Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Multilevel Social Control Model of Everyday School Violence

Episodes of violence in schools have heightened public concern with school safety. They have also generated scholarly concern with the causes of such violence. Two theories of general aggression among adolescents may help explain acts of violence in schools. One theory emphasizes the importance for violence prevention of the social bonds individual youth have with their families, schools, and religious organizations. Another theory emphasizes the importance of social control within the school environment for individual acts of violence. Using data on a sample of seventh-grade students from schools in a representative sample of counties in Kentucky, this project addresses four questions concerning the causes of school violence? One, what are the effects of the bonding of individuals to families, schools, peers, and religion? Two, do the effects of bonding vary across schools? Three, what are the effects of school-level variables such as racial composition, student mobility, and financial resources? And four, does the organization of schools in terms of teacher supervision and intervention affect the influence of the school-level variables? The results not only contribute to the understanding of the causes of violence, but also help identify effective means to prevent school violence.