Date
11-2018
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)
Chair
Kurt Michael
Keywords
Anti-bullying, Bullying, Anti-bullying Legislation, Anti-bullying Policy, Virginia Anti-bullying Law, Virginia Anti-bullying Policy
Disciplines
Education | Educational Leadership | Law
Recommended Citation
Zachry, Amber M., "The Relationship between Virginia School Divisions’ Anti-Bullying Policy Scores and the Percentage of Student Offenses of Bullying" (2018). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 1893.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/1893
Abstract
State laws and policies that adhere to U.S. Department of Education (USDOE)-recommended anti-bullying legislative components have been found to reduce rates of bullying in schools. No longer considered a normal or tolerated part of childhood and adolescence, state legislation and local policy regarding bullying have experienced substantial growth over the last decade. Consequently, state laws and local policies are currently a critical component in response to bullying behavior and yet, there is limited research that has investigated the relationship between anti-bullying policies and the prevalence of bullying. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine whether a relationship exists between the adherence of the school division’s anti-bullying policy and the percentage of offenses of bullying in the school divisions of Virginia. A convenience sample of 132 Virginia school divisions was used in this study. A Spearman’s rho correlation was used to determine if a statistically significant relationship existed between the variables. It was discovered that no significant relationship exists between the adherence of the Virginia school division’s anti-bullying policy score as measured by the Modified Subcomponent Criterion List and the percentage of student offenses of bullying in the school divisions.
