This thesis is an inquiry that examines how those who are marked different in school are also marked "wrong" and marginalized and how that marking often leads to bullying. It examines the significance that those markings have on those who are marked, on those who mark and on those who are witnesses. This is an analysis of bullying and a critique of an institution's response to bullying and its deleterious effects. The writing offers a connection between the particular and the universal. It tells of my personal experience while I was a teacher at a small town high school before, during and immediately after a violent incident that resulted in a death, against a backdrop feminist, critical, poststructural and postmodern theory, and academic dialogue that has helped me come to some understanding of the dominant discourses at play within this story. The writing is not merely the mode of telling the writing is the way to understanding, which must always precede the telling. Finally this thesis is a search for a healing home in which home-ness means a place open to being, rather than a place that defines the "right" way of being. / xii, 134 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.

Contemporary research on media violence has shown the importance of examining the violent presentation of American video games and the correlation between games and the current U.S. game rating system. However, not many studies in this field have been conducted in China, especially regarding the importance of its pending official game rating system which has caused much controversy nationwide. In an effort to seek academic evidence for developing China's official game rating system, this study examined and compared the violence in fourteen of the most popular American and Chinese electronic games in 2004.These fourteen Chinese games and American games were selected for content analysis of the quantity and context of game violent interactions. The percentage breakdown of PATs (violent interactions) was coded by rate per minute, as was perpetrator characteristic, target characteristic, weapon used and visual perspective.The goal of the study was to determine if the popular Chinese electronic games carry as much violence as do popular American games, and if the context of violence in the former is significantly different from that in the latter. The American games were used as a basis for comparison to Chinese games for this study.The results of the study showed that popular Chinese games featured as much violence as American games. However, their context of violence was significantly different in terms of perpetrator characteristic, weapon used and visual perspective.Based on the results, the researcher concluded that China would definitely need a game rating system. However, the significant difference in the context of violence suggested that the Chinese rating system does not necessarily have to be the same as the U.S. system. / Department of Telecommunications

The major purpose of this study was to determine school board members’ perceptions about violence in their school districts. The study asked school board members if they thought violence was a problem in their district, how violence affected their school district and about the effectiveness of policies, educational programs and other measures enacted to control violence. Data were collected regarding the frequency of board members’ perceptions that violence was a problem and their perceptions as to the effect of violence in their district. Data were collected to determine board members perception of the effectiveness of programs and measures their district had taken in an effort to control violence. Data were cross tabulated by size of school district, region of the country and type of school district. Descriptive research methods were employed in this study. A stratified, random sample of school board members was identified from the list of school board member subscribers to The American School Board Journal. Of the 21,655 board members in the population, 5,847 or approximately 27% were surveyed using a mailed questionnaire. The response rate was 17.9%. The study was sponsored by The American School Board Journal. The study revealed that while the majority of board members who responded to the survey do not feel violence is a problem in their district, the board members who feel that violence is a problem represent approximately 75% of the students in the United States. The majority of board members from the southern and pacific regions of the country perceive violence as a problem. The board members from the southern and pacific regions are more heavily involved in programs designed to control violence. Of note is the fact that in virtually all cases and cross tabulations, if a school district had enacted a plan to control violence, the plan was viewed by the majority of board members to be effective. / Ed. D.

This dissertation is based on Sociocultural Theory, Social Learning Theory and Trauma Theory, as well as a new theoretical framework (Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome) which takes into account multigenerational trauma. Five research questions involving independent variables believed to predict violent behavior in African American male youth were investigated. The first three questions addressed stressors experienced by African Americans: violence witnessing, violence victimization, and daily urban hassles. The fourth and fifth questions concerned the sociocultural characteristics of racial socialization and prosocial attitudes toward respect. Participants were 200 African American male youth residing in inner Northeast Portland, Oregon who were recruited from four organizations: The Portland House of Umoja residential facility, McLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Donald E. Long Youth Correctional Facility and the Bridge Builders Gentlemen's Rites of Passage Program. The study included two groups of African American male youth ages 14 to 18, 100 of whom were incarcerated and 100 of whom were non-incarcerated. All five independent variables significantly predicted use of violence in separate regression equations. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the strongest predictor of the use of violence was victimization extent which alone accounted for 43.3% of the total variance in use of violence. In the second step of the regression, witnessing was added to the equation which increased the explained variance to 49.2%. The third and final step added prosocial attitudes toward respect to the regression accounting for a total of 51.2% of the variance of the extent of the use of violence. Variables excluded from the final regression equation were racial socialization and urban hassles which failed to significantly increase the prediction of the criterion variable of extent of use of violence. The data provide evidence that trauma characteristics of absent mothers, witnessing violence, experiencing violence, and feeling disrespected by others are key factors that can provide practitioners a better lens to use in assessment and treatment planning than the current response of punishment and incarceration for displays of violent behavior.

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The purpose of the current study was to examine delinquent pre-adolecents. It was hypothesized that both predictor variable [exposure to community violence (number of events; preception of events) and stressful life events (number of events)] would impact delinquent behavior (violent thoughts, violent behaviors, and promiscuity).

Intimate partner violence (IPV), typically considered in the domestic context, has been shown to have considerable effects on women's employment and health. While the literature has recently grown in this area, very few studies have examined the prevalence of work-related IPV among men. Furthermore, the extant literature on work-related IPV has largely ignored the experience of ethnic minorities, specifically Latinos. Many factors suggest that rates and forms of IPV might be different among other racial and ethnic groups. Some studies that examine IPV among Latinos have sought to understand the role of acculturation and socioeconomic contexts. The purpose of this study was to examine work-related IPV among a sample of men enrolled in batterer intervention programs. In addition, we sought to examine the relationship between acculturation, socioeconomic contexts, and reports of work-related IPV among a subset of male Latinos. Overall, the findings confirm the upper ranges of previous estimates across studies (36% to 75%) of employed victims of IPV and their harassment by abusive partners while at work (Swanberg, Logan, & Macke, 2005; Taylor & Barusch, 2004). Specifically, we found that 60% of the entire sample reported work-related IPV that involved threatening behaviors and physical violence at their partner's job. The findings among Latinos suggest that a positive relationship exists between acculturation and work-related IPV. Specifically, proxy variables of acculturation (e.g., country of birth, language of survey, number of years in the U.S.) were hypothesized to be positively associated with higher levels of acculturation. Consistent with the hypotheses, we found significant relationships in the direction proposed. Lastly, socioeconomic status (e.g., income, education, employment status) was hypothesized to play a moderating role between acculturation and work-related IPV. However, results generally suggest that socioeconomic status (i.e., income, education) did not moderate the relationship between acculturation and work-related IPV. This study makes important contributions to the literature and has implications for employers. The significant rates of work-related IPV found in this study highlight the need to address this problem among employed males as an important step in preventing work-related IPV. Among Latinos, the level of acculturation and factors such as income, employment, and education are important contextual factors that provide a better understanding of IPV in Latino communities (Gryywacz, Rao, Gentry, Marin, & Arcury, 2009).

This study examined the distinct effects of partner violence and psychological abuse on women's mental health over time. Latent growth modeling was used to examine stability and change over time, evaluating the course and consequences of each form of abuse. The size of women's social support network was examined as a mediator. The sample consisted of 835 African American, Euro-American, and Mexican American low-income women. Participants who completed Waves 1, 2, 3, and 5 were included in the study (n = 585). In general, partner violence decreased over time for all groups, while psychological abuse decreased over time for only Euro-American women. Whereas initial and prolonged exposure to psychological abuse was related to and directly impacted women's mental health, partner violence was only related to initial levels of mental health. Surprisingly, social support was only related to initial violence and distress and had no impact on the rate of change over time. These results have important implications for researchers and health care professionals. First, differences in the pattern of results were found for each ethnic group, reaffirming the notion that counselors and researchers must be sensitive to multicultural concerns in both assessment and intervention. For example, psychological abuse had a greater impact on the mental health of African American and Mexican American women than it did for Euro-American women, suggesting a shift in focus depending on the ethnicity of the client may be warranted. Second, this longitudinal study highlights the importance of future research to considerer individual differences in treating and studying victimized women. Understanding factors that contribute to individual trajectories will help counselors gain insight into the problem and in devising plans to prevent or reduce the occurrence and negative health impact of partner abuse.