Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Previous research on school climate and communal organization has demonstrated that schools can act as both catalysts and buffers to antisocial and other problem behaviors by students. This research has indicated school environments, via their climate and sense of community, have the potential to affect various student behaviors, including delinquency and victimization, as well as levels student bonding and fear. This presentation seeks to add to this body of knowledge regarding the relationship between the school environment and student behavior. Specifically, this presentation summarizes the results of a multi-level study examining the effect that communal school organization and measures of school governance have on levels of student fear and bonding. Using a sample of 233 secondary schools taken from the National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools, hierarchical linear modeling techniques investigate the relationships among individual- and school-level variables while controlling for covariates.