) Note. There were a possible 24 points for the School Climate Factor and possible 24 points for the Bullying Factor.
Table 28. Means (and Standard Error of Mean) for each Factor by School for Parent Survey
School I School II School in School IV School V Total School Mean 6.43(.18) 6.60(36) 6.12(.37) 5.85(.24) 6.33(40) 6.25(.14) Climate Bullying Mean 22.4(2.25) 10.27(3.48) 9.61(2.94) 23.60(2.61) 12.61(2.95) 16.52(1.37) Note. There were a possible 8 points for the School Climate Factor and possible 40 points for the Bullying Factor.
Mean scores by individual items. When means were collapsed by group (i.e.,
teachers/specialists, students, and parents), information was learned that could help
administrators address school climate and bullying issues. The data is presented by participant
group in Tables 29, 30, and 31. When analyzed, individual group perceptions of each may
impact how bullying and school climate issues are addressed. Only survey items that were
present in one or more of the factors during the confirmatory analysis were used for this as well
as the student and parent analyses.
76
The teachers/specialist data revealed that the majority of the surveyed educators have
witnessed bullying. Bullying was more likely observed in the hallways than in other school
Table 29. Means and Standard Error of Mean for each Factor Item for Teacher/Specialist Survey
Reasons for contacting parents/ Social
Reasons for parents contacting teachers/Behavior
Reasons for parents contacting teachers/Social
Witnessed bullying
Sense of safety
Sense of belonging
Location of incidences/ Classroom
Location of incidences/ Hallway
Location of incidences/ Cafeteria
Location of incidences/ Other
Type of bullying/Name calling
Type of bullying/ Pushing
Type of bullying/Other
Type of bullying/ Verbal Threats
Type of bullying/ Exclusion
Reason/Students' race or skin color
Reason/ Individual differences
Reason/ Other
Response to observed incidence/Intervened with bully
Response to observed incidence/ Ignored it
Response to observed incidence/Other
Response to observed incidence/ Referred to school psychologist/guidance
Response to observed incidence/Referred to an administrator
Response to report/Talked to administrator
Response to report/Talked to bully's parents
Response to report/ Intervened with victim
Response to report/ Other
Possible Value
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
3.0
3.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
M
.40
.41
.44
.81
2.68
2.61
1.25
1.68
1.31
1.00
1.67
1.32
1.01
1.15
1.52
.98
1.68
1.01
1.66
.89
.89
1.19
1.16
1.23
.85
1.32
.91
SE
.05
.05
.05
.04
.07
.07
.07
.07
.07
.05
.07
.07
.06
.06
.08
.04
.06
.04
.08
.04
.04
.07
.07
.08
.06
.09
.06
77
locations. Also the most frequent types of bullying were name calling and exclusion. Teachers
were likely to intervene during an observable bullying situation as well as provide assistance to
the victim when a situation was reported.
The student data revealed that most students feel welcome at their respective schools
however that did not correspond with whether they like going to school. Most students felt that
adults are supportive and help when asked. Most students either tried to stop bullying when they
witnessed it or did not get involved in the situation.
Table 30. Means and Standard Error of Mean for each Factor Item for Student Survey
Feel welcome
Like going
Adults help when asked
Caring teacher
Adults help handle peer conflict
Dislike of school
Witness to bullying
Response to another/Joined in
Response to another/Ignored it
Response to another/Told an adult
Response to another/Other
Response to another/I tried to stop it
Sense of safety
Sense of belonging
Possible Value
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
1.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
3.0
3.0
M
2.42
1.85
2.33
2.28
2.33
.68
.51
.549
.79
.59
.57
.73
2.34
2.30
SE
.05
.06
.05
.05
.05
.06
.04
.04
.07
.05
.05
.06
.05
.05
More parents reported that their child had witnessed bullying than was involved in a
bullying incidence. Parents felt that their children felt safe and welcome at school. They reported
the cafeteria as being the location of most incidences of bullying. Name calling was the most
frequent form of bullying. More parents responded to bullying by talking to their child rather
than contacting the school. Lastly, means and standard error of means were calculated for each
factor. The total mean score was calculated for both the "school climate" and "bullying" factors.
The groups that fall more than one standard error above (bolded) or below (bolded and italicized)
78
the mean are highlighted in the table above. However there is no observable or consistent pattern
regarding which schools or survey respondents (i.e., teachers/specialists, students, and parents)
have means at least one standard error above or one standard error below the mean.
Table 31. Means and Standard Error of Mean for each Factor Item for Parent Survey
Involved with PTO
School Council membership
Contact with administration
Child reported seeing bullying
Child self reported bullying
Sense of safety
Sense of belonging
Location of incidences/Classroom
Location of incidences/Hallway
Location of incidences/Cafeteria
Location of incidences/Other
Type of bullying/Name calling
Type of bullying/Pushing
Type of bullying/ Verbal Threats
Type of bullying/Other
Reason/Student's race or skin color
Reason/ Student's gender
Reason/ Physical differences
Reason/ Other
Response/ Talked to administrator
Response/ Talked to bully's parents
Response/ Talked to school psychologist, behavior specialist or guidance counselor
Response/ Talked to my child's teacher
Response/ Talked to my child
Response/ Other
Possible Value
2.0
1.0
3.0
2.0
2.0
4.0
4.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
M
1.13
.08
.67
1.27
.60
3.10
3.15
1.13
1.14
1.17
1.08
1.18
1.05
1.04
1.02
1.47
1.62
1.44
1.66
.58
.46
.53
.57
.74
.47
SE
.03
.02
.06
.06
.07
.08
.07
.10
.10
.10
.09
.10
.09
.09
.09
.06
.07
.06
.07
.06
.05
.05
.06
.07
.05
Potential Issues with Data Analysis
Before discussing further analyses, it is important to discuss the survey results in terms of
the respondents and unanswered survey items, which resulted in some participants being
excluded from specific factors. The number of items per factor and total of possible points
79
earned also impact the analyses. Table 32 is a summary of the number of respondents, by group
and school, whose responses were used when developing the various factors.
Table 32. Number of Respondents per Factor
Survey type
Parent
Student
Teacher
School Bullying !
I
II
III
IV
V
Total
I
II
III
IV
V
Total
I
II
III
IV
V
Total
25
15
18
20
18
96
35
22
32
35
35
159
15
26
13
17
11
82
School climate
47
25
34
40
39
185
42
25
34
38
39
178
18
31
19
21
12
101
Reasons for bullying
46
25
34
40
39
184
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Observed bullying
-
-
-
-
-
-
43
18
33
35
33
162
-
-
-
-
-
-
Parent contact
45
25
33
40
39
182
-
-
-
-
-
-
18
31
19
21
13
102
Adult response
-
-
-
-
-
-
45
25
32
39
36
177
18
31
17
20
13
99
The number of respondents per school is not equal across the factors. For example, while
47 parents from School Fs responses were considered during the analysis for the "school
climate" factor only 25 parents' responses could be analyzed for the "bullying" factor. In many
cases, this is because the respondents did not answer all items and thus, their data was omitted
during the factor analyses because it contained missing values.
Bullying Incidences
Each year, schools across the Commonwealth report to the Massachusetts Department of
Education a count on the number of incidences involving violence reported to the principal
during the current school year (Massachusetts Department of Education, 2008). As presented in
80
Table 33, School IV reported the highest incidences in the 2006-2007 school calendar year, with
over 40 incidences recorded. Schools I, II, and V all reported between 10 and 15 incidences.
Despite multiple requests for this information, the principal at School III was unwilling to release
the data. The principal would not share her reasons for not releasing the requested information.
But the decision was made to continue to include the results in the overall analysis because the
responses of teachers/specialists, students, and parents could still offer valuable information
regarding perceptions of school climate and bullying in a school.
As presented in Table 33, principals also reported the frequency with which bullying is
reported. The principals of Schools IV and V dealt with what they considered incidences of
bullying on a weekly basis. The principals of Schools I and II reported bullying incidences as
having occurred monthly. Again, the principal of School III was unwilling to provide this
information.
Table 33. Monthly Reports for 2006-2007
School I School II School in School IV School V Number of 12 15 Not Available 44 10 Incidences of Bullying Reported
Frequency in 1 1 Not Available 4 4 which the Principal Deals with Incidences
Conclusion
The data does not support the initial hypothesis that a relationship between group
perception of the type of school climate identified by a school's teachers/specialists, parents, and
students and the perceptions of/level of incidences of bullying could be made. There are no clear
similarities or difference in perceptions among groups of teachers/specialists, parents, and
81
seventh grade students. School IV reported the most incidences of bullying for the 2006-2007
school year, however all three groups of participants at that school did not have mean scores that
that supported any severity of bullying. Therefore, it appears that no conclusions about the
relationship between the three groups' collective perception of school climate and their collective
perception of the level of bullying in a school can be drawn. Bullying appears to be an issue that
is separate from perceived school climate.
82
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSIONS
The purpose of this research was to establish whether a relationship exists between
various groups' perceptions of school climate and perceptions of the prevalence of incidences of
bullying in schools. Underlying questions from the study examined how perceptions of school
climate and bullying were both similar and different among groups of teachers/specialists,
parents, and seventh grade students. The initial hypothesis was that schools with more positive
school climates also had lower rates, both perceived and actual, of bullying incidences. The
value of determining if such a link could be established was that then school staff would be able
to address bullying issues by improving school climate.
No identifiable link was established between perceptions of school climate and
perceptions of incidences of bullying when the research was analyzed. Therefore, the assumption
cannot be made that a school that is viewed by teachers/specialists, students, and parents as
having a positive school climate is also perceived to have fewer issues with bullying as
compared to a school with a more negative climate; furthermore, schools with fewer issues of
bullying cannot be perceived to have more positive school climates. However, the data from this
study provide insight into group perceptions of school climate and bullying and information
related specifically to bullying incidences (e.g., where bullying occurs, adult responses to
bullying) which can be used to further assess the impact of school climate and bullying.
Implications for Current Research
When the data collected in regard to perceptions of school climate and bullying is
correlated by group, correlations exist at the p < .01 level for students and at the p < .05 level for
parents. There is no correlation between perceptions of school climate and bullying for the
83
teacher/specialist group. When the data is correlated at the school level, for the
teachers/specialists, there are no correlations between the two factors. For the student and parent
data, a correlation between the two factors exists only for School V. No correlations exist
between the two factors at any other schools. Despite the lack of correlations, recognizing
differences in views is important because it means that school administrators cannot rely on one
group's input to be a representation of the entire school's views/feelings.
Therefore, the most important theme taken from the data is that perceptions of school
climate and incidences of bullying were not consistent between groups. The Brand study (2008)
found that student perceptions of school climate were closely related to teacher perceptions. The
research conducted for this study appears to contradict, or at least challenge, this finding. As a
result, it appears that each group must be separately interviewed in order to determine what the
school climate is because in this study different groups within the school population viewed
school climate differently. Specifically, unlike the Brand study, this research shows that teachers
and students differed on their perceptions of school climate. Administrators cannot rely on the
reporting of one group to assess school climate; teachers alone cannot be used as the baseline for
assessing a school's climate. If administrators rely on only teachers' perceptions, they would
potentially have a skewed view of the overall population's beliefs.
Previous research has suggested that bullying can be witnessed in multiple settings
(DeVoe & Kaffenberger, 2005; Bradshaw et al, 2007). However, this study reveals that all three
groups do not see bullying occurring at the same rates in the same settings. For example, students
reported that the most bullying occurred in the hallway, followed by the classroom, and then the
cafeteria. Teachers also reported the most bullying incidents occurring in the hallway. Teachers,
however, reported the next most typical place for bullying to occur was in the cafeteria followed
84
by the classroom. Parents reported the most bullying incidents as occurring in the cafeteria
followed by the hallway and then classrooms. Thus, this research indicates that while bullying
occurs in different locations, adults may not be aware of, or actively looking for bullying in
classrooms when students report that it actually occurs there on a frequent basis. If not aware,
adults may not notice when students are being subjected to such incidences.
Views regarding teacher awareness of bullying also varied in the surveyed schools.
However, as compared to parents and students, teachers were more likely than students to report
observing bullying. Teachers may be more vigilant about this issue than previously thought.
These findings contradict the Bradshaw study (2007) which found that many teachers, while
concerned about the occurrence of bullying in their schools, actually underestimate the issue.
Other studies examined the students' feelings about safety in school (Orpinas et al., 2003;
Sava, 2002). The present study looked at how safe teachers/specialists and students felt in
school, as well as how safe parents felt their children were in school. The results demonstrated
that teachers/specialists responded in the positive more often than students to the statement "I
feel safe at school," therefore leading to the conclusion that teachers/specialists had a higher
feeling of being safe at school than did the students. There are various reasons to explain why
teachers may feel more safe at school than students do: teachers may be the group with the most
input regarding protocols that promote safety in a school; they may be more likely to belong to a
school crisis team; they may have a choice in the curriculum used to promote safety in the
school; and .they provide structure and guidance to their students thereby controlling, to some
degree, the level of safety within their own classroom. Also adults in general may feel safer
overall than do children. Parents, like their children, rated school safety as lower than teachers.
However, this lack of feeling that their children are safe could be expected from parents as they
85
are not first hand observers of everything that occurs within the school, and must trust in others
to keep their children safe. The inability to see daily what occurs may lead to increased
apprehension by parents about the safety within a school whether such apprehension is warranted
or not.
Feeling connected to the school is an important factor related to school climate. Past
findings indicate that when teachers know what the expectations are for the school, they are able
to work toward common goals and require that their students do the same (Kelley et. al., 2005).
Students who are satisfied with school report that they receive more positive feedback from
adults (Baker, 1999). Open lines of communication between parents and teachers appear to lead
to a more positive school climate (Griffith, 2000). When parents feel welcome in the school
environment, even if they are not physically present in the building, they tend to view the
environment as positive (McKernan et al , 2003). In this study, teachers reported feeling the
strongest sense of belonging within the school system, followed by the parents and then the
students. These results could be due to the fact that teachers are the ones who assist the
administration with the daily running/working of the school. They often are friendly with, and
interact extensively with, coworkers at various times throughout the day; they may eat lunch
together or spend time collaborating in the classroom or in team meetings. Understanding why
parents feel the next strongest level of belonging in the school is likely attributable to the level of
involvement that parents are given within the school. They can volunteer to go on field trips.
They are kept informed by reading the school newsletter. Parents can attend sporting events and
performances (e.g., chorus, band, drama). They can belong to the school council or parent
teacher organization. The research for this study revealed that students feel least likely to belong.
Students are required by law to go to school whereas teachers and parents go voluntarily. As a
86
result it may be more difficult for students to feel as if they belong. This research supports prior
research that the connection one feels to the school will influence one's perceptions of school
climate. While this research did not show that all groups interviewed had the same perception of
school climate, it did show that a higher sense of belonging, which is easily identifiable based on
the opportunities for voluntary involvement in the school, leads to a higher perception of a
positive school climate.
Implications for Practice
Information was learned from this study that could potentially impact practices in
schools. The following section will discuss the importance of sharing the data with the individual
schools, and the use of the surveys as instruments for schools to assess perceptions of school
climate and bullying.
Importance of sharing data from individual schools
All school administrators will have access to the information garnered from the surveys
administered in their schools. The data will be shared by the end of the current school year. This
information could be valuable to building administrators. For example, in School I, 55.3 percent
of the students reported seeing someone bullied in the previous month. Approximately 19
percent of the same students agreed with the statement that "it is okay to hit someone if they hit
me first." Additionally, when asked if the students had seen adults observe bullying without
intervening, 38.3 percent answered "yes." Over ten percent of the same students polled shared
that they had reported bullying to an adult and received no assistance. The survey results from
School I also reveal that more students reported being bullied while in a classroom than in the
cafeteria and hallway. While School Fs climate was reported as somewhat negative by the
student respondents, it is interesting to note the seemingly high incidences of bullying that the
87
students were experiencing or at least perceiving. In School III, 19.1 percent of the parents
surveyed would not report an incident to school staff if he or she heard about his or her child
being bullied. When asked if their child had reported adults watching and not responding to a
bullying incident, 12.8% responded "yes." When asked about bullying incidences, 59.6% of the
School III parents responded that their children had seen another student being bullied and
30.4% responded that their children had been bullied. While these same parents reported positive
school climate at School III, the fact that parents were aware of bullying occurring at their
children's school and yet would not report bullying to school staff is, while not statistically
correlated, still another interesting observed response on why and how bullying occurs.
Additionally, it is important that school administrators have an understanding of how school
climate is perceived by parents and students along with how the issue of the bullying is perceived
within the community. Ultimately, the frequency of responses will be shared with the individual
school principals that participated in the surveys used for this research. The expectation is that by
knowing how teachers/specialists, students, and parents responded to the survey items, then
principals can further investigate practices in their school buildings that might lead to change
regarding the prevalence of bullying.
Instruments for schools to assess perceptions of school climate and bullying
The three surveys used for this research could be administered in any middle/junior
school in order to assess perceptions of school climate and bullying. As a school psychologist it
is important to develop an understanding of how members view their school. For example, if a
high percentage of students and their parents feel that staff do not readily respond to bullying
incidences, then how can that be addressed? If students do not feel welcome at school, what
practices may be implemented in order that the students develop a sense of belonging? By
88
further developing an understanding of perceptions of school climate and bullying, then
incidences of bullying may be able to be lessened.
Limitations
In reviewing the survey development, process for school selection, participants, survey
administration, and item responses, certain limitations were identified. Identifying these
limitations prior to discussing the implications of the knowledge learned from the survey is
important because different conclusions may be drawn from future studies when these research
limitations are addressed.
School selection
The first issue that may have affected the research results was school selection. The
schools chosen to participate in the survey were not randomly selected. Rather, the
Massachusetts Department of Education website and professional connections were used as
resources to recruit the schools. Over 30 school districts were contacted to participate in the
study and only five actually took part in the study. Thus, the principals and superintendents who
chose to have their schools participate in the study may have had positive preconceptions about
their school climate and rates of bullying and as a result felt more comfortable participating. Also
the school administrators that were involved in the study each had personal knowledge of the
University of Massachusetts Lowell doctorate program and/or this particular research study, and
the school administrators may have had more confidence regarding the confidentiality that would
be afforded to the survey results which may have made them more likely to participate than other
schools with negative school climates and higher incidents of bullying.
89
Timelines
The second limitation identified with the research methodology was the timeline in which
the schools received the surveys. Difficulty with identifying sites and securing agreement from
the schools to participate impacted overall survey distribution. The surveys were not all
distributed to the schools at the same time. Students and parents who took the surveys at a later
date, therefore, had more opportunities for experiences, positive or negative, with the school.
Also the survey did not account for students who had moved to the school during the 7th grade.
The results, therefore, do not capture a snapshot of bullying and school climate at the same time
within all five schools.
Respondents
Only five schools participated in the study. Of those five, four were suburban and one
urban. No rural schools agreed to participate. Massachusetts as an entire commonwealth is not
well represented in the study. Additionally, the sample size of schools is small. There are 328
middle/junior high schools in the Commonwealth (Massachusetts Department of Education,
2008) and only five participated in this study. However, it is important to note that 102
teachers/specialists along with 186 7 grade students and 186 of their parents did participate in
the study. So the sample size of responding individuals is not particularly small.
The adult respondents may not have provided a diverse representation of teachers and
parents. The majority of respondents at the adult level were female. Also, a majority of the
teachers/specialists that responded to the survey had worked at their individual school for less
than 10 years. Each group's (i.e., all teachers/specialists, students, and parents) responses offered
valuable information regarding perceptions of school climate and incidences of bullying for
90
those groups. School climate and bullying may be linked when a wider representation of the
population is sampled.
Some parents also may have not received the surveys because the students were given the
survey at school and asked to take them home to their parents. If the parents did not receive the
surveys then their children did not complete them either, as written parental consent was required
for all student respondents.
Race/Ethnicity
Based on the population of the schools, the surveys could have been translated into
Spanish, Portuguese, and Asian languages in order to ensure that the survey was accessible to
and representative of all ethnicities. No data was collected regarding race of respondents so it is
unknown if most respondents were white or of other ethnic backgrounds. This gap in data
collection may have skewed the results when examining the impact school climate has on
incidences of bullying.
Survey Development
One limitation of the survey development had to do with different items across surveys.
In some cases, like worded questions had differing number of responses. For example, in the
parents and student surveys, the question that asked if bullying occurred in the cafeteria had three
possible answers on the student survey (i.e., "I have not been bullied," "No," and "Yes") and
four possible answers on the parent survey (i.e., "Not applicable," "I don't know," "Yes," and
"No). Also, the consistency of questions across the three surveys had discrepancies. That is,
questions that could have applied to all groups were not asked on all surveys. For example, the
item, "I feel welcome at my school," could have been asked of all three groups but was only
asked on the student survey.
91
Survey Administration
Envelopes were included with each survey packet in order to return the surveys and
permission slips as the parents' permission was required for the students to participate. By
returning both documents in the same envelope, the author would be able to link the respondent
with the responses although such links were to be held confidential and would not be revealed as
part of the published results. However, a number of parents complained to their respective
principal that the survey was not truly anonymous as their and their children's responses could
be linked to their names (which were on the consent forms and needed both for the Internal
Review Board and in order to award a gift card) despite assurances that this would not happen.
Response numbers were low and may have been due to this inability to create a completely
anonymous survey because of the age of the students and the need to get the parents' permission.
Administering surveys during the school day was given consideration but as parental permission
was required by the Internal Review Board, principals felt more comfortable having the surveys
taken home and completed.
Also it is unclear how many parents actually received the survey. As mentioned above,
students were given the survey and asked to take it to their parents; as the students were the
messengers, they may not have delivered the envelopes to their parents. Likewise, some parents
may have completed the survey and their child did not return the envelope to school. Thus, the
actual number of parents that received the survey is unknown and the number of parents who did
receive the survey but chose not to participate is also not known.
Conclusion
Although this study does not indicate a link between perceptions of school climate and
perceptions of incidences of bullying, there were critical findings that are important to the field.
This study found that there is a divergence in opinions among teachers/specialists, students, and
parents in regard to their sense of belonging and sense of safety in the schools. Students as a
group were the least likely to feel they belonged at school. The study also raises questions about
how representative the opinions of teachers were in regard to incidences of bullying at the
school. The study also indicates that bullying might occur more often in classrooms than
teachers/specialists may believe. All of these findings imply that perceptions of school climate
cannot be relied on as the only way to determine if incidences of bullying are occurring, nor can
only one group's perception about the incidences of bullying be relied on to accurately reflect the
actual number of bullying incidences. School administrators, teachers and parents must be on the
lookout for bullying in all settings.
Bullying is clearly an important issue in these schools and thus is a topic that must
continue to be taken seriously. Research suggests that students must be encouraged by teachers
and administrators to ask for help, as they are often not capable of handling a bully on their own
(Brown et. al., 2005). If adults are available to students for help, then students may not feel that
they must handle conflicts independently, especially younger children who may lack the
necessary skill sets to deal with conflicts and aggressors. Students need to be supervised across
settings throughout the entire day in a manner that discourages peers from harassing one another.
Although the link between school climate and incidences of bullying were not correlated
by this study's research, schools should not stop working to improve their school climate. Even
though bullying incidences might not be reduced, school climate should not be ignored. By
improving communication between school and home, areas of concern may be more readily
addressed. For example, parents may be more willing to communicate to staff when their
children report bullying issues at school. By creating an environment where everyone
93
experiences a sense of safety and belonging, a stronger sense of community may arise. This
again may lead to more open dialogue about bullying between teachers, parents and students,
which may in turn lead to programs or other methodologies that are incorporated within the
school which result in a decrease in or greater awareness of bullying.
If the issue of bullying is addressed, students in all schools will reap the benefits.
Consideration should be given to making the changes discussed in the Limitations section of this
chapter and rerunning the study in order to further understand potential links between school
climate and incidences of bullying. More respondents from a wider pool (i.e., ethnicity, socio
economic background, geographic location) may yield different results. Additionally, data
sharing with the principals from each school that participated in the survey will also hopefully
assist with identifying and eliminating the bullying that is occurring in the surveyed schools.
While this study may ultimately impact students in five schools, until bullying is addressed and
controlled within schools nationwide, all issues related to bullying, including why, how often and
where, must continue to be examined.
94
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103
Appendix Al
ADMINISTRATOR COVER LETTER
Kimberly R. Douglass Doctoral Student- Leadership in Schooling University of Massachusetts Lowell rv+pW 31 oom
Dear Principal:
Enclosed please find a survey for administrators. Either you or an assistant principal can complete this survey. The purpose of this survey is to acquire data about school practices. More specifically, the survey will provide information about school based interactions, safety practices, and bullying behavior among the students. My hope is to use this survey to help better understand the day-to-day environment of the school
Please know that completion of this survey is voluntary. The survey is also confidential. Do not identify yourself on the survey. Although the results may be published, the data will not be linked to you, your students, or your school in any way. I will be delivering the surveys by December 1,2007. The return date is by December 12,2007.
Thank you for your willingness to assist me. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me by phone (207-831-7010) or e-mail ([email protected]).
A signature is required in order for your survey responses to be used in this study. Please return this slip with your survey.
Please read the following statements and if in agreement, check each one.
• After reading the letter above, I understand the purpose of this study. • I agree to participate in the survey. • I understand that this survey is voluntary and I may choose not to complete the survey
Kimberly R. Douglass Doctoral Student- Leadership in Schooling University of Massachusetts Lowell November 10,2007
Dear Parents:
My name is Kimberly Douglass and 1 am a doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. I am working on my degree in Leadership in Schooling. I have met with your child's school principal and have been granted permission to distribute surveys to parents, students, and teachers/specialists. I am asking for approximately ten minutes of your time during the month of December to assist me by completing the enclosed survey, which can then be returned to your child's teacher.
The purpose of this survey is to learn about the relationships between parents and the school. More specifically, the survey will provide information about school climate and bullying behavior among students. My hope is to use this survey to one day help schools assess school climate and potential bullying issues in their own buildings.
Completion of this survey is voluntary. The survey is also confidential. Do not identify yourself on the survey. Although the results may be published, the data will not be linked to you, your child, or your child's school in any way.
1 have also included a survey for your child. 1 am interested in learning about students' views of school climate, peer relationships and views on bullying. I will be using the permission slip below in a drawing and one student from your child's school will be selected to receive a $20 gift card to Borders or Target.
Once the surveys are completed, please return them to your child's teacher, using the enclosed envelope. Please note that by returning the survey in the sealed envelope with your child, your responses will in no way be identified with either you or your child. The return date is by December 12, 2007.
Thank you for your willingness to assist me. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me by phone (207-831-7010) or e-mail ([email protected]).
Kimberly R. Douglass Doctoral Student- Leadership in Schooling University of Massachusetts Lowell October 31,2007*
Dear Teacher/Specialist:
My name is Kimberly Douglass and 1 am a doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. I am working on my degree in Leadership in Schooling. I am asking for approximately ten minutes of your time to assist me by completing the enclosed survey, which can then be returned in a sealed envelope to your school's office.
The purpose of this survey is to acquire data about the relationships between teachers, parents and students. More specifically, the survey will provide information about school based interactions* school/boms comnwnicatioiL and bullxing behavior among tbs students* My hope is to use this survey to one day help other schools assess school climate in their own buildings.
Please know that completion of this survey is voluntary. The survey is also confidential. Do not identify yourself on the survey. Although the results may he published, the data will not he linked to you, your students, or your school in any way.
Also for the 7th grade homeroom teachers, I am asking if you would be willing to distribute and collect parent and student surveys. One student from your school will be selected to receive a $20 gift card from Target or Borders.
Thank you for your willingness to assist me. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me by phone (207-831-7040) or e-mail ([email protected]).
1. How many years have you worked at your current school?
2.1 am a: • Classroom Teacher • Special Area Teacher (E.g., Librarian) o Specialist (E.g., School Psychologist)
3. Approximately how many students do you work with in a school year?
4. If your school has a study hall, do you monitor students during this period of the school day? • Yes D Sometimes n No • Not Applicable
5. If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? Check all that apply: a Bus Arrival a Dismissal • Hall • Cafeteria • Recess o Not Applicable • Other D Not Applicable
6. What types of parent contact have you had this school year? Check all that apply: • Phone a Scheduled Conferences D Informal Meetings (E.g., meetings set up on an as needed basis) • Classroom (E.g., Volunteer) D E-mail • Not Applicable • Written Notes a Other
7. If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? Check all that apply: a Academic Performance o Behavior • Homework Issues • Social • Volunteering • Other D Not Applicable
8. If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? Check all that apply: n Academic Performance a Behavior D Homework Issues • Social a Volunteering a Other D Not Applicable
9. How often this school year have you individually met formally with your principal? D More than 4 times D 3 times • 2 times a 1 time • No Opportunity
10. If you went to the administration (i.e., principal, vice principal) for support (e.g., for help with student behavior/academic performance, to discuss an issue within the school), how confident are you that you would be provided with support? D Very Confident o Mostly Confident D Somewhat Confident D Not Confident
11. Do you agree that the administration and teachers/specialists work collaboratively together in your building? D Highly Agree n Agree n Disagree o Highly disagree
12. Are you involved in extracurricular activities? • Yes • No
13. If you are involved in extracurricular activities, which ones? • Clubs a Organized Sports • Intramurals D Homework Help D Other D Not applicable
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14. How much time do you spend a week collaborating (e.g., talking about instruction and/or students, brainstorming future lesson plans) with other teachers? a More than 4 hours o 2-3 hours D 1 hour o Less than one hour but some time o Not at all
15. Where do you most often spend your lunch break this school year? D Teacher's lunchroom a With colleagues in another location (e.g., classroom, going for a walk) n With students • Alone o Other
16. If your school has a school newsletter, do you contribute to it? D Yes D No n Not applicable
17. If you contribute to your school newsletter, how often do you contribute? D Every edition • Most editions a Some editions D Few editions a Not applicable
18. How would you rate the overall climate of your school? D Positive D Neutral o Negative
19. When I see students outside of the school setting, they acknowledge me. D Frequently n Sometimes o Rarely • Never a No opportunity
20. My students share personal information about their lives (i.e., family, friends, jobs) with me. D Frequently n Sometimes o Rarely o Never n Not applicable
21. My students seek help from me regarding their schoolwork outside of class time. D Frequently • Sometimes • Rarely a Never
22. lama: • Male a Female
The following survey questions are taken from the following source: Bradshaw, C , Sawyer, A., & O'Brennan. (2007). Bullying and peer victimization at school: Perceptual differences between students and school staff. School Psychology Review, 36(3), 361-382.
23. What percentage of students do you think have been bullied two or more times during the last month?
24. Have you ever seen a student being bullied at this school? D No a Yes
25. How much is bullying a problem at your school? • Strongly Disagree • Disagree o Agree a Strongly Agree
26. Are the bullies at your school:
Popular? D No • Yes • Not applicable
Disliked? a No • Yes • Not applicable
Feared by other students? D No o Yes • Not applicable
D Agree • Strongly Agree
• Agree • Strongly Agree
27.1 feel safe at school. • Strongly Disagree D Disagree
28.1 feel like I belong at this school D Strongly Disagree D Disagree
I l l
29.1 think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first. D Strongly Disagree • Disagree • Agree D Strongly Agree
30. Where have you seen students being bullied within the past month? a Classroom • Cafeteria D Hallway o Other a Not applicable
31. In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? D Name-calling a Verbal threats D Pushing • Exclusion (being deliberately left out of a group or activity) a Other a Not applicable
32. Much of the bullying at my school is about... D Student's race or skin color a Student's gender a Popularity a Individual differences • Not applicable a Other
33. When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? D Intervened with bully o Referred to school psychologist or guidance counselor D Ignored it D Referred to an administrator • Other D Not applicable
34. What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? D Talked to administrator • Intervened with victim D Talked to bully's parents o Other D Not applicable
35. Do you think the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying? D No D Yes
36. Have you seen the adults watching bullying and doing nothing? • No • Yes
37. When I tried to intervene in a bullying situation things have gotten worse. D Strongly Disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongly Agree
38. If you saw bullying, how likely is it that you would intervene? • Strongly Disagree a Disagree o Agree o Strongly Agree
39.1 have effective strategies for handling a bullying situation. D Strongly Disagree • Disagree a Agree a Strongly Agree
40. Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through. D Strongly Disagree • Disagree • Agree a Strongly Agree
41. Were you ever bullied as a child? • No D Yes
Thank you again for your assistance in completing this survey! Again, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 207-831-7010.
Written parent permission has been given if you are taking this survey. Participation in this survey is also voluntary.
Check the answer that best describes how you feel. For example, an answer of No! means that you very much disagree with the statement
1.1 feel welcome at my school. • NO! D no Q yes D YES!
2.1 like going to my school each day. • NO! D no D yes D YES!
3. My teachers encourage students to be respectful of each other. D NO! D no D yes D YES!
4. Teachers at my school do not allow students to be unkind to each other. Teachers give consequences if students are not kind to each other. • NO! D no D yes D YES!
5. Any adult in the building will help me if I ask him/her to. • NO! D no • yes • YES!
6. My teacher cares about me. D NO! D no • yes D YES!
7. If I go to my teacher to tell her that a classmate is bothering me (e.g., teasing, being aggressive), she/he helps me handle it. D NO! D no D yes • YES!
8.1 wish I went to another school besides this one. D NO! D no • yes • YES!
9. The best thing about my school is .
The following survey questions are taken from the following source: Bradshaw, C , Sawyer, A., & O'Brennan. (2007). Bullying and peer victimization at school: Perceptual differences between students and school staff. School Psychology Review, 36(3), 361-382.
10. Have you seen someone else being bullied during the last month? • No D Yes
11. What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? Check all applicable answers: 0 I joined in. D I told an adult. D I ignored it. • I tried to stop it. D Other • I did not see anyone being bullied.
12. How much is bullying a problem at your school? • Strongly Disagree • Disagree D Agree D Strongly Agree
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13. Do you think the bullies at your school are: Popular? D No • Yes D I do not know any bullies at my school. Disliked D No D Yes D I do not know any bullies at my school. Feared by D No D Yes D I do not know any bullies at my school, other students?
15.1 feel like I belong at this school. • Strongly Disagree D Disagree D Agree D Strongly Agree
16. It is OK to hit someone if they hit me first. • Strongly Disagree Q Disagree D Agree • Strongly Agree
17. Where have you been bullied during the past month? Check all applicable answers: • Classroom • Cafeteria D Hallway D Other • I have not been bullied at school during the past month.
18. Within the past month, has someone repeatedly tried to hurt you or make you feel bad by... Check all applicable answers: • Calling you bad names D Teasing you • Spreading rumors D Other . • No one has tried to hurt me or make me feel bad at school during the past month.
19. Within the past month, have you been bullied about... Check all applicable answers: 0 Your race or skin color D The way you look • Your gender G Other D Not applicable
20. If you have been bullied in the past month at your school, what did you do when you were bullied? Check all applicable answers: D Bullied that person back D Told an adult D Did nothing D Other D Not applicable
21. Do you think that the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying? • No D Yes
22. Have you seen adults watching bullying and doing nothing? • No • Yes
23. Teachers who try to stop bullying only make things worse. D Strongly Disagree D Disagree • Agree • Strongly Agree
24. Have you ever reported bullying to an adult at school and he/she did nothing? D No D Yes
Thank you again for your assistance in completing this survey!
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APPENDIX D
PARENT SURVEY
Participation in this survey is voluntary. Please check the appropriate box(es)for each answer:
Parents today are often very busy with work and family. This survey is designed to better understand ways in which parents participate in their child's schools.
1. Does your school have a parent organization? • Yes o No • Don't know
2. If so, are you currently involved with the parent organization? • Yes a No • Not applicable
3. In Massachusetts, all schools are required to have a school council that is responsible for tasks such as developing a school improvement plan and reviewing the school budget. Have you ever heard of the school council? n Yes o No
4. Are you or have you ever been involved in the school council? o Yes D No
5. Does your school allow parents to volunteer during the school day? • Yes D No • Don't know
6. If your school does allow parents to volunteer during the school day, does your schedule allow for you to volunteer? a Yes D No
7. Are there opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day? D Yes D No D Don't know
8. If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? a Fundraisers o School performances D Sporting events • Other: • Don't know n Not applicable
9. If there are opportunities, do you volunteer outside of the school day? a Yes n No D Not applicable
10. Does your school have a newsletter? D Yes D No D Don't know
11. If your school does have a newsletter, how often do you read it? D Always a Often o Sometimes • Never • Not applicable
12. Does your child play school sports? D Yes D No
13. If your child plays sports, do you attend after school sporting events? D Always a Often a Sometimes n Never • Not applicable
14. Does your child belong to any clubs that have evening performances? D Yes a No
115
15. If your child does belong to a club that offers evening performances, do you attend these performances? • Always D Often D Sometimes D Never D Not applicable
16. In the last month, how much contact, if any, have you had with your child's principal, vice principal, and/or guidance department? D More than 4 times • 3 or 4 times D 1 or 2 times • Not at all
17. How confident are you that if you contacted your child's teacher (by phone, e-mail, or written note) that they would respond to your correspondence during the same week? • Very confident D Somewhat confident • Not confident D Unsure
18. How welcome do you feel at your child's school? D Very welcome • Welcome a Slightly welcome o Not at all welcome
19. Are you employed outside of the home? • Yes D No
20. If you work outside the home, which shift(s) do you work? D Day D Afternoon/Evening D Overnight D It varies • Not applicable
21. Are you a mother, father, or guardian? • Mother a Father • Guardian
22. Do you have a son or daughter enrolled in the 7th grade? • Son • Daughter
The following survey questions are taken from the following source: Bradshaw, C , Sawyer, A., & O'Brennan. (2007). Bullying and peer victimization at school: Perceptual differences between students and school staff. School Psychology Review, 36(3), 361-382.
23. What percentage of students at your child's current school do you think have been bullied two or more times during the last month?
24. Has your child ever seen a student being bullied at his/her current school? D No D Yes D I don't know
25. Has your child ever reported being bullied at his/her current school? D No D Yes D I don't know
26. How much is bullying a problem at your child's current school? a Strongly Disagree a Disagree D Agree a Strongly
27. Do you think the bullies at your child's current school are:
Popular? a No • Yes • I don't know
Disliked? o No o Yes • I don't know
Feared by other students? n No • Yes a I don't know
28. My child feels safe at school. D Strongly Disagree a Disagree • Agree • Strongly Agree a I don't know 29. My child feels like he/she belongs at his/her school. D Strongly Disagree a Disagree • Agree • Strongly Agree • I don't know
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30.1 think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first. D Strongly Disagree a Disagree a Agree • Strongly Agree
31. If your child has reported incidents of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? D Classroom D Cafeteria • Hallway a Other a Not applicable • I don't know
32. If your child has reported incidents of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? a Name-calling D Verbal threats D Pushing • Other D Not applicable o I don't know
33.1 believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... • Student's race or skin color • Student's gender D Physical Differences a Other a Not applicable a I don't know
34. What did you do if your child reported bullying at school? D Talked to administrator n Talked to my child's teacher a Talked to bully's parents a Talked to my child a Talked to school psychologist, behavior specialist, or guidance counselor • Other • Not applicable
35. Do you think the adults at your child's school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying? D No D Yes
36. Has your child reported seeing the adults watching bullying and doing nothing? a No a Yes
37. If I heard about a bullying issue involving my child, I would report the situation to school staff. D Strongly Disagree • Disagree D Agree a Strongly Agree
38.1 agree that my child has effective strategies for handling a bullying situation. • Strongly Disagree • Disagree D Agree o Strongly Agree
39. Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through. D Strongly Disagree • Disagree a Agree • Strongly Agree
40. Were you ever bullied as a child? n No D Yes
Thank you again for your assistance in completing this survey! Again, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 207-831-7010.
1.1 am currently employed as: D A principal • An assistant principal
2.1 am a: n Male • Female
3.1 have worked at my current school for: D 20+years o 15 to 20 years D 10 to 14 years D 5 to 9 years D 0 to 4 years
4.1 have been employed in the role of an administrator at this school (i.e., principal, assistant principal) for: a 10+years • 8 to 10 years a 5 to 7 years a 2 to 4 years n 0 to 2 years
5. Does your school have a newsletter? o Yes nNo
6. If so, how often is the newsletter distributed?
a Daily D Weekly • Monthly D Quarterly • Other • Not applicable
7. Does your school hold staff meetings? • Yes a No
8. If so, how often are staff meetings held?
• Daily n Weekly a Monthly a Quarterly • Other • Not applicable
9. Does your school hold grade level/team meetings? n Yes o No
10. If your school holds grade level/team meetings, how often do they occur?
a Daily D Weekly • Monthly n Quarterly • Other • Not applicable
11. If your school holds grade level/team meetings, do you attend? a Yes nNo O Not applicable
12. If you attend the grade level meetings, how often do you attend? • All of the time n Most of the time • Some of the time • Not applicable 13. Does your school hold all school meetings (e.g., meetings with staff and students that have a specific purpose)?
D Yes • No
14. My school has an anti-bullying policy, a Yes • No
15. My school has implemented a curriculum program to address bullying issues. D Yes (If yes, the title of the program is ) a No
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16. The following times of the school day are supervised by (Please check all that apply for each time of the school day.):
Classroom Special Area Specialists Administration Paraprofessional Teachers Teachers (E.g., Guidance) (E.g., Assistant
17. My school has kept track of incident reports for the last: • More than 5 years • 5 years • 4 years • 3 years • 2 years • 1 year • We do not keep track
18.1 personally deal with what I would consider incidents of bullying:
• Daily a Weekly a Monthly a Other
19. Does your school have a school safety officer? a Yes a No
20. If so, how many hours per week is the school safety office on site? D Not applicable
21. During the 2006-2007 school year, how many behavior incidents were reported (as defined by the annual School Safety and Discipline Report)?
Thank you again for your assistance in completing this survey! Again, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 207-831-7010.
SURVEY ITEMS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING ABBREVIATIONS
Teacher Survey
Survey item If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year?
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year?
How often this school year have you individually met formally with your principal? If you went to the administration (i.e., principal, vice principal) for support (e.g., for help with student behavior/academic performance, to discuss an issue within the school), how confident are you that you would be provided with support? Do you agree that the administration and teachers/specialists work collaboratively together in your building?
Are you involved in extra curricular activities?
How much time do you spend a week collaborating (e.g., talking about instruction and/or students, brainstorming future lesson plans) with other teachers? If your school has a school newsletter, do you contribute to it?
How would you rate the overall climate of your school? When I see students outside of the school setting, they acknowledge me.
My students share personal information about their lives (i.e., family, friends, jobs) with me. My students seek help from me regarding their schoolwork outside of class time. Have you ever seen a student being bullied at this school? I feel safe at school. I feel like I belong at this school. I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
Abbreviation Reasons for contacting parents/Behavior, Social Reasons for parents contacting teachers/Behavior, Social Formal meetings with principal Administrator's support
Collaboration between administration and teachers/specialists Supervise school sponsored extra curricular activities Time spent collaboration with other teachers Newsletter contributions Overall climate Acknowledgement of students outside of school Students share personal information Students seek homework help Witnessed bullying Sense of safety Sense of belonging OK to hit
120
Survey item Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month?
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month?
Much of the bullying at my school is about...
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond?
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying?
Do you think the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying? Have you seen the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
When I tried to intervene in a bullying situation things have gotten worse. If you saw bullying, how likely is it that you would intervene?
I have effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
Abbreviation Location of incidences/Classroom, Hallway, Cafeteria, Other Type of bullying/Name calling, Pushing, Verbal Threats, Exclusion, or Other Reason/Student's race or skin color, Popularity, Student's gender, Individual differences, Other
Response to observed incident/Intervened with bully, Ignored it, Referred to school psychologist/guidance, Referred to an administrator, Other Response to report/Talked to administrator, Talked to bully's parents, Intervened with victim, Other Proactive approach to bullying Adults ignoring bullying Bullying worsened with adult intervention Likelihood of intervening in bullying Effective strategies for handling bullying Bullying as a part of life
Student Survey
121
Survey item I feel welcome at my school.
I like going to my school each day.
My teachers encourage students to be respectful of each other.
Teachers at my school do not allow students to be unkind to each other. Teachers give consequences if students are not kind to each other.
Any adult in the building will help me if I ask him/her too.
My teacher cares about me.
If I go to my teacher to tell her that a classmate is bothering me (e.g., teasing, being aggressive), she/he helps me handle it.
I wish I went to another school besides this one.
Have you seen someone else being bullied during the last month?
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied?
I feel safe at school.
I feel like I belong at this school.
It is OK to hit someone if they hit me first.
Where have you been bullied during the past month?
Within the past month, have you been bullied about...
What did you do when you were bullied?
Do you think that the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Have you seen adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
Teachers who try to stop bullying only make things worse.
Have you ever reported bullying to an adult at school and he/she did nothing?
Abbreviation Feel welcome Like going
Teachers encourage respect
Consequences for behavior
Adults help when asked
Caring teachers
Adults help handle peer conflict
Dislike of school
Witness to bullying
Response to another/Joined in, Ignored, Told an adult, Tried to stop it, Other
Sense of safety
Sense of belonging
OK to hit
Location of incidences/Classroom, Hallway, Cafeteria, Other
Reason/Student's race or skin color, Popularity, Student's gender, Looks, Other
Own response/Bullied that person back, Did nothing, Told an Adult, Other
Proactive approach to bullying
Adults ignoring bullying
Bullying worsened with adult intervention
No response to request for help
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Parent Survey
Survey item
If so, are you currently involved with the parent organization?
Are you or have you ever been involved in the school council?
If your school does have a newsletter, how often do you read it?
If your school does allow parents to volunteer during the school day, does your schedule allow for you to volunteer?
In the last month, how much contact, if any, have you had with your child's principal, vice principal, and/or guidance department?
How confident are you that if you contacted your child's teacher (by phone, e-mail, or written note) that they would respond to your correspondence during the same week?
How welcome do you feel at your child's school?
Has your child ever seen a student being bullied at his/her current school?
Has your child ever reported being bullied at his/her current school?
My child feels safe at school.
My child feels like he/she belongs at his/her school.
I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied?
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied?
I belief much of the bullying at my child's school is about...
Abbreviation
Involved with PTO
School Council membership
Read newsletter
Opportunities to volunteer
Contact with administration
Teacher response to request for communication
Feel welcome
Child reported seeing bullying
Child self reported bullying
Sense of safety
Sense of belonging
OK to hit
Location of incidences/Classroom, Hallway, Cafeteria, Other
Type of bullying/Name calling, Pushing, Verbal Threats, or Other
Reason/Student's race or skin color, Student's gender, Physical differences, Other
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Survey item
What did you do if your child reported bullying?
Do you think the adults at your child's school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Has your child reported seeing the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
If I heard about a bullying issue involving my child, I would report the situation to school staff.
I agree that my child has effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
Abbreviation
Response/ Talked to administrator, Talked to bully's parents, Talked to school psychologist, behavior specialist or guidance counselor, Talked to my child's teacher, Talked to my child, Other
Proactive approach to bullying
Adults ignoring bullying
Likelihood of reporting bullying
Effective strategies for handling bullying
Bullying as a part of life
APPENDIX G
DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS
School 1 Teacher/Specialist Items
How many years have you worked at your current school?
I am a:
If your school has a study hall, do you monitor students during this period of the school day?
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Bus Arrival)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Dismissal)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Hall)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Cafeteria)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Recess)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Other)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Phone)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Informal Meeting)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (E-mail)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Written Notes)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Scheduled Conference)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Classroom)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Other)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Academic Performance)
N
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
Mean
2.5556
1.3889
1.4444
.9444
.3333
.8333
.7222
.0000
.2222
.9444
.9444
1.0000
.5556
1.0000
.1667
.2778
1.00000
Std. Deviation
1.04162
.77754
.85559
.23570
.48507
.38348
.46089
.00000
.42779
.23570
.23570
.00000
.51131
.00000
.38348
.46089
.000000
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Behavior)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Homework Issue)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Social)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Volunteering)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Other)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Academic Performance)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Behavior)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Homework)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Social)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Volunteering)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Other)
How often this school year have you individually met formally with your principal?
If you went to the administration (i.e., principal, vice principal) for support (e.g., for help with student behavior/academic performance, to discuss an issue within the school), how confident are you that you would be provided with support?
Do you agree that the administration and teachers/specialists work collaboratively together in your building?
Are you involved in extra curricular activities?
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Clubs)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Organized Sports)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Intramurals)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Homework Help)
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
.8333
.8889
.2222
.1111
.1667
.8889
.5000
.7778
.4444
.0556
.1111
1.8889
2.7778
2.5000
.7778
.5556
.1111
.0556
.2778
.38348
.32338
.42779
.32338
.38348
,32338
.51450
.42779
.51131
.23570
.32338
1.18266
.42779
.61835
.42779
.51131
.32338
.23570
.46089
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Other)
How much time do you spend a week collaborating (e.g., talking about instruction and/or students, brainstorming future lesson plans) with other teachers?
Where do you most often spend your lunch break this school year?
If your school has a school newsletter, do you contribute to it?
If you contribute to your school newsletter, how often do you contribute?
How would you rate the overall climate of your school?
When I see students outside of the school setting, they acknowledge me.
My students share personal information about their lives (i.e., family, friends, jobs) with me.
My students seek help from me regarding their schoolwork outside of class time. I am a:
Have you ever seen a student being bullied at this school?
I feel safe at school.
I feel like I belong at this school.
I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month? (Classroom)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Hallway)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Cafeteria)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Other)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Name calling)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Pushing)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month (Other)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Verbal threats)
18
17
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
17
17
17
17
16
16
16
16
.1111
3.2941
1.8889
1.0000
2.6111
1.8889
2.72222
2.4444
2.1111
1.8333
.6667
2.8333
2.7778
.5556
1.0588
1.3529
1.0588
.7647
1.3750
.8750
.8125
.8750
.32338
.77174
1.36722
.00000
.97853
.32338
.460889
.61570
.58298
.38348
.48507
.38348
.42779
.70479
.82694
.93148
.82694
.56230
.88506
.61914
.65511
.61914
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month (Exclusion)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Student's race or skin color)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Popularity)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Student's gender)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Individual differences) Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Other)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Intervened with bully)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Ignored it)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Other)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Referred to school psychologist or guidance)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Referred to an administrator)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Talked to administrator)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Talked to bully's parents)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Intervened with victim)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Other)
Do you think the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Have you seen the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
When I tried to intervene in a bullying situation things have gotten worse.
If you saw bullying, how likely is it that you would intervene?
I have effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
16
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
18
18
18
18
17
18
17
16
18
18
Were you ever bullied as a child? j 18
1.3125
1.0000
1.4118
1.1176
1.8824
1.0588
1.4118
.7059
.7059
1.2353
.8824
.8889
.7778
1.2222
.8333
.8824
.0556
.5882
2.8125
1.8333
.7778
.6111
.87321
.00000
.50730
.33211
.33211
.24254
.93934
.46967
.46967
.90342
.69663
.75840
.64676
.94281
.70711
.33211
.23570
.61835
.75000
.78591
.73208
.50163
Student Items
I feel welcome at my school.
I like going to my school each day.
My teachers encourage students to be respectful of each other.
Teachers at my school do not allow students to be unkind to each other. Teachers give consequences if students are not kind to each other.
Any adult in the building will help me if I ask him/her too.
My teacher cares about me.
If I go to my teacher to tell her that a classmate is bothering me (e.g., teasing, being aggressive), she/he helps me handle it.
I wish I went to another school besides this one.
Have you seen someone else being bullied during the last month?
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Joined in)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Ignored it)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Told an adult)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Other)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (I tried to stop it)
I feel safe at school.
I feel like I belong at this school.
It is OK to hit someone if they hit me first.
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Classroom)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Hallway)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Cafeteria)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Other)
N
46
46
46
46
47
46
45
44
47
43
43
43
43
43
46
46
46
47
47
47
47
Mean
2.3261
1.6087
2.4783
2.2826
2.2553
2.1304
2.2000
.5909
.5532
.6047
.9302
.6047
.5814
.7209
2.4565
2.3261
.8913
.4894
.4255
.3404
.2979
Std. Dev.
.55993
.77397
.58648
.68841
.60678
.71829
.58775
.58342
.50254
.54070
.91014
.58308
.54478
.73438
.54596
.59831
.76676
.83072
.74439
.59988
.50712
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Your race or skin color)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Your gender)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (The way you look)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Other)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Bullied that person back)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Did nothing)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Told an adult)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Other)
Do you think that the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Have you seen adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
Teachers who try to stop bullying only make things worse.
Have you ever reported bullying to an adult at school and he/she did nothing?
36
36
36
36
41
41
41
41
45
47
44
47
.1944
.1667
.2500
.3056
.2927
.4390
.3659
.3902
.5778
.3830
1.3182
.1064
.46718
.37796
.60356
.70991
.46065
.74326
.62274
.66626
.49949
.49137
.88325
.31166
Parent Items
Does your school have a parent organization?
If so, are you currently involved with the parent organization?
Have you ever heard of the school council?
Are you or have you ever been involved in the school council?
Does your school allow parents to volunteer during the school day?
If your school does allow parents to volunteer during the school day, does your schedule allow for you to volunteer?
Are there opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day?
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Fundraisers)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (School Performances)
N
47
45
46
47
46
45
47
46
46
Mean
1.8723
1.1111
.7174
.1489
1.3478
.5111
1.2128
.5435
.4783
Std. Dev.
.49418
.43809
.45524
.35987
.87477
.50553
.97660
.50361
.5050.5
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Sporting Events)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Other)
If there are opportunities, do you volunteer outside of the school day?
Does your school have a newsletter?
If your school does have a newsletter, how often do you read it?
Does your child belong to any clubs that have evening performances? If your child does belong to a club that offers evening performances, do you attend these performances?
In the last month, how much contact, if any, have you had with your child's principal, vice principal, and/or guidance department?
How confident are you that if you contacted your child's teacher (by phone, e-mail, or written note) that they would respond to your correspondence during the same week?
How welcome do you feel at your child's school?
Are you employed outside of the home?
If you work outside the home, which shift(s) do you work?
Are you a mother, father, or guardian?
Do you have a son or daughter enrolled in the 7th grade?
Has your child ever seen a student being bullied at his/her current school?
Has your child ever reported being bullied at his/her current school?
My child feels safe at school.
My child feels like he/she belongs at his/her school.
I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Classroom)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Hallway)
46
46
45
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
47
46
47
47
46
31
31
.3043
.1304
1.4000
1.9149
2.6383
.6596
2.9149
.5745
1.9787
2.1915
.7234
2.6383
1.0638
1.4468
1.4043
.6957
3.1702
3.2553
.8478
1.6129
1.7742
.46522
.34050
.49543
.35076
.64016
.47898
.35076
.71459
.25447
.74128
.45215
1.83476
.24709
.50254
.79836
.91578
.76098
.76522
.75916
1.05443
1.17501
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Cafeteria)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Other)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Name calling)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Pushing)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Verbal threats)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Other)
I belief much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Student's race or skin color)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Physical differences)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Gender)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Other)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to administrator)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to bully's parents)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to school psychologist, behavior specialist or guidance counselor)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to my child's teacher)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to my child')
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Other)
Do you think the adults at your child's school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Has your child reported seeing the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
31
31
41
41
41
41
46
46
46
46
42
42
42
42
42
42
38
46
1.7419
1.5161
1.5854
1.3902
1.3171
1.2927
1.5652
1.7174
1.5870
1.9565
.5476
.5476
.6905
.6429
.9286
.5476
.6842
.1304
1.09446
.96163
1.30337
1.13750
1.05922
1.03063
.62011
.80727
.65238
.98785
.55005
.55005
.74860
.69217
.94721
.55005
.47107
.34050
If I heard about a bullying issue involving my child, I would report the situation to school staff.
I agree that my child has effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
Were you ever bullied as a child?
46
45
46
46
2.2391
1.8444
1.1739
.5870
.82151
.70568
.82474
.49782
School 2 Teacher/Specialist Items
How many years have you worked at your current school?
lama:
If your school has a study hall, do you monitor students during this period of the school day?
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Bus Arrival)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Dismissal)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Hall)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Cafeteria)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Recess)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Other)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Phone)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Informal Meeting)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (E-mail)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Written Notes)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Scheduled Conference)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Classroom)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Other)
I N
31
30
31
29
29
29
29
29
29
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
Mean
2.4516
1.6667
1.7097
.5517
.5862
.7241
.7931
.7241
.2414
.9355
.7097
1.0000
.4839
.8710
.0645
.0645
Std. Dev.
.96051
.84418
.64258
.50612
.50123
.45486
.41225
.45486
.43549
.24973
.46141
.00000
.50800
.34078
.24973
.24973
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Academic Performance)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Behavior)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Homework Issue)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Social)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Volunteering)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Other)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Academic Performance)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Behavior)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Homework)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Social)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Volunteering)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Other)
How often this school year have you individually met formally with your principal?
If you went to the administration (i.e., principal, vice principal) for support (e.g., for help with student behavior/academic performance, to discuss an issue within the school), how confident are you that you would be provided with support?
Do you agree that the administration and teachers/specialists work collaboratively together in your building?
Are you involved in extra curricular activities?
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Clubs)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Organized Sports)
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
30
30
30
30
30
.93548
.5806
.6452
.3548
.0968
.1613
.8710
.3871
.5806
.3548
.0968
.0645
2.3548
2.6667
2.5000
.7000
.4000
.1000
.249731
.50161
.48637
.48637
.30054
.37388
.34078
.49514
.50161
.48637
.30054
.24973
1.51764
.54667
.62972
.46609
.49827
.30513
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Intramurals)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Homework Help)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Other)
How much time do you spend a week collaborating (e.g., talking about instruction and/or students, brainstorming future lesson plans) with other teachers?
Where do you most often spend your lunch break this school year?
If your school has a school newsletter, do you contribute to it?
If you contribute to your school newsletter, how often do you contribute?
How would you rate the overall climate of your school?
When I see students outside of the school setting, they acknowledge me.
My students share personal information about their lives (i.e., family, friends, jobs) with me.
My students seek help from me regarding their schoolwork outside of class time.
lama:
Have you ever seen a student being bullied at this school?
I feel safe at school.
I feel like I belong at this school.
I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month? (Classroom)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Hallway)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Cafeteria)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Other)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Name calling)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Pushing)
30
30
30
30
27
30
30
30
29
30
30
30
31
31
31
31
27
27
27
27
27
27
.1667
.2667
.1333
2.7333
1.5556
.5667
1.3667
1.8333
2.68966
2.6667
2.1333
1.8000
.9032
2.5806
2.6452
.3548
1.2593
1.8148
1.4074
1.0741
1.7407
1.3704
.37905
.44978
.34575
1.04826
1.15470
.50401
1.37674
.46113
.541390
.54667
.68145
.40684
.30054
.95827
.70938
.55066
.59437
.55726
.63605
.47442
.59437
.62929
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month (Other)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Verbal threats) In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month (Exclusion)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Student's race or skin color)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Popularity)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Student's gender)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Individual differences)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Other)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Intervened with bully)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Ignored it)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Other)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Referred to school psychologist or guidance)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Referred to an administrator)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Talked to administrator)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Talked to bully's parents)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Intervened with victim)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Other)
Do you think the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Have you seen the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
When I tried to intervene in a bullying situation things have gotten worse.
27
27
27
30
30
30
30
30
28
28
28
28
28
31
31
31
31
30
31
28
1.0370
1.0000
1.5556
.9000
1.2667
.9000
1.5333
1.0000
1.7143
.8929
.8929
1.1429
1.1429
1.1290
.7419
1.2581
.7742
.9000
.1613
.7500
.43690
.39223
.69798
.30513
.63968
.30513
.68145
.45486
.65868
.31497
.31497
.59094
.59094
.84624
.51431
.89322
.56034
.30513
.37388
.64550
If you saw bullying, how likely is it that you would intervene?
I have effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
Were you ever bullied as a child?
30
30
30
31
2.7000
2.1000
1.2000
.7742
.46609
.60743
.99655
.42502
Student Items
I feel welcome at my school.
I like going to my school each day.
My teachers encourage students to be respectful of each other.
Teachers at my school do not allow students to be unkind to each other. Teachers give consequences if students are not kind to each other.
Any adult in the building will help me if I ask him/her too.
My teacher cares about me.
If I go to my teacher to tell her that a classmate is bothering me (e.g., teasing, being aggressive), she/he helps me handle it.
I wish I went to another school besides this one.
Have you seen someone else being bullied during the last month?
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Joined in)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Ignored it)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Told an adult)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Other)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (I tried to stop it)
I feel safe at school.
I feel like I belong at this school.
It is OK to hit someone if they hit me first.
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Classroom)
N
25
25
25
24
25
25
25
25
23
19
19
19
19
19
25
25
25
25
Mean
2.4400
2.0800
2.4400
2.2917
2.4800
2.3200
2.2800
.3200
.3913
.5263
.7895
.5263
.5263
.8421
2.4400
2.4800
.8800
.2800
Std. Dev.
.50662
.49329
.50662
.75060
.58595
.55678
.61373
.47610
.49901
.51299
.85498
.51299
.51299
.89834
.58310
.58595
.88129
.67823
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Hallway)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Cafeteria)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Other)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Your race or skin color)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Your gender)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (The way you look)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Other)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Bullied that person back)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Did nothing)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Told an adult)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Other)
Do you think that the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Have you seen adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
Teachers who try to stop bullying only make things worse.
Have you ever reported bullying to an adult at school and he/she did nothing?
25
25
25
22
22
22
22
23
23
23
23
25
25
25
25
.2800
.2800
.2400
.1818
.1818
.3182
.3182
.1739
.3043
.1739
.3043
.7200
.1200
1.1600
.1600
.67823
.67823
.59722
.39477
.39477
.71623
.71623
.38755
.70290
.38755
.70290
.45826
.33166
.85049
.37417
Parent Items
Does your school have a parent organization?
If so, are you currently involved with the parent organization?
Have you ever heard of the school council?
Are you or have you ever been involved in the school council?
Does your school allow parents to volunteer during the school day?
If your school does allow parents to volunteer during the school day, does your schedule allow for you to volunteer?
N
25
25
25
25
25
23
Mean
1.9200
1.1600
.9600
.0400
1.4400
.6957
Std. Dev.
.40000
.37417
.20000
.20000
.82057
.47047
Are there opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day?
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Fundraisers)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (School Performances)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Sporting Events)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Other)
If there are opportunities, do you volunteer outside of the school day?
Does your school have a newsletter?
If your school does have a newsletter, how often do you read it?
Does your child belong to any clubs that have evening performances?
If your child does belong to a club that offers evening performances, do you attend these performances?
In the last month, how much contact, if any, have you had with your child's principal, vice principal, and/or guidance department?
How confident are you that if you contacted your child's teacher (by phone, e-mail, or written note) that they would respond to your correspondence during the same week?
How welcome do you feel at your child's school?
Are you employed outside of the home?
If you work outside the home, which shifts) do you work?
Are you a mother, father, or guardian?
Do you have a son or daughter enrolled in the 7th grade?
Has your child ever seen a student being bullied at his/her current school?
Has your child ever reported being bullied at his/her current school?
My child feels safe at school.
My child feels like he/she belongs at his/her school.
I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
23
25
25
24
25
25
25
25
1.8800
.6800
.5200
.5600
.5600
1.4800
2.0000
2.7600
.5200
2.8800
.3600
1.8800
2.7200
.6400
2.7391
1.0800
1.5200
1.3333
.3600
3.2800
3.3200
.7600
.43970
.47610
.50990
.50662
.50662
.50990
.00000
.52281
.50990
.43970
.48990
.33166
.54160
.48990
1.95907
.27689
.50990
.81650
.75719
1.10000
.98826
.66332
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Classroom)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Hallway)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Cafeteria)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Other)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Name calling)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Pushing)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Verbal threats)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Other)
I belief much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Student's race or skin color)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Physical differences)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Gender)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Other)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to administrator)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to bully's parents)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to school psychologist, behavior specialist or guidance counselor)
16
16
16
16
23
23
23
23
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
.6250
.7500
.7500
.6875
.7391
.6957
.6087
.6957
1.4400
1.7200
1.4400
1.8800
.5200
.3600
.4000
.88506
1.12546
1.12546
1.01448
1.13688
1.06322
.89133
1.06322
.82057
1.10000
.82057
1.20139
.82260
.56862
.64550
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to my child's teacher)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to my child')
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Other)
Do you think the adults at your child's school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Has your child reported seeing the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
If I heard about a bullying issue involving my child, I would report the situation to school staff.
I agree that my child has effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
Were you ever bullied as a child?
25
25
21
24
23
24
25
25
.5600
.4000
.7619
.1250
2.5217
1.9167
.8400
.5200
.86987
.64550
.43644
.33783
.89796
.71728
.74610
.50990
School 3 Teacher/Specialist Items
How many years have you worked at your current school?
I am a:
If your school has a study hall, do you monitor students during this period of the school day?
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Bus Arrival)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Dismissal)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Hall)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Cafeteria)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Recess)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Other)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Phone)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Informal Meeting)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (E-mail)
N
19
18
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
Mean
1.7895
1.7222
1.7895
.2632
.5789
.6316
.3684
.5263
.2632
.9474
.8947
.9474
Std. Dev.
.97633
.95828
.53530
.45241
.50726
.49559
.49559
.51299
.45241
.22942
.31530
.22942
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Written Notes)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Scheduled Conference)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Classroom)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Other)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Academic Performance)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Behavior)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Homework Issue)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Social)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Volunteering)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Other)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Academic Performance)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Behavior)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Homework)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Social)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Volunteering)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Other)
How often this school year have you individually met formally with your principal?
If you went to the administration (i.e., principal, vice principal) for support (e.g., for help with student behavior/academic performance, to discuss an issue within the school), how confident are you that you would be provided with support?
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
.6842
.9474
.1053
.1053
1.00000
.8421
.9474
.5789
.2632
.2632
.8421
.3684
.7368
.6316
.1579
.1053
2.3158
2.4211
.47757
.22942
.31530
.31530
.000000
.37463
.22942
.50726
.45241
.45241
.37463
.49559
.45241
.49559
.37463
.31530
1.63478
.90159
Do you agree that the administration and teachers/specialists work collaboratively together in your building?
Are you involved in extra curricular activities?
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Clubs)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Organized Sports)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Intramurals)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Homework Help)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Other)
How much time do you spend a week collaborating (e.g., talking about instruction and/or students, brainstorming future lesson plans) with other teachers?
Where do you most often spend your lunch break this school year?
If your school has a school newsletter, do you contribute to it?
If you contribute to your school newsletter, how often do you contribute?
How would you rate the overall climate of your school?
When I see students outside of the school setting, they acknowledge me.
My students share personal information about their lives (i.e., family, friends, jobs) with me.
My students seek help from me regarding their schoolwork outside of class time.
I am a:
Have you ever seen a student being bullied at this school?
I feel safe at school.
I feel like I belong at this school.
I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month? (Classroom)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Hallway)
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
17
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
13
13
2.2632
.5789
.6842
.4211
.4211
.9474
.5263
3.3684
2.4211
.6842
2.1765
1.8421
2.84211
2.7895
2.4737
1.8421
.7368
2.7895
2.4737
.5789
1.1538
1.6154
.80568
.50726
.47757
.50726
.50726
.22942
.51299
.76089
.76853
.47757
1.28624
.37463
.374634
.41885
.61178
.37463
.45241
.71328
.96427
.50726
.68874
.76795
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Cafeteria)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Other)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Name calling)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Pushing)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month (Other)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Verbal threats)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month (Exclusion)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Student's race or skin color)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Popularity)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Student's gender)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Individual differences)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Other)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Intervened with bully)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Ignored it)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Other)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Referred to school psychologist or guidance)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Referred to an administrator)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Talked to administrator)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Talked to bully's parents)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Intervened with victim)
13
13
15
15
15
15
15
19
19
19
19
19
15
15
15
15
15
17
17
18
1.1538
1.0000
1.6000
1.2000
.9333
1.0000
1.5333
.8421
1.2105
.9474
1.4737
.9474
1.6667
.9333
1.0000
1.1333
.9333
1.2353
1.0000
1.2778
.68874
.57735
.73679
.67612
.45774
.53452
.74322
.37463
.71328
.52427
.77233
.52427
.72375
.45774
.53452
.74322
.45774
.90342
.79057
.89479
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Other)
Do you think the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying? Have you seen the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
When I tried to intervene in a bullying situation things have gotten worse.
If you saw bullying, how likely is it that you would intervene?
I have effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
Were you ever bullied as a child?
18
19
19
19
19
19
18
19
.9444
.7368
.2105
.6316
2.2632
2.2105
1.1111 .7895
.72536
.45241
.41885
.59726
1.09758
.71328
.67640
.41885
Student Items
I feel welcome at my school.
I like going to my school each day.
My teachers encourage students to be respectful of each other.
Teachers at my school do not allow students to be unkind to each other. Teachers give consequences if students are not kind to each other.
Any adult in the building will help me if I ask him/her too.
My teacher cares about me.
If I go to my teacher to tell her that a classmate is bothering me (e.g., teasing, being aggressive), she/he helps me handle it.
I wish I went to another school besides this one.
Have you seen someone else being bullied during the last month?
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Joined in)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Ignored it)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Told an adult)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Other)
N
34
34
35
35
35
35
35
35
34
34
34
34
34
Mean
2.4118
1.8824
2.5429
2.3429
2.2857
2.4000
2.3429
.6857
.5294
.5000
.8235
.5882
.5000
Std. Dev.
.70141
.76929
.56061
.76477
.78857
.77460
.80231
.71831
.50664
.50752
.90355
.65679
.50752
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (I tried to stop it)
I feel safe at school.
I feel like I belong at this school.
It is OK to hit someone if they hit me first.
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Classroom)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Hallway)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Cafeteria)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Other)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Your race or skin color)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Your gender)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (The way you look)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Other)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Bullied that person back)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Did nothing)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Told an adult)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Other)
Do you think that the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Have you seen adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
Teachers who try to stop bullying only make things worse.
Have you ever reported bullying to an adult at school and he/she did nothing?
34
35
35
34
35
35
35
35
33
33
33
33
32
32
32
32
33
34
34
33
.6765
2.4000
2.3714
1.3824
.3714
.4000
.3429
.2286
.2121
.2424
.3333
.3333
.3125
.3125
.2812
.2500
.7273
.2353
1.5000
.1212
.76755
.77460
.77024
1.07350
.73106
.77460
.68354
.42604
.41515
.50189
.69222
.69222
.64446
.64446
.58112
.50800
.45227
.43056
.96138
.33143
Parent Items
Does your school have a parent organization?
If so, are you currently involved with the parent organization?
Have you ever heard of the school council?
N
33
33
33
Mean
1.8182
1.0000
.9091
Std. Dev.
.58387
.43301
.29194
Are you or have you ever been involved in the school council?
Does your school allow parents to volunteer during the school day?
If your school does allow parents to volunteer during the school day, does your schedule allow for you to volunteer?
Are there opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day?
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Fundraisers)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (School Performances)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Sporting Events)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Other)
If there are opportunities, do you volunteer outside of the school day?
Does your school have a newsletter?
If your school does have a newsletter, how often do you read it?
Does your child belong to any clubs that have evening performances?
If your child does belong to a club that offers evening performances, do you attend these performances?
In the last month, how much contact, if any, have you had with your child's principal, vice principal, and/or guidance department?
How confident are you that if you contacted your child's teacher (by phone, e-mail, or written note) that they would respond to your correspondence during the same week?
How welcome do you feel at your child's school?
Are you employed outside of the home?
If you work outside the home, which shift(s) do you work?
Are you a mother, father, or guardian?
Do you have a son or daughter enrolled in the 7th grade?
Has your child ever seen a student being bullied at his/her current school?
33
33
29
33
31
31
31
31
32
33
32
34
31
34
33
34
34
34
34
34
33
.0000
1.0909
.3103
1.3333
.5806
.4839
.2903
.1613
1.3750
1.8182
2.5625
.5000
2.9677
.7353
1.9091
2.5000
.8529
1.7353
1.1765
1.5000
1.1818
.00000
.97991
.47082
.92421
.50161
.50800
.46141
.37388
.49187
.58387
.61892
.50752
.17961
1.02422
.38435
.70711
.35949
1.48342
.38695
.50752
.84611
147
Has your child ever reported being bullied at his/her current school?
My child feels safe at school.
My child feels like he/she belongs at his/her school.
I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Classroom)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Hallway)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Cafeteria)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Other)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Name calling)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Pushing)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Verbal threats)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Other)
I belief much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Student's race or skin color)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Physical differences)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Gender)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Other)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to administrator)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to bully's parents)
34
34
34
33
23
23
23
23
28
28
28
28
34
34
34
34
25
25
.5588
3.0000
3.1176
1.0303
.9565
.8261
.8696
.8261
.7857
.7143
.6786
.6786
1.4118
1.6765
1.4118
1.6176
.5200
.4000
.82356
1.15470
1.17460
.95147
1.22394
1.02922
1.09977
1.02922
1.16610
1.04906
.98333
.98333
.74336
1.03633
.74336
.98518
.82260
.64550
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to school psychologist, behavior specialist or guidance counselor)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to my child's teacher)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to my child')
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Other)
Do you think the adults at your child's school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Has your child reported seeing the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
If I heard about a bullying issue involving my child, I would report the situation to school staff.
I agree that my child has effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
Were you ever bullied as a child?
25
25
25
25
33
32
33
32
34
34
.4400
.5600
.5600
.3200
.8788
.0312
2.2727
2.3437
1.0294
.6176
.71181
.86987
.86987
.47610
.33143
.17678
.91079
.65300
.75820
.49327
School 4 Teacher/Specialist Items
How many years have you worked at your current school?
lama:
If your school has a study hall, do you monitor students during this period of the school day?
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Bus Arrival)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Dismissal)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Hall)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Cafeteria)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Recess)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Other)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Phone)
N
20
20
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
Mean
1.8000
1.3000
1.8095
.1905
.2381
.7619
.1429
.0476
.5238
.8571
Std. Dev.
1.10501
.65695
.60159
.40237
.43644
.43644
.35857
.21822
.51177
.35857
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Informal Meeting)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (E-mail) What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Written Notes)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Scheduled Conference)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Classroom)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Other)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Academic Performance)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Behavior)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Homework Issue)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Social)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Volunteering)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Other)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Academic Performance)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Behavior)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Homework)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Social)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Volunteering)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Other)
How often this school year have you individually met formally with your principal?
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
.7619
.9048
.6190
.8571
.0476
.0476
.95238
.9048
.5714
.3333
.0952
.1429
.9524
.4762
.6667
.2857
.0476
.0476
2.7619
.43644
.30079
.49761
.35857
.21822
.21822
.218218
.30079
.50709
.48305
.30079
.35857
.21822
.51177
.48305
.46291
.21822
.21822
1.44585
If you went to the administration (i.e., principal, vice principal) for support (e.g., for help with student behavior/academic performance, to discuss an issue within the school), how confident are you that you would be provided with support?
Do you agree that the administration and -teachers/specialists work collaboratively together in your building?
Are you involved in extra curricular activities?
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Clubs)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Organized Sports)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Intramurals)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Homework Help)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Other)
How much time do you spend a week collaborating (e.g., talking about instruction and/or students, brainstorming future lesson plans) with other teachers?
Where do you most often spend your lunch break this school year?
If your school has a school newsletter, do you contribute to it?
If you contribute to your school newsletter, how often do you contribute?
How would you rate the overall climate of your school?
When I see students outside of the school setting, they acknowledge me.
My students share personal information about their lives (i.e., family, friends, jobs) with me.
My students seek help from me regarding their schoolwork outside of class time.
lam a:
Have you ever seen a student being bullied at this school?
I feel safe at school.
I feel like I belong at this school.
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
20
21
17
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
2.7143
2.2857
.6667
.8095
.5714
.4286
.5714
.4286
2.8571
1.5500
.5238
.4706
1.8095
2.80952
2.5714
2.2381
1.5714
.9048
2.5714
2.6667
.46291
.46291
.48305
.40237
.50709
.50709
.50709
.50709
1.01419
.94451
.51177
.94324
.40237
.402374
.50709
.53896
.50709
.30079
.50709
.57735
I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month? (Classroom)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Hallway)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Cafeteria)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Other)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Name calling)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Pushing)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month (Other)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Verbal threats)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month (Exclusion)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Student's race or skin color)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Popularity)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Student's gender)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Individual differences)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Other)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Intervened with bully)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Ignored it)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Other)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Referred to school psychologist or guidance)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Referred to an administrator)
21
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
18
18
18
18
18
.9048
1.6316
1.8421
1.3158
1.1579
1.8947
1.6316
1.1053
1.6316
1.5789
1.1579
1.4737
1.0526
1.9474
1.0526
1.8889
1.0000
.9444
1.2778
1.5556
.70034
.59726
.50146
.58239
.50146
.45883
.59726
.45883
.59726
.60698
.37463
.51299
.22942
.22942
.22942
.47140
.34300
.23570
.57451
.61570
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Talked to administrator)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Talked to bully's parents)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Intervened with victim)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Other)
Do you think the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Have you seen the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
When I tried to intervene in a bullying situation things have gotten worse.
If you saw bullying, how likely is it that you would intervene?
I have effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
Were you ever bullied as a child?
20
20
20
20
20
21
20
21
21
21
21
1.6500
.9000
1.4000
1.0000
.8500
.2857
.7500
2.8571
2.1429
1.1429
.6190
.74516
.44721
.75394
.56195
.36635
.46291
.44426
.35857
.65465
.72703
.49761
Student Items
I feel welcome at my school.
I like going to my school each day.
My teachers encourage students to be respectful of each other.
Teachers at my school do not allow students to be unkind to each other. Teachers give consequences if students are not kind to each other.
Any adult in the building will help me if I ask him/her too.
My teacher cares about me.
If I go to my teacher to tell her that a classmate is bothering me (e.g., teasing, being aggressive), she/he helps me handle it.
I wish I went to another school besides this one.
Have you seen someone else being bullied during the last month?
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Joined in)
N
39
39
39
39
39
38
39
39
39
35
Mean
2.3333
1.8205
2.3846
2.1026
2.1538
2.1053
2.2051
1.1538
.4615
.4571
Std. Dev.
.66227
.75644
.59007
.94018
.77929
.79829
.76707
1.01407
.55470
.50543
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Ignored it)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Told an adult) What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Other)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (I tried to stop it)
I feel safe at school.
I feel like I belong at this school.
It is OK to hit someone if they hit me first.
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Classroom)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Hallway)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Cafeteria)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Other)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Your race or skin color)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Your gender)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (The way you look)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Other)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Bullied that person back)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Did nothing)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Told an adult)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Other)
Do you think that the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Have you seen adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
Teachers who try to stop bullying only make things worse.
Have you ever reported bullying to an adult at school and he/she did nothing?
35
35
35
35
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
35
35
35
35
36
36
36
36
39
39
39
39
.6571
.5143
.5714
.6000
1.9744
2.0256
1.2564
.2308
.2564
.3077
.2564
.2571
.2286
.3714
.2857
.2778
.2778
.3333
.3889
.7179
.1026
1.1282
.1026
.80231
.61220
.69814
.73565
.70663
.74294
1.06914
.48458
.54858
.65510
.54858
.50543
.42604
.73106
.57248
.51331
.51331
.63246
.72812
.45588
.30735
.83286
.30735
Parent Items
Does your school have a parent organization?
If so, are you currently involved with the parent organization?
Have you ever heard of the school council?
Are you or have you ever been involved in the school council?
Does your school allow parents to volunteer during the school day?
If your school does allow parents to volunteer during the school day, does your schedule allow for you to volunteer?
Are there opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day?
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Fundraisers)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (School Performances)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Sporting Events)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Other)
If there are opportunities, do you volunteer outside of the school day?
Does your school have a newsletter?
If your school does have a newsletter, how often do you read it?
Does your child belong to any clubs that have evening performances?
If your child does belong to a club that offers evening performances, do you attend these performances?
In the last month, how much contact, if any, have you had with your child's principal, vice principal, and/or guidance department?
How confident are you that if you contacted your child's teacher (by phone, e-mail, or written note) that they would respond to your correspondence during the same week?
How welcome do you feel at your child's school?
Are you employed outside of the home?
N
41
41
41
41
40
40
40
37
37
37
37
41
40
37
40
37
40
40
41
40
Mean
1.5610
.9756
.8049
.0488
.9000
.2500
.8250
.3243
.1081
.1351
.0270
1.1951
1.5250
1.9730
.2000
2.4054
.6250
1.7000
2.2927
.7000
Std. Dev.
.83812
.41760
.40122
.21808
.95542
.43853
.93060
.47458
.31480
.34658
.16440
.40122
.81610
1.06684
.40510
1.14162
.86787
.68687
.74980
.46410
If you work outside the home, which shift(s) do you work?
Are you a mother, father, or guardian?
Do you have a son or daughter enrolled in the 7th grade?
Has your child ever seen a student being bullied at his/her current school?
Has your child ever reported being bullied at his/her current school?
My child feels safe at school.
My child feels like he/she belongs at his/her school.
I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Classroom)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Hallway)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Cafeteria)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Other)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Name calling)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Pushing)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Verbal threats)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Other)
I belief much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Student's race or skin color)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Physical differences)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Gender)
38
41
41
41
41
40
40
40
33
33
33
33
34
34
34
34
40
40
40
2.5789
1.1951
1.4146
1.0488
.7317
2.8750
2.9750
.8000
1.3030
1.2424
1.3030
1.2424
1.4706
1.2941
1.3824
1.2059
1.7000
1.6500
1.5000
1.81035
.45932
.54661
.89306
.97530
.88252
.76753
.72324
1.18545
1.11888
1.18545
1.11888
1.26096
1.08793
1.18103
.97792
.99228
.94868
.78446
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Other)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to administrator)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to bully's parents)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to school psychologist, behavior specialist or guidance counselor)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to my child's teacher)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to my child')
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Other)
Do you think the adults at your child's school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Has your child reported seeing the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
If I heard about a bullying issue involving my child, I would report the situation to school staff.
I agree that my child has effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
Were you ever bullied as a child?
40
28
28
28
28
28
28
39
41
40
40
41
41
1.4750
.8929
.6071
.6429
.8214
.8929
.6786
.7692
.0244
2.5250
2.1250
1.2683
.3902
.75064
.83174
.49735
.55872
.77237
.83174
.61183
.42683
.15617
.75064
.60712
.83739
.49386
School 5 Teacher/Specialist Items
How many years have you worked at your current school?
lama:
If your school has a study hall, do you monitor students during this period of the school day?
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Bus Arrival)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Dismissal)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Hall)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Cafeteria)
N
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
Mean
2.3077
1.1538
1.8462
.8462
.8462
.4615
.7692
Std. Dev.
.85485
.37553
.55470
.37553
.37553
.51887
.43853
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Recess)
If you have assigned duties this school year, what do they involve? (Other)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Phone)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Informal Meeting)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (E-mail)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Written Notes)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Scheduled Conference)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Classroom)
What types of parent contact have you had this school year? (Other)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Academic Performance)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Behavior)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Homework Issue)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Social)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Volunteering)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for contacting parents this school year? (Other)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Academic Performance)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Behavior)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Homework)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Social)
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Volunteering)
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
.5385
.0000
.8462
.8462
1.0000
.4615
.8462
.3077
.0769
.76923
.7692
.6923
.6154
.4615
.1538
.7692
.3077
.7692
.6154
.4615
.51887
.00000
.37553
.37553
.00000
.51887
.37553
.48038
.27735
.438529
.43853
.48038
.50637
.51887
.37553
.43853
.48038
.43853
.50637
.51887
If so, which of the following have been reason(s) for parents contacting you this school year? (Other)
How often this school year have you individually met formally with your principal?
If you went to the administration (i.e., principal, vice principal) for support (e.g., for help with student behavior/academic performance, to discuss an issue within the school), how confident are you that you would be provided with support?
Do you agree that the administration and teachers/specialists work collaboratively together in your building?
Are you involved in extra curricular activities?
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Clubs)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Organized Sports)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Intramurals)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Homework Help)
If you are involved in extra curricular activities, which ones? (Other)
How much time do you spend a week collaborating (e.g., talking about instruction and/or students, brainstorming future lesson plans) with other teachers?
Where do you most often spend your lunch break this school year?
If your school has a school newsletter, do you contribute to it?
If you contribute to your school newsletter, how often do you contribute?
How would you rate the overall climate of your school?
When I see students outside of the school setting, they acknowledge me.
My students share personal information about their lives (i.e., family, friends, jobs) with me.
My students seek help from me regarding their school work outside of class time.
lam a:
Have you ever seen a student being bullied at this school?
13
13
13
12
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
12
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
.1538
2.3846
2.0000
2.1667
.5385
.6923
.6154
.5385
.6923
.7692
3.4615
2.3333
.6923
1.7692
1.5385
2.92308
2.8462
2.3077
1.6923
.7692
.37553
1.38675
1.15470
.57735
.51887
.48038
.50637
.51887
.48038
.43853
.96742
1.07309
.48038
1.42325
.51887
.277350
.37553
.63043
.48038
.43853
I feel safe at school.
I feel like I belong at this school.
I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month? (Classroom)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Hallway)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Cafeteria)
Where have you seen students being bullied in the past month (Other)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Name calling)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Pushing)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month (Other)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month? (Verbal threats)
In what ways have you seen students being bullied within the past month (Exclusion)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Student's race or skin color)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Popularity)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Student's gender)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Individual differences)
Much of the bullying at my school is about... (Other)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Intervened with bully)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Ignored it)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Other)
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Referred to school psychologist or guidance)
13
12
13
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
13
13
13
13
13
12
12
12
12
2.6923
2.4167
.6154
1.0000
1.6364
1.6364
.9091
1.6364
1.4545
1.1818
1.2727
1.6364
1.0769
1.4615
.9231
1.6923
1.0000
1.5000
.9167
.9167
1.1667
.85485
.90034
.76795
.44721
.67420
.67420
.30151
.67420
.68755
.60302
.64667
.67420
.49355
.66023
.27735
.63043
.40825
.79772
.51493
.51493
.71774
When you have seen bullying during the past month, how did you respond? (Referred to an administrator)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Talked to administrator)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Talked to bully's parents)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Intervened with victim)
What did you do when the student(s) reported bullying? (Other)
Do you think the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Have you seen the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
When I tried to intervene in a bullying situation things have gotten worse.
If you saw bullying, how likely is it that you would intervene?
I have effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
Were you ever bullied as a child?
12
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
12
13
13
13
1.2500
1.3077
.9231
1.5385
1.1538
.7692
.3077
.6923
2.5833
1.9231
1.2308
.7692
.75378
.75107
.49355
.77625
.68874
.43853
.48038
.48038
.90034
.86232
.43853
.43853
Student Items
I feel welcome at my school.
I like going to my school each day.
My teachers encourage students to be respectful of each other.
Teachers at my school do not allow students to be unkind to each other. Teachers give consequences if students are not kind to each other.
Any adult in the building will help me if I ask him/her too.
My teacher cares about me.
If I go to my teacher to tell her that a classmate is bothering me (e.g., teasing, being aggressive), she/he helps me handle it.
I wish I went to another school besides this one.
Have you seen someone else being bullied during the last month?
N 40
40
40
39
40
39
40
40
39
Mean
2.6250
1.9750
2.8000
2.5641
2.5500
2.4872
2.6000
.5500
.5385
Std. Dev.
.54006
.80024
.46410
.55226
.50383
.50637
.54538
.71432
.50504
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Joined in)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Ignored it)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Told an adult)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (Other)
What did you do when you saw the person being bullied? (I tried to stop it)
I feel safe at school.
I feel like I belong at this school.
It is OK to hit someone if they hit me first.
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Classroom)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Hallway)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Cafeteria)
Where have you been bullied during the past month? (Other)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Your race or skin color)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Your gender)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (The way you look)
Within the past month, have you been bullied about... (Other)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Bullied that person back)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Did nothing)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Told an adult)
What did you do when you were bullied? (Other)
Do you think that the adults at your school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Have you seen adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
Teachers who try to stop bullying only make things worse.
34
34
34
34
34
40
40
40
40
40
40
40
36
36
36
36
39
39
39
39
36
39
36
.5882
.7059
.6765
.6471
.8824
2.4500
2.3750
.8750
.4500
.5000
.4500
.4500
.2500
.2500
.3056
.3889
.3333
.4103
.4359
.4615
.7222
.2051
1.0833
.55692
.71898
.68404
.64584
.87956
.55238
.66747
.99195
.74936
.81650
.74936
.74936
.50000
.50000
.62425
.76636
.52981
.67738
.71800
.75555
.45426
.40907
.87423
Have you ever reported bullying to an adult at school and he/she did nothing?
40 .1250 .33493
Parent Items
Does your school have a parent organization?
If so, are you currently involved with the parent organization?
Have you ever heard of the school council?
Are you or have you ever been involved in the school council?
Does your school allow parents to volunteer during the school day?
If your school does allow parents to volunteer during the school day, does your schedule allow for you to volunteer?
Are there opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day?
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Fundraisers)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (School Performances)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Sporting Events)
If there are opportunities for volunteering outside of the school day, what are they? (Other)
If there are opportunities, do you volunteer outside of the school day?
Does your school have a newsletter?
If your school does have a newsletter, how often do you read it?
Does your child belong to any clubs that have evening performances?
If your child does belong to a club that offers evening performances, do you attend these performances?
In the last month, how much contact, if any, have you had with your child's principal, vice principal, and/or guidance department?
How confident are you that if you contacted your child's teacher (by phone, e-mail, or written note) that they would respond to your correspondence during the same week?
N
39
39
38
39
37
34
39
39
39
39
39
36
38
38
39
39
39
39
Mean
2.0000
1.3846
.8684
.1282
1.4865
.7059
1.3846
.7179
.5641
.2821
.1538
1.5278
2.0000
2.6316
.5897
2.9744
.9744
1.8462
Std. Dev.
.00000
.49286
.34257
.33869
.80352
.46250
.93514
.45588
.50236
.45588
.36552
.50631
.00000
.67468
.49831
.16013
1.03840
.43155
How welcome do you feel at your child's school?
Are you employed outside of the home?
If you work outside the home, which shift(s) do you work?
Are you a mother, father, or guardian?
Do you have a son or daughter enrolled in the 7th grade?
Has your child ever seen a student being bullied at his/her current school?
Has your child ever reported being bullied at his/her current school?
My child feels safe at school.
My child feels like he/she belongs at his/her school.
I think it is OK for students to hit someone who hits them first.
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Classroom)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Hallway)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Cafeteria)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, where has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Other)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Name calling)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Pushing)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Verbal threats)
If your child has reported incidences of bullying in the past month, in what ways has he/she reported being or seeing other students being bullied? (Other)
I belief much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Student's race or skin color)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Physical differences)
39
39
38
39
39
38
39
39
39
38
29
29
29
29
30
30
30
30
39
39
2.7179
.6154
2.8947
1.0769
1.6667
1.3947
.5385
3.2051
3.1282
.9211
.8276
.8276
.8621
.8276
1.0000
.8667
.9333
1.0000
1.2051
1.3590
.60475
.49286
1.94227
.26995
.47757
.75479
.85367
1.26032
1.30141
.81809
.88918
.88918
.95335
.88918
1.17444
.97320
1.08066
1.17444
.76707
.98641
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Gender)
I believe much of the bullying at my child's school is about... (Other)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to adminstrator)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to bully's parents)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to school psychologist, behavior specialist or guidance counselor)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to my child's teacher)
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Talked to my child')
What did you do if your child reported bullying? (Other)
Do you think the adults at your child's school are doing enough to prevent or stop bullying?
Has your child reported seeing the adults watching bullying and doing nothing?
If I heard about a bullying issue involving my child, I would report the situation to school staff.
I agree that my child has effective strategies for handling a bullying situation.
Bullying is a part of life that everyone has to go through.
