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Degree Name

MA (Master of Arts)

Program

Sociology

Date of Award

12-2001

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Martha Copp

Committee Members

Scott H. Beck, Robert Leger

Abstract

This research identifies how personnel at an alternative high school for at-risk students helped to create school violence through their policies and interactions with students. Data were collected by surveying the staff and students of the school. Data were also obtained from anonymous written records that the researcher kept as a requirement of her job as School Resource Officer. The researcher found consistent patterns--verified by faculty and student surveys--that the students did not feel respected by their teachers. Teachers experienced limited authority in handling student-teacher conflicts and compensated for their restricted authority through a variety of unfair strategies. Often, students resisted the teachers’ efforts. The teachers’ lack of training on how to deal with resistant teens made these problems worse. The researcher analyzes the dynamics that produced school violence in this setting and concludes with suggestions for teachers and administrators.

Document Type

Thesis - restricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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