Prevalence of student violence against teachers: A meta-analysis.

Abstract

Objective: Violence directed against teachers is a public health issue that warrants attention in research and practice. There is a growing literature on teacher-directed violence that has examined the prevalence of these incidents, yet there is considerable variation across studies. There is a need for a systematic and comprehensive review to assess the extent of the problem. Method: In the current study, we identified 5,337 articles through our initial screening process, and our final analysis included 24 studies that met criteria for this meta-analysis. We examined prevalence of violence perpetrated against teachers by students and how these rates varied by reporting time frame, reporter, and type of violence. Results: The prevalence of any type of teacher-reported violence victimization within ≤2 years ranged from 20% to 75% with a pooled prevalence of 53%. The prevalence according to a career time frame was lower, ranging from 32% to 40% with a pooled prevalence of 37.79%. Results also show variation in prevalence according to victimization type (e.g., physical attacks or theft of personal property), with lower prevalence rates for more intrusive types of victimization. Conclusions: This study represents the first meta-analysis investigating the prevalence of student violence directed against teachers. Findings provide evidence of the high rate of violence directed toward teachers, especially when accounting for both physical and nonphysical forms of violence. Teacher victimization appears to be an international problem, suggesting that the discourse by policymakers and practitioners should be framed within an international context while also considering local nuances.

Psychosocial Risks and Violence Against Teachers. Is It Possible to Promote Well-Being at Work?

“…It follows that the impact of any violence perpetrated by a student against a teacher will be particularly significant [40]. Across the globe, teacher-directed violence is an acute and serious issue that has received relatively little attention in the literature [41,42,43,44], with few studies exploring the violent mistreatment of teachers by students and students’ parents [2]. In a study conducted by the American Psychological Association Task Force exploring Classroom Violence Directed against Teachers, 80% of teachers across 48 states reported experiencing at least one instance of at least one type of victimization in the workplace over the course of the most recent school year [41,44,45,46].…”

Violence at School and the Well-Being of Teachers. The Importance of Positive Relationships

“…Looking at the international literature, there are data indicating that 80% of teachers in the United States reported at least one form of victimization at the workplace during the same or previous year in which they completed the research survey (Galand et al, 2007; Espelage et al, 2013; McMahon et al, 2014; Longobardi et al, 2018; Reddy et al, 2018). Although partial, this picture reflects a growth in numbers of aggressive acts directed toward teachers, across different school types and locations and in forms ranging from verbal threats or intimidation to acts of physical and/or sexual violence (Dinkes et al, 2009; Wilson et al, 2011).…”

Bad Boys and Mean Girls: Callous-Unemotional Traits, Management of Disruptive Behavior in School, the Teacher-Student Relationship and Academic Motivation

“…Disruptive behavior in schools has a strong negative impact on student academic engagement and achievement, classroom functioning and interpersonal relationships in school (Herrero et al, 2006;Thomas et al, 2011;McEachern and Snyder, 2012). Antisocial behavior is a major contributor to teacher stress and burnout, due to the strain of managing disruptive behavior and even student aggression directed toward teachers (Espelage et al, 2013;Friedman-Krauss et al, 2014;Longobardi et al, 2018). Disruptive behaviors predict school dropout, truancy, school exclusion and are the most common reason for referral to special education and mental health services (Kim-Cohen et al, 2005;Department for Education, 2010).…”