Student–teacher relationships and students’ willingness to seek help for school violence

Abstract

Students’ willingness to seek help from a teacher to deal with four different forms of violence (physical, relational, verbal, and use of weapon) was studied. The role of positive teacher–student relationships and whether such relationships mediate students’ perceptions of the teacher’s ability to assist were assessed. Findings pointed to only partial mediation in physical, relational, and verbal violence and no mediation in the case of weapon use. Girls and younger students were more willing to seek help for all forms of violence. The importance of relationships with teachers for dealing with school violence is discussed.

Associations between peer victimization and school climate: The impact of form and the moderating role of gender

“…When considering student demographics, several notable patterns were found. First, age was not associated with school attachment and school safety but was associated with help‐seeking, which is consistent with prior evidence indicating younger children may be more likely to seek help (Kochenderfer‐Ladd & Pelletier, ; Kristensen & Smith, ; Yablon, ). While gender did not moderate the relationship between either form of victimization and school safety, gender differences were found for school attachment and help‐seeking.…”

“…A child's gender may be a salient factor to consider in understanding victimization experiences and perceptions of school climate. For example, studies indicate that girls are more likely than boys to seek help in response to peer victimization (Kristensen & Smith, ; Tenenbaum, Varjas, Meyers, & Parris, ; Unnever & Cornell, ; Yablon, ). Furthermore, research indicates that boys are more likely to experience peer victimization in a physical form (Carbone‐Lopez, Esbensen, & Brick, ; Crick & Bigbee, ; Crick & Nelson, ).…”

“…Research suggests that students may be less likely to seek help from teachers when students feel responsible for dealing with victimization issues independently (deLara, ; Wong, Lok, Wing Lo, & Ma, ), embarrassed about being victimized (deLara, ), and/or concerned about bully retribution (Wong et al, ). Conversely, studies suggest that predictors of help‐seeking behavior include high chronicity of bullying episodes (Unnever & Cornell, ), student confidence in teacher ability to effectively intervene (Aceves, Hinshaw, Mendoza‐Denton, & Page‐Gould, ; Undheim & Sund, ; Wong et al, ), physical (rather than relational or verbal) victimization experiences (Kristensen & Smith, ; Wong et al, ), and younger age (Kochenderfer‐Ladd & Pelletier, ; Kristensen & Smith, ; Yablon, ); though the evidence on help‐seeking in response to victimization is predominantly based on adolescent experiences, with less known about younger children.…”

“…Research suggests that gender may play a role in school climate perceptions and behaviors. For instance, research indicates that girls are more likely than boys to seek help from teachers or friends in response to bullying incidents regardless of age (Cross, Lester, & Barnes, ; Kristensen & Smith, ; Moran, ; Tenenbaum et al, ; Unnever & Cornell, ; Visconti, Sechler, & Kochenderfer‐Ladd, ; Waasdorp & Bradshaw, ; Yablon, ), while boys may be more likely than girls to respond to victimization experiences with physical aggression (Aceves et al, ).…”

Why Adolescents Don't Disclose Incidents of Bullying and Harassment

“…Berlan et al (2010) found that these teens are more likely to report bullying than heterosexual teens. Yablon (2010) conducted a study with 313 secondary school students utilizing vignettes to establish student-teacher connectedness. The study found that whether or not a student reported bullying and allowed adult intervention was mediated by the quality of the student-teacher relationship.…”