Students' Perceptions of the Importance of School Safety Strategies: An Introduction to the IPSS Survey

• NCJ Number: 227940
• Journal: Journal of School Violence Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: July-September 2009 Pages: 233-250
• Author(s): Leslie M. Booren; Deborah J. Handy
• Date Published: July 2009
• Length: 18 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Washington State University
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study explored students' perceptions of the importance of specified school safety strategies using the Indicators of Preferences for School Safety (IPSS) survey measure.

Abstract

The overall result of the study was that the factor analysis of the IPSS survey revealed the underlying constructs of students' perceptions of the importance of school safety strategies, representing significant contributions to the field of school violence and prevention research. A principal components analysis of 184 student reports revealed that 4 factors emerged from the IPSS survey: Rule Enforcement, Education, Control and Surveillance, and Counseling. Also, grade level differences were found in students' perceptions of these four categories. Rarely does research provide information that synthesizes potentially successful measures or strategies to reduce and prevent violence in schools. For this study, the goal was to create a comprehensive survey that encompassed the findings from a review of current literature on programs and/or safety measures utilized by schools. In addition, the study evaluated school safety measures from the perceptions of the students. Tables, figure, and references