Most research on school violence focuses on the experiences of the students rather than on the perceptions of the educational staff. As part of the first national survey on school violence in Israel, this study examines the perceptions of homeroom teachers on violence in their schools. Self-administered anonymous questionnaires were answered by 1521 teachers from 232 schools. This sample, derived from schools throughout Israel, represents all the sectors in public education in Israel, including primary, junior high and high schools from the Jewish religious, Jewish secular and Arab sectors. Our findings indicate that many teachers in Israel are exposed to a considerable amount of verbal and physical violence. Even so, most of them think that violence is not a big problem at their school and, consequently, report feeling safe within school grounds. Teachers also report on a lack of training in dealing with violence. There are slight but clear differences between teachers in different school levels and cultural groups.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Astor, R. A. (1998) ‘School Violence: A Blueprint for Elementary School Interventions’, in E. M. Freeman, C. G. Franklin, R. Fong, G. Shaffer and E. M. Timberlake (eds) Multisystemic Skills and Interventions in School Social Work Practice, pp. 281–296. Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers Press .
2.
Astor, R., Behre, W., Fravil, K. and Wallace, J. (1997) ‘ Perceptions of School Violence As A Problem and Reports of Violent Events ’, Social Work42: 55–68 .
3.
Astor, R. A., Behre, W. J., Wallace, J. and Fravil, K. (1998) ‘ School Social Workers and School Violence: Personal Safety, Training and Violence Programs ’, Social Work43: 223–232 .
4.
Astor, R. A., Benbenishty, R. and Marachi, R. (2004) ‘Violence in Schools’, in P. A. Meares (ed.) Social Work Services in Schools, 4th edn, pp. 149–182. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon .
5.
Astor, R. A., Pitner, R., Benbenishty, R. and Meyer, H. A., (2002) ‘Public Concern and Focus on School Violence’, in L. A., Rapp-Paglicci, A. Roberts and J. Wodarski (eds) Handbook of Violence, pp. 262–302. New York: Wiley and Sons .
6.
Astor, R., Meyer, H. and Behre, W. (1999) ‘ Unowned Spaces and Times: Maps and Interviews About Violence in High Schools ’, American Education Research Journal36: 3–42 .
7.
Behre, W. J., Astor R. A. and Meyer, H. A. (2001) ‘ Elementary and Middle School Teachers’ Reasoning About Intervening in School Violence: An Examination of Violence Prone School Sub-Contexts ’, Journal of Moral Education30: 131–153 .
8.
Benbenishty, R., Zeira, A. and Astor, R. A. (2000) A National Study of School Violence in Israel. Israeli Ministry of Education, Jerusalem, Israel .
9.
Benbenishty, R., Zeira, A. and Astor, R. A. (2002a) ‘ Children’s Reports of Emotional, Physical and Sexual Maltreatment by Educational Staff in Israel ’, Child Abuse and Neglect26(8): 763–782 .
10.
Benbenishty, R., Zeira, A., Astor, R. A. and Khouri-Kassabri, M. (2002b) ‘ Maltreatment of Primary School Students by Educational Staff in Israel ’, Child Abuse and Neglect26(12): 1291–1309 .
11.
DeVoe, J. F., Ruddy, S. A., Miller, A., Planty, M., Peter, K., Kaufman, P. and Snyder, T. D. (2002) Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2002. US Department of Education and Justice. NCES 2003-009/NCJ-196753. Washington, DC .
12.
Dietz, T. L. (2000) ‘ Disciplining Children: Characteristics Associated With The Use of Corporal Punishment ’, Child Abuse and Neglect24(12): 1529–1542 .
13.
Elam, S. and Rose, L. (1995) ‘ The 27th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools ’, Phi Delta Kappan77: 41–56
14.
Elam, S., Rose, L. and Gallup, A. (1994) ‘ The 26th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools ’, Phi Delta Kappan76: 41–56 .
15.
Elam, S., Rose, L. and Gallup, A. (1996) ‘ The 28th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools ’, Phi Delta Kappan78: 41–59 .
16.
Elbedour, S., Center B. A., Maruyama G. M. and Assor, A. (1997) ‘ Physical and Psychological Maltreatment in Schools: The Abusive Behaviors of Teachers in Bedouin Schools in Israel ’, School Psychology International18(3): 201–215 .
17.
Furlong, M., Morrison, G., Chung, A., Bates, M. and Morrison, R. (1997) ‘School Violence’, in G. Baer, K. Minke and A. Thomas (eds) Children’s Needs II: Development Problems and Alternatives, pp. 245–256. Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychologist .
18.
Furlong, M., Babinski, L., Poland, S., Munoz, J. and Boles, S. (1996) ‘ Factors Associated With School Psychologists’ Perceptions of Campus Violence ’, Psychology in the Schools33: 28–37 .
19.
Haj-Yahia, M. (1997) ‘ Predicting Beliefs About Wife Beating Among Engaged Arab Men in Israel ’, Journal of Interpersonal Violence12(4): 530–545 .
20.
Heaviside, S., Rowand, C., Williams, C. and Farris, E. (1998) Violence and Discipline Problems in US Public Schools: 1996–1997. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics . NCES 98-030.
21.
Herold, M. (2001) ‘Jewish Parents’ Reports of Their Attitudes and Behavior Regarding Physical Punishment’, unpublished doctoral dissertation, Temple University.
22.
Hyman, I. A. and Perone, D. C. (1998) ‘ The Other Side of School Violence: Educator Policies and Practices That May Contribute to Student Misbehavior ’, Journal of School Psychology36(1): 7–27 .
23.
Hyman, I. A. and Snook, P. A. (2000) ‘ Dangerous Schools and What You Can Do About Them ’, Phi Delta Kappan81: 489–501 .
24.
Jenson, J. and Howard, M. (1999) ‘Prevalence and Patterns of Youth Violence’, in J. Jenson and M. Howard (eds) Youth Violence: Current Research and Recent Innovations, pp. 3–18. Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers .
25.
Kaufman, P., Chen, X., Choy, S. P., Peter, K.Ruddy, S. A., Miller, A. K., Fleury, J. K., Chandler, K., Planty, M. and Rand, M. R. (2001) Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2001. Washington, DC: US Department of Education and Justice . NCES 2002-113/NCJ-190075.
26.
Keller, H. R. and Tapasak, R. C. (1997) ‘Classroom Management’, in A. Goldstein and J. Conoley (eds) School Violence Intervention: A Practical Handbook, pp. 107–126. New York: Guilford .
27.
Kim, D. H., Kim, K. I., Park, Y. C., Zhang, L. D., Lu, M. K. and Li, D. G. (2000) ‘ Children’s Experience of Violence in China and Korea: A Transcultural Study ’, Child Abuse and Neglect24(9): 1163–1173 .
28.
Khoury-Kassabri, M. (2002) ‘The Relationship Between School Ecology and Students Victimization’, unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
29.
Mallet, P. and Paty, B. (1999) ‘ How French Counselors Treat School Violence: An Adult-Centered Approach ’, International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling21: 279–300 .
30.
Meyer, H. A., Astor, R. A. and Behre, W. J. (2002) ‘ Teachers’ Reasoning About School Violence: The Role of Gender and Location ’, Contemporary Educational Psychology27(4): 499–528 .
31.
Olweus, D. (1993) Bullying at School. Oxford: Blackwell .
32.
Petersen, G., Pietrzak, D. and Speaker, K. (1998) ‘ The Enemy Within: A National Survey on School Violence and Prevention ’, Urban Education33(3): 331–359 .
33.
Pietrzak, D., Petersen, G. and Speaker, K. (1998) ‘ Perceptions of School Violence by Elementary, and Middle School Personnel ’, Professional School Counseling1(4): 23–29 .
34.
Rose, L., Gallup, A. and Elam, S. (1997) ‘ The 29th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools ’, Phi Delta Kappan79: 41–56 .
35.
Rose, L. and Gallup, A. (1998) ‘ The 30th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools ’, Phi Delta Kappan80: 41–56 .
36.
Rose, L. and Gallup, A. (2000) ‘ The 32nd Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools ’, Phi Delta Kappan82: 41–66 .
37.
Smith, P. K., Morita, Y., Junger-Tas, J., Olweus, D., Catalano, R. and Slee, P. (1999) The Nature of School Bullying: A Cross-National Perspective. London: Routledge .
