NCJ Number
218499
Journal
Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 58 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2007 Pages: 69-92
Date Published
March 2007
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study explored the opinions of female adolescents regarding the role of teachers and schools in serving students involved in violence.
Abstract
Results revealed that female adolescents perceived school services for students involved in violence as inadequate and reported that these services were often unavailable. Furthermore, they perceived teachers as lacking the experience to understand the feelings, needs, and motivations of students involved in violence. Other data indicated that over 60 percent of participants reported that teachers were increasingly concerned about violence and should be involved in preventative efforts. The participants also reported trouble learning during school due to a fear of teacher anger and the fast pace in which material was presented. The findings suggest the need for teacher training concerning violence intervention with students. The findings also suggest that teachers need to be sensitive to the diverse learning needs of students in their classrooms. Participants were 31 female adolescents residing in a correctional facility who volunteered to complete a 16-item survey. The survey focused on the participants’ background information, parents’ occupation, their views about the role of teachers in serving students involved in violence, learning, and the school services provided to students involved in violence. Additional background information was gathered from the participants’ correctional files. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and open-ended survey questions were examined for emerging themes. Limitations of the study are discussed and include the small sample size. Tables, references, appendix