ERIC Number: EJ1214612
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1538-8220
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Social Control in Schools: The Relationships between School Security Measures and Informal Social Control Mechanisms
Fisher, Benjamin W.; Gardella, Joseph H.; Tanner-Smith, Emily E.
Journal of School Violence, v18 n3 p347-361 2019
Social control and procedural justice theories indicate that informal social control reduces problem behaviors. However, many schools have implemented formal control mechanisms such as school security measures. This study examines the association between school security measures (security personnel, metal detectors, and surveillance cameras) and students' perceptions of informal social control (relationships with teachers, other school adults, and the fairness and consistency of school rules). We used structural equation modeling to examine these relationships in a nationally representative sample of 6,547 secondary students surveyed as part of the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (M age = 14.94; 51% male, 60% White non-Hispanic, 14% Black non-Hispanic, 20% Hispanic). The results indicated that the presence of security personnel in schools was associated with poorer student relationships with teachers. Findings for the other school security measures were nonsignificant or inconsistent across models. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Descriptors: Social Control, Correlation, School Security, Teacher Student Relationship, Behavior Problems, Student Attitudes, Secondary School Students, National Surveys, Student Surveys, Crime, School Safety
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCES)
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A120181
Author Affiliations: N/A

Peer reviewed
Direct link
