This research proposal examines the causes of school violence in the United States and investigates methods schools can implement to prevent it. Drawing on a preliminary literature review and a planned mixed-methods study combining secondary qualitative data with a primary quantitative survey of Midwestern educators, the paper identifies key risk factors — including gang activity and racial demographics — and evaluates both school-based and community-based prevention initiatives. The proposal outlines research questions, testable hypotheses, study limitations, and a data analysis plan using content analysis and SPSS. It underscores the serious, wide-ranging consequences of school violence for students, teachers, and staff, and argues that complex, evidence-based responses are urgently needed.
The recent upswing in high-profile violent incidents in the United States has focused increasing attention on the causes of this public health threat and what types of response are most appropriate. The debate over the most appropriate responses to increased violence in American society has also extended to the nation's schools. Although it has always been present to some extent, violence has become a major problem in the nation's schools in recent years (Kelly, 2010; Killam & Roland, 2014). While the potential for enhanced awareness of the problem and improved reporting mechanisms may account for some of the reported increase in school violence in recent years (Blosnich & Bossarte, 2011), the research that follows will clearly show that any level of violence in the schools can be enormously harmful to students and staff alike (Robers & Kemp, 2012), making investigations of this problem timely, relevant, and important for policymakers and educators today.
The purpose of the proposed study is to explore the secondary literature and collect primary data concerning the causes of violence in the nation's schools and what steps can be implemented to prevent it. This purpose is highly congruent with the guidance provided by Johnson, Burke, and Gielen (2012), who note that the vast majority of schools in the United States (90% or more) have already implemented school-based initiatives designed to prevent school violence. In addition, school-based violence prevention programs can also help reduce the incidence of violent behaviors such as bullying through coursework in empathy and character building (Gibbone & Manson, 2010).
The following definitions of key terms will be used for the purposes of this study.
Methods: This term includes both school- and community-based initiatives that are specifically designed to prevent school violence.
School violence: This term generally includes all forms of physical and emotional abuse, including teasing, bullying, stabbings, shootings, assaults, and fights involving students (King, 2014).
Violence: More specifically, the proposed study uses the definition provided by the World Health Organization, which defines violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation" (cited in Kelly, 2014, p. 42).
The following research questions will be used to develop the information needed to confirm or refute the proposed study's hypotheses:
What are the main causes of violence in the schools?
What methods have proven effective in preventing school violence?
The following hypotheses will guide the proposed study's research into the causes of school violence and what steps can be implemented to prevent it:
H1: There is a statistically significant correlation between gang activity and the prevalence of violence in a school.
N1: There is no statistically significant correlation between gang activity and the prevalence of violence in a school.
H2: There is a statistically significant correlation between school violence and the racial makeup of a school's student body.
N2: There is no statistically significant correlation between school violence and the racial makeup of a school's student body.
H3: School-based interventions are more effective in preventing violence in the schools compared to community-based initiatives.
N3: School-based interventions are not more effective in preventing violence in the schools compared to community-based initiatives.
The proposed study anticipates three main limitations:
The number of educators willing to participate in a survey concerning the causes of violence in the schools will likely be relatively small compared to the total number of educators actively teaching in the United States, and the findings may not be reflective of the nation as a whole.
The Midwestern school district from which the respondent educators will be drawn may not be representative of other school districts across the country.
The potential for researcher bias concerning which studies are included for analysis is always present during the conduct of a literature review (Karimov, Brengman, & Van Hove, 2011).
The proposed study is significant for a number of reasons, especially with respect to the need to identify optimal responses to a multifaceted and complex problem (Fox & Burstein, 2010). Students who are victims of violence as well as those who witness violent acts in their schools can experience a wide range of adverse outcomes that may extend into adulthood (Grantham, 2013). Although longitudinal studies tracking young victims of violence into adulthood remain limited, current research indicates that young people who experience or witness violent acts can suffer from: (a) externalizing behaviors such as conduct problems and aggression; (b) internalizing problems such as fears, phobias, depression, and somatic complaints; (c) a diminished sense of self-worth; (d) social and emotional adjustment difficulties; (e) difficulties maintaining positive relations with peers and adults; (f) decreased social competence; (g) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); (h) anxiety; (i) depression; (j) elevated anger levels; (k) increased delinquent behaviors; (l) increased violent behaviors; and (m) an elevated potential for involvement in abusive relationships in the future (Smith & Eklund, 2015, p. 21).
Likewise, the short-term adverse effects of school violence on teachers and educational staff include acute stress disorder — encompassing anxiety, dissociation, numbing, depersonalization, and dissociative amnesia — as well as long-term effects such as PTSD, illness, divorce, burnout, and career change (Brock, 2009, p. 16). In sum, the effects of school violence can be life-altering, and despite being made a national priority, this problem not only remains unresolved but appears to be worsening.
"Mixed-methods design and custom survey instrument"
"Content analysis and quantitative SPSS data synthesis"
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