Title
A New Perspective on Aggression in the Schools: Exploring Parental Aggression Towards Teachers
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 2006
Abstract
While a substantial amount of research has been devoted to identifying the causal influences and perpetrators of delinquency and victimization among students in the public school setting, similar literature focusing on aggression against teachers is typically concerned only with those instances where the students are the perpetrators. In an exploratory effort to add to that literature, we use data collected from a sample of 544 public school teachers in Kentucky to examine teacher perceptions of the prevalence, predictors, and consequences of problematic parental behavior in schools. Our results suggest, within the limitations of the sample under study, a substantial minority of teachers had been victims of verbal abuse and threats from parents, but only a small percentage of teachers had experienced any physical aggression from parents. In other words, while the problem of parental aggression was present for many of the teachers under study here, it was a problem of verbal aggression, not physical aggression, and resulted primarily from issues surrounding disciplinary actions. Additionally, many of the respondents agreed that both the school board and the criminal justice system were reluctant to prosecute parents who violate the law on school grounds and disagreed that policies at their school adequately punished parents who create conflict.
Recommended Citation
Wallace, L. H., & May, D. C. (2006, Spring). A New Perspective on Aggression in the Schools: Exploring Parental Aggression Towards Teachers. Kentucky Justice & Safety Research Bulletin, 6, 40.
