Psychology, Department of
Date of this Version
2010
Citation
Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 8:4 (2010), pp. 351–372.
doi: 10.1177/1541204010368641
Abstract
School violence and weapons at school are a major concern for community members, school administrators, and policy makers. This research examines both student-level and school-level variables that predict middle school students’ willingness to report a weapon at school under several reporting conditions. Results substantiate previous analyses of these data that student-level variables explain students’ willingness to report a weapon but extend these findings to include school climate variables that affect willingness to report (i.e., collective identity and conflict). School climate variables were also shown to influence reporting under conditions in which there would be consequences for the weapons-carrying student or for the reporting student; however, school climate was not found to influence anonymous reporting conditions. Although policies aimed at improving school climate may increase a student’s willingness to report and are important in their own right, improving a school’s climate may be a daunting task. This research, therefore, suggests that the most efficient way to encourage weapons reporting is to provide students with an anonymous way to report.
Comments
Copyright © 2010 Lindsey E. Wylie, Chris L. Gibson, Eve M. Brank, Mark R. Fondacaro, Stephen W. Smith, Veda E. Brown, and Scott A. Miller. Used by permission.