Keeping students safe: The relationship between collective efficacy, teacher protection, and student bullying
Page A. Smith, W. Sean Kearney & Betty M. Merchant
Abstract
This study examines the relationships between educators’ perceptions of student bullying, teacher protection, and collective efficacy in light of school size and socioeconomic status. The sample is comprised of teachers from 108 elementary schools in south central Texas, USA. The study utilizes the Bully Scale to measure perceptions of student bullying and teacher protection, and the Collective Efficacy Scale to gauge the collective efficacy of teachers. Descriptive statistics are computed and summarized for all variables, and correlation coefficients are computed for each aspect of school bullying and collective efficacy. Multiple regression analyses demonstrate collective efficacy, school size, and socioeconomic status form a linear combination that explains a significant portion of the variance in both student bullying and teacher protection.