Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Dissertation

Keywords

Bullying in schools--Middle West; Private schools--Middle West; Public schools--Middle West;

Abstract

Little attention has been given to the possible differences in bullying at private and public schools. Little significant research exists on bullying at private schools, its characteristics, and its differences from public schools. Inattention to this segment of the population can lead to broad and inappropriate generalizations that what works in public schools will work in private schools. This dissertation investigated to what degree there were differences between the number of incidences, types of bullying, and locations of bullying that took place at a public and private school in a small Midwestern community. The research examined the following factors and their relationship to bullying: gender, faith affiliation, number of years in residence in the current school system, race, and the socio-economic status of the school.

The methodology used to answer these questions was a quantitative based study where 412, sixth through eighth grade students from one public and one private school were surveyed about bullying. Five research questions guided the focus of this dissertation: (1) How many bullying incidences occur in both public and private schools? (2) What types of bullying activities take place in both public and private schools (Physical, verbal, cyber-bullying, etc.)? (3) Where does bullying occur within private and public school buildings and campuses? (4) To what degree are there differences between the number of incidences, types, and locations of bullying that take place at public and private schools? (5) How do traits such as gender, faith affiliation, number of years in residence in the current school system, and race relate to participation in bullying behaviors (Prevalence, type, and location of bullying)?

Within the limits of the study, the following conclusions were reached: (1) No statistically significant difference existed between the amount of bullying at the public and private school. (2) A statistically significant difference did exist in some types of bullying between the public and private school. (3) When comparing the two school systems a statistically significant difference did exist in some specific locations where bullying occurred. (4) A variety of relationships existed between certain student characteristics and the survey questions. (5) The lack of a statistically significant difference in the amount of bullying that occurred at the public and private school allows educators to apply research findings from public schools research to private schools within the parameters of this research.

Year of Submission

2011

Year of Award

2008 Award

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Department of Educational Leadership and Postsecondary Education

First Advisor

Robert Decker, Chair

Second Advisor

Bruce Rogers, Co-Chair

Date Original

12-2011

Object Description

1 PDF file (x, 155 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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