Degree Name

MA (Master of Arts)

Program

Criminal Justice and Criminology

Date of Award

5-2017

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Dustin L. Osborne

Committee Members

Nicole Prior, Jennifer Pealer, Chris Rush

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the differential impact of various environmental and organizational factors on levels of school misconduct. Although we have a general understanding of this relationship, little effort has been made to determine whether the effects are influenced by urbanicity. The current study utilizes data from the 2007-2008 School Survey on Crime and Safety to address this gap in the literature by utilizing a series of negative binomial regression models that seek to determine differences between predictive factors in urban and rural settings. Results indicate that disorganization has a similar effect within urban and rural schools, increasing counts of misconduct. On the contrary, results also suggest that urban and rural schools, which are already characterized by elevated rates of misconduct, tend to implement different types of security. This study is concluded by discussing methodological limitations, various theoretical and policy implications, and directions for future research.

Document Type

Thesis - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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