Perceptions of teachers and administrators in an Oklahoma school district regarding a safe school environment.

Abstract

The topic of school violence and its causes are at the forefront of educational issues today. The purpose of this study was to measure teachers' and administrators' perceptions of violence within a public school district in the Midwest United States.

The research indicated that administrators and teachers do not perceive their schools as unsafe. Differences were found between administrators' and teachers' perceptions. The study found gender to be an issue in the perception of school safety and violence issues. In addition, the findings indicated that differences do exist in the perceptions of elementary teachers and secondary teachers in regard to a safe school environment. Data also showed little difference in the way more experienced and less experienced teachers and administrators regard their school as having a safe and non-violent environment. It is important to note that no variable was perceived to be a major problem by any of the participants.

This study used a survey instrument and quantitative analysis to determine the perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding a safe school environment. The instrument consisted of two scales. The items on the first scale of the questionnaire dealt with threats to school safety that related to gangs, drugs, assaults and other crimes. The second scale of the instrument addressed issues of possible or probable locations of sites of violence on campuses such as empty classrooms, halls, lunchrooms, and school grounds. The survey was sent to 125 randomly selected educators in a suburban school in the Midwest.