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Understanding parent aggression directed against teachers: A school climate framework

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Abstract

Teachers experience verbal and physical aggression from a variety of aggressors in schools worldwide. However, most school violence and aggression research is focused on students, with few empirical studies examining teacher aggression from parent offenders. This study investigated the school ecology associated with teachers’ experiences of aggression from students’ parents. We applied and adapted a school climate framework to examine the qualitative survey responses of 450 United States teachers who reported their most upsetting experiences involving parent aggression. Using a directed content analysis approach, teacher victimization was examined through the four school climate domains of safety, academic, institutional environment, and community. Significant socioemotional and physical safety concerns regarding verbal and physical aggression from parents, often related to school discipline practices, were identified. In the academic domain, parent aggression was associated with parent–teacher disagreements regarding grades and services, challenges with administrative leadership, and job stability concerns. The institutional environment domain illustrated where incidents took place, school resources, and policies regarding security and student placement as key factors in parent aggression. Results from the community domain highlighted issues of communication, mistrust, negative attitudes, accountability, diversity, and neighborhood and societal factors. Teacher experiences and exemplar themes provide context and further elaborate upon the school climate framework. Implications for research, school practice, and policy are presented.

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Funding

DePaul University Psychology Department and University Research Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA

    Susan D. McMahon, Kailyn M. Bare, Cori L. Cafaro, Kayleigh E. Zinter & Yesenia Garcia-Murillo

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

    Gabrielle Lynch

  3. Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Katie M. McMahon

  4. School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Dorothy L. Espelage

  5. Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA

    Linda A. Reddy

  6. Department of Educational Studies, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Eric M. Anderman

  7. American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C, USA

    Rena Subotnik

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  1. Susan D. McMahon
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  2. Kailyn M. Bare
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Correspondence to Kailyn M. Bare.

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McMahon, S.D., Bare, K.M., Cafaro, C.L. et al. Understanding parent aggression directed against teachers: A school climate framework. Learning Environ Res 26, 915–931 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-023-09460-2

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