Methodological Appendix

Abstract

This study utilized multiple strategies in the research design. The first stage of research entailed searching the LexisNexis newspaper database as well as the internet and various academic and governmental publications in order to gather the population of publically reported school rampage plots that occurred in American public schools from 2000 to 2009 which were discovered before the perpetrators had the opportunity to commit them. These quantitative data provided a background understanding of the extent of the phenomenon and its variation by region. After collecting the population of these events, the next stage of research involved contacting principals at schools around the Northeast to request interviews with them and various other school and police officials (administrators, counselors, security and police officers, and teachers) who were directly involved in preventing the potential violence. This stage was necessary in order to glean data regarding perceptions of, and reactions to, violent threats, violence prevention, and school security. Employing this research strategy was necessary for the exploratory investigation of a fairly new and understudied phenomenon, and it resulted in a wealth of descriptive data triangulated with news reports, court transcripts, and arrest records to assure accuracy.