Authors

• Kivivuori, Janne (National Research Institute of Legal Policy (Optula))
• Salmi, Venla (National Research Institute of Legal Policy (Optula))

Keywords

antisocial behaviour, crime victims, juvenile delinquency, parents, schoolteachers, student behaviour, teacher conditions of employment, teacher-student relationship, teachers

Abstract

The survey studied offensive behaviour, abuse and violence against teachers in lower secondary schools in Finland. The main themes were teacher attitudes towards young people's criminal behaviour, and abuse and violence committed against teachers by pupils or parents.

First, the respondents were asked to what extent they agreed with a number of statements relating to young people's criminal acts. Opinions on the factors causing young people to break the law were charted.

Next theme pertained to teacher victimization. The teachers were asked whether pupils had subjected them to offensive behaviour, sexual harassment, physical violence or other disruptive behaviour or had threatened them with physical violence. Further questions investigated the number of incidents during the school year 2007-2008, the location of the most recent incident, characteristics of the offender (for instance, gender, age, class, mother tongue, non-Finnish ethnicity), and which parties had been informed of the incident (parents, safety representative, head teacher, the police). The survey also explored whether the parents or other adults close to the child had subjected the respondents to verbal abuse, violence or threat of violence. Further questions covered the characteristics of the most recent offender (gender, relationship to the pupil) and which parties had been informed.

The respondents were asked whether a pupil, parent or other adult close to the child had threatened them with or had launched a legal action against them. One question studied in what kind of situations the respondents would intervene. The situations mentioned included, for instance, pupils engaging in disruptive behaviour within the school, two 15-year olds fighting, pupils smoking in a non-smoking area, a grocery selling beer to a 15-year-old pupil.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, number of years in teaching, role in the school, and in which instructional levels taught during the school year 2007-2008.