"It's Murder Out Today": Middle School Girls Speak Out about Girl Fighting

Reasons for Fighting among Violent Female Adolescents: A Qualitative Investigation from an Urban, Midwestern Community

“…While understanding of fighting among female adolescents has increased, additional research is needed to more fully understand the social context and the function that engaging in violence can serve (Hine & Welford, 2012; Letendre & Smith, 2011). Focusing on the experiences of female adolescents who had engaged in violence in the past year (e.g., hitting, pushing, or beating someone) is important to gain insight into the reasons for fighting.…”

“…Understanding the circumstances and reasons why females become physically aggressive is essential for developmental and prevention researchers interested in adolescent health (Graves, 2007; Greene, Peters & Associates, 1998). The current study builds on previous research that has used traditional qualitative methods to examine the social context for fighting among female adolescents (Jones, 2009; Molnar et al 2005; Letendre & Smith, 2011; Ness, 2004; 2010). …”

“I Hear You”: Using Focus Groups to Give Voice to Adolescent Girls' Experiences with Violence

“…They were eager to understand why girls fought because this problem required extensive staff time expenditure, specifically for guidance counselors and assistant principals. The researcher's emphasis in the meeting was to inform the school personnel how serious the girls believed the problem of girl fighting was "the biggest problem in the school" (Letendre & Smith, 2011) and how it affected their school life. Recommendations for the principal that were brainstormed in the focus group were shared including raising awareness of the emotional stress of girl fighting, the need for girls to discuss the issues that led to fighting in a safe place and suggestions to provide opportunities for interaction across racial and ethnic groups.…”

“…Their use in the social sciences research is documented as early as World War II, to examine issues related to propaganda (Merton & Kendell, as cited in Toseland & Rivas, 2010). They have been used in social science research to explore topics such as African American fatherhood (Cochran, 2013), adolescent peer support (Ellis, Marsh, & Craven, 2009), girl fighting (Letendre & Smith, 2011), media messages about AIDS (Kitzinger, 1994), adolescent boys' attitudes about dating violence (Prospero, 2007), and availability of community resources I Hear You 115 to Latina mothers (Umaña-Taylor & Bámaca, 2004). In agency practice settings programs are evaluated by convening focus groups of stakeholders (Ansay, Perkins, & Nelson, 2004;Lomeck & Way, 1997) Although focus groups are an economical (time and resources) method of understanding a social issue (Cochran, 2013), they are often chosen as the method of inquiry because the collective information gained often mirrors the social context where the phenomena of interest is experienced.…”

“…As individual opinions are shared, other members reflect and compare opinions and respond in ways that agree with, add to or challenge the viewpoint. Participation in a focus group where relevant social issues are explored can inadvertently lead to the empowerment of focus group participants, as they experience acceptance of their opinions and become active informants who bring greater clarity to all aspects of a social problem that is relevant to their lives (Cochran, 2013;Letendre & Smith, 2011). Greater clarity can also emerge for the participants and the researcher, particularly when the discussion takes place in a social setting that mirrors the social context where the problem often occurs (Umaña-Taylor & Bámaca, 2004).…”