Teacher-Directed Aggression: Causes Perceived vs. Aggression Experienced

Abstract

Teachers as victims of aggression seldom become focus of psychological research. However, teacher-directed violence has become a socially relevant phenomenon. Revealing the causes of teacher-directed aggression should at the core of antibullying programs. To identify these causes, psychologists need to study teachers’ experience and insights. The authors compared causes of teacher-directed aggression as perceived by teachers with their accounts of students’ aggression experience. The research relied on the methods of principal component analysis and Pearson’s correlation analysis. The sample consisted of 5,350 teachers from nine regions of the Russian Federation. Most respondents believed teacher-directed aggression to be caused by the dysfunctional family or parents’ disrespect of the teaching staff. The causes were divided into teacher-related, environmental, and intrapersonal. These variables correlated with teachers’ experience of student aggression. The phenomenon of teacher-directed aggression should be taken into account in violence prevention programs aimed at ensuring safety and well-being of both teachers and students.