ERIC Number: EJ1227753
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Sep
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2578-4218
EISSN: N/A
Authoritative School Climate and Sexual Harassment: A Cross-Sectional Multilevel Analysis of Student Self-Reports
Crowley, Brittany Z.; Datta, Pooja; Stohlman, Shelby; Cornell, Dewey; Konold, Tim
School Psychology, v34 n5 p469-478 Sep 2019
School sexual harassment (SH) is defined as unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that interferes with a student's ability to learn. There is an important need for schools to assess the prevalence of SH and its relation to school climate to guide intervention efforts. This study investigated 3 research questions: (a) Is there psychometric support for a 4-item multilevel measure of SH? (b) What is the prevalence of SH in a statewide high school sample, and how does SH vary across gender, grade level, race-ethnicity, and socioeconomic status? (c) Is an authoritative school climate--characterized by strict but fair discipline and supportive teacher-student relationships--associated with lower levels of SH for students? A statewide sample of high school students (N = 62,679) completed a school climate survey that included a new 4-item measure of SH. Results of a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit for a single SH factor at both student and school levels. A multiway analysis of variance demonstrated the high prevalence of SH and variations across demographic groups. Multilevel hierarchical regression analyses indicated that an authoritative school climate accounted for 5.7% of the student-level variance and 38.3% of the school-level variance in SH scores. Routine assessment of SH can help school psychologists bring attention to this underrecognized problem.
Descriptors: Educational Environment, Authoritarianism, Socioeconomic Status, Gender Differences, Race, Ethnicity, Discipline Policy, Teacher Student Relationship, Sexual Harassment, Factor Analysis, Incidence, High School Students, Instructional Program Divisions, Psychometrics, School Psychologists, Case Studies, Student Attitudes, Measures (Individuals)
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of Justice (NIJ) (DOJ)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Virginia
Grant or Contract Numbers: NIJ2014CKBX0004; NIJ2017CKBX007