The purpose of this quantitative correlational research was to examine if and to what extent principal support of school climate related to student weapons and student aggression incidents in a southwest school district. Three theoretical foundations supported this research: Socio-ecological theory, Social Learning Theory, and School Climate…

This dissertation explores the effectiveness of both narrative therapy and art therapy practices incorporated into a participatory action research (PAR) project to foster alternate stories of hope in addressing bullying and other aggressive actions. Results indicate that narrative therapy, when incorporated into a PAR design, can assist with the…

Since the early 1990s, American schools adopted exclusionary sanctions such as zero-tolerance policies (ZTP) to reduce student misbehavior as well as to sustain school safety. Due to the punitive nature of ZTP, some schools have sought alternative discipline models, like the restorative practices, to manage student infraction. This mixed methods…

The purpose of this study was to gain recently graduated Black high school students' perceptions of racial climate and to examine to what extent their perceptions impact their overall perception of school climate. Additionally, the study explored the opportunities students were given to use their voice and how this may have affected change in…

A phenomenological study, according to Creswell (2013), is one that "focuses on describing what all participants have in common as they experience a phenomenon" (p. 76). This phenomenological study aimed to (a) explore teacher perceptions who have experienced teacher-directed student aggression by students with emotional behavioral…

Exposure to violence among children and adolescents has been linked to negative outcomes including posttraumatic stress disorder, externalizing problems, low academic achievement, and impaired social-emotional adjustment. Aggressive behaviors specifically are shown to be strongly predicted by both direct and indirect violence exposure. Aggressive…

Prior to COVID-19, suicide was the second leading cause of death for college students for over a decade. Within this group, transgender college students were ten times more likely to attempt suicide than their cisgender peers. Fortunately, suicidality for this subset appears to decrease with education level. While it is not clear if an…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the problem of how classroom teachers of grades 1-5 described their experiences with school-based SEL interventions to identify potential links between students' content knowledge learned through school-based SEL interventions and students' aggressive and antisocial classroom…

The aim of this descriptive study was to research and analyze how professional development of anti-bullying specialist influenced reporting of harassment, intimidations, and bullying in their schools. A large urban school district in New Jersey was identified for having several anti-bullying specialists in each of their school actively…

Using creative autoethnographic "testimonio" (CAT), a story is told about the injustices within the learning environment and work environment of higher education toward a person with disabilities: sleep apnea, learning disabilities, negative mental health. The author explores the health difficulties of addressing sleep deprivation while…

Students with disabilities are more likely to be victimized compared to their peers without disabilities. However, not many studies have examined how general education teachers address bullying of students with disabilities in general education placements. This study used an explanatory mixed methods design and examined strategy use based on…

Every child has a right to feel safe at school. The highest prevalence of bullying occurred in middle school grades 6 through 8. In a school environment, bullying can inhibit student learning, as it may cause a great deal of pain, anxiety, and stress for the victim. Bullying and aggressive behavior have negative effects on student learning and…

Cross-national studies consistently reveal that bullying is a pervasive problem in schools and associated with a multitude of deleterious outcomes. The present dissertation conducted two studies to further provide insight into this complex phenomenon and facilitate the development of effective bullying prevention programs. Youth involved in…

Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) students face unique mental health challenges and treatment disparities, with the extant literature demonstrating that APIDA populations have disproportionately high levels of untreated mental health symptoms. There is currently a gap in the literature of studies on APIDA college and university student…

The intentional assessment and management of school climate is an essential component of a comprehensive school safety plan. The value of this preventive aspect of school safety is often diminished as schools invest resources in physical security measures as a narrowly focused effort to increase school safety (Addington, 2009). This dissertation…