Date of Award

2001

Degree Name

Psychology

College

College of Liberal Arts

Type of Degree

M.A.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Elizabeth Kelley Boyles

Second Advisor

Fred Jay Krieg

Third Advisor

Beverly Farrow

Fourth Advisor

Stephen L. O’Keefe

Fifth Advisor

Leonard J. Deutsch

Abstract

The frequent depiction of school violence in the media today has led some to believe that violence in our schools is an increasing problem. Those who are most prone to be influenced by the media’s perception of school violence may include those most affected by school violence such as parents, educators, and students. This influence may increase parents’ concerns about sending their children to school, and create a fear of going to school on a daily basis in educators and students. Despite such fears, research suggests that school violence is, in fact, decreasing, at least with regard to school shootings. Though incidents of school shootings are relatively rare, data collected from the Department of Education shows that 10 percent of the nation’s schools have experienced at least one or more violent crimes during the 1996-1997 school year. The 1999 Annual Report on School Safety indicated that a vast majority of America’s schools are safe. However, it is true that some schools have serious crime and violence problems. It is important to note that though school-associated violent death incidents have decreased, the “multiple” homicide events in schools have increased (1999 Annual Report on School Safety).

Subject(s)

School violence.

School shootings.

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