Predictors of student fear of school violence: a comparative study of eighth graders in 33 countries

Abstract

Ensuring a safe learning environment for students is a major responsibility of educators and policymakers around the world. Based on the secondary analyses of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data collected from 33 countries in 1999, the study found that 8th graders who witnessed their friends' violence victimization and who experienced theft victimization were most likely to fear becoming the victims of school violence in all 33 countries. Male students also reported greater fear than female students in a majority of countries including the USA. In addition, U.S. 8th graders reported greater fear in the schools with higher levels of classroom and school disorders and in the schools where teachers practice student-centered instruction less frequently. While individual predictors of student fear were relatively consistent, school predictors varied across the countries. It is important that policymakers and educators in each country work toward promoting school environments associated with a lower level of student fear and reforming environments that lead to greater fear among students.