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AUTHOR Britsch, Brenda; And OthersTITLE Teacher and Peer Perceptions of Aggressive Behavior.SPONS AGENCY Centers for Disease Control (DHHS/PHS), Atlanta, GA.PUB DATE Mar 97NOTE 26p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American

Educational Research Association (Chicago, IL, March 24-28,1997) .

CONTRACT U81/CCU909972-01PUB TYPE Reports Research (143) Speeches/Meeting Papers (150)EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Age Differences; *Aggression; *Behavior Patterns; *Black

Students; Crime; Educational Environment; ElementaryEducation; *Elementary School Students; *Neighborhoods; PeerRelationship; Public Schools; Sex Differences; StudentAttitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Urban Schools; Urban Youth;*Violence

IDENTIFIERS African Americans; California

ABSTRACTThis study investigated neighborhood differences in

perceptions of aggressive behavior from teachers and students' peers.Predominantly African American students (n=764) in grades 3 through 5 from 2urban public schools (29 classrooms) in southern California participated inthis study. The neighborhoods surrounding the schools differ substantially inthe prevalence of violent crime. In each classroom, teachers and studentsassessed the level of aggression for class members. Teachers rated childrenin the more violent community as less aggressive than the children in theless violent community. However, more children in the violent community wereperceived as aggressive by peers compared to their counterparts in theviolent community. Gender and age differences in teacher perceptions weregreater in the less violent neighborhood. Results are discussed in terms ofthe unique needs of children living in violent communities. (Contains 9figures and 13 references.) (Author/SLD)

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* from the original document. *

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N.

Teacher and Peer Perceptions of Aggressive Behavior

Brenda Britsch, Su-Je Cho, Marlene DeMorat, Tara Smith,William D. Wakefield, and Cynthia Hudley

University of California, Santa Barbara

Poster presented at the American Educational Research Associationannual meeting, March 24-28, 1997, Chicago, IL

Note: This research was supported in part by a grant from theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (Cooperative agreement#U81/CCU909972-01). Appreciation is extended to the faculty,students, and staff who participated in this study. Order ofauthorship was determined by random selection.

Address all correspondence to: Cynthia HudleyUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraGraduate School of Education, 2220 Phelps HallSanta Barbara, CA. 93106(805) 893-8324 Email: hudley@education.ucsb.edu

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2

Abstract

This study investigated neighborhood differences in

perceptions of aggressive behavior from two perspectives:

teachers' and peers'. 764 predominantly African American

students in grades 3-5 recruited from two urban public schools in

southern California participated in the study. The neighborhoods

surrounding the schools differ substantially in the prevalence of

violent crime. In each classroom, teachers and students assessed

the level of aggression for class members. Teachers rated children

in the more violent community as less aggressive than children in

the less violent community. However, more children in the violent

community were perceived as aggressive by peers compared to

their counterparts in the less violent community. Gender and age

differences in teacher perceptions were greater in the less violent

neighborhood. Results are discussed in terms of the unique needs

of children living in violent communities.

3

Children who exhibit aggressive behavior at a young age are

more likely to engage in aggressive behavior later in life and are at

risk for peer rejection (Hudley, 1994), poor school adjustment and

achievement, greater than average rates of school dropout, and

referral for mental health problems later in life (Coie, Dodge, &

Kuperschmidt, 1990). In addition, aggressive behavior in

childhood (e.g., pushing other in toddlerhood) often leads to

violence in adolescence (e.g., assault with an object)

(Patterson, 1992).

One critical factor when investigating perceptions of

aggression in children is their neighborhood of residence.

Residents of urban communities are often victims of violent crimes.

It seems reasonable to assume that children living in high crime

areas might display high rates of antisocial behavior. Statistics

confirm that children living in urban areas are more likely to

exhibit antisocial behavior than their suburban and rural

counterparts (California Department of Justice Statistics Center,

1995). Studies of neighborhood effects on child development in

urban areas have concentrated on economically impoverished

communities (Mc Loyd, 1990) or have focused broadly on the

construct of stress (Attar, Guerra, &To lan, 1994). However,

processes are not yet well understood that might explain how

neighborhoods with varying characteristics affect the development

of childhood aggression and violence.

The research presented here focuses on two distinct

neighborhoods comprised predominantly of African Americans.

The two neighborhoods differ markedly in economic resources and

the prevalence of violent crime. Differences in perceptions of

aggressive behavior within these two neighborhoods were

investigated from two distinct perspectives: teachers' and peers'.

We hypothesized that teacher perceptions of aggression would be

higher for children living in the more violent neighborhood than

for children in the less violent neighborhood. Similarly, we

hypothesized that a larger group of students in the more violent

neighborhood would be perceived as aggressive by their peers

than in the less violent neighborhood.

) Methods

Participants764 predominantly African American students from two urban

public schools in southern California

(School 1: n = 461; School 2: n = 303)

Twenty nine classrooms

Mean ages of participants by grade level were 8.34, 9.18, and

10.38 years (for grades 3, 4, and 5 respectively)

Settings

Communities surrounding schools

School 1 School 2

Violent Crimes 506 43

Arrests (Violent Crimes) 112 13

\ I ed ian Household Income $15,765 $23,490

% of households below thepoverty level

37 17

6

Set

tings 60

0

500

400

300

u.20

0

100

Com

mun

ity C

rime

Pro

file

Com

mun

ityS

urro

undi

ngS

choo

l 1C

omm

unity

Sur

roun

ding

Sch

ool 2

Vio

lent

Crim

esR

epor

ted

Arr

ests

for

Vio

lent

Crim

es

Vio

lent

crim

es a

re d

efin

ed a

s m

urde

r, r

ape,

agg

rava

ted

assa

ult,

and

robb

ery

(Los

Ang

eles

Pol

ice

Dep

t., 1

996)

8

Part

icip

ants

by

Gra

de

5th

Sch

ool 1

3rd

28%

33%

4th

39%

5th

33%

Sch

ool 2

3rd

31%

4th

36%

Proc

edur

es

Tea

cher

s co

mpl

eted

the

eigh

t ite

m a

ggre

ssio

n su

bsca

le o

f th

e T

each

er C

heck

list (

Col

e,

1990

; Coi

e &

Dod

ge, 1

988)

for

eac

h of

thei

r st

uden

ts. I

tem

s co

nsis

ted

of v

erba

l and

phys

ical

agg

ress

ive

beha

vior

s.

Stud

ents

com

plet

ed a

6 it

em s

ocio

met

ric

ques

tionn

aire

nom

inat

ing

peer

s on

agg

ress

ive

beha

vior

s (s

tart

s lig

hts,

dis

rupt

s gr

oup,

lose

s te

mpe

r).

Stud

ents

com

plet

ed a

dis

trac

tor

exer

cise

aft

er c

ompl

etin

g th

e qu

estio

nnai

re to

elim

inat

e po

ssib

le r

esid

ual d

iscu

ssio

ns o

f th

e ne

gativ

e pe

er a

sses

smen

ts

BE

STC

OPY

_AV

AIL

AB

LE

Results

Teacher ratings

Teacher ratings were summed to yield a composite aggression

score ranging from 8-40, with higher numbers indicating more

perceived aggressiveness.

The multivariate analysis of the individual teacher ratings of

verbal (says mean things) and physical (starts fights; uses

physical force) aggression revealed a community type X gender

interaction (F[2, 725] = 6.90, p<.01).

A separate factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the

teacher composite variable revealed a significant community

type X gender interaction (F[1, 725] = 11.38, p<.001).

Peer nominations

Overall peer aggression scores were derived by summing each

child's nominations for the three aggressive behavior items on

the peer protocols.

The multivariate analysis of peer nominations of aggression

revealed a significant community type X grade X gender

interaction (E6, 1486] = 3.00, p<.01).

u ea

ug

C

3

2.5 2

a)1.

52

1

0.5 0

Mea

n T

each

er R

atin

g of

Ver

bal A

ggre

ssio

n by

Sch

ool,

Gra

de, a

nd G

ende

r

III B

oys

Sch

ool 1

0 G

irls

Sch

ool 1

Boy

s S

choo

l 2G

irls

Sch

ool 2

34

1II

Gra

deU

niva

riate

ana

lysi

s re

veal

ed a

sig

nific

ant C

omm

unity

Typ

e X

Gen

der

inte

ract

ion

F(1

, 726

) =

8.4

4, p

< .0

115

5

3

2.5 2

w 1

.52

1

0.5

16o

Mea

n T

each

erR

atin

g of

Phy

sica

l Agg

ress

ion

byS

choo

l, G

rade

, and

Gen

der

Boy

s S

choo

l 1G

irls

Sch

ool 1

In B

oys

Sch

ool 2

Girl

s S

choo

l 2

34

Gra

deU

niva

riate

ana

lysi

s re

veal

ed a

sig

nific

ant

Com

mun

ity T

ype

X G

ende

r in

tera

ctio

nF

(1, 7

26)

= 9

.39,

p <

.01

5

17

6 5 4

Mea

n P

eer

Nom

inat

ions

for

Sta

rtin

g F

ight

s by

Sch

ool,

Gra

de, a

nd G

ende

r

2 1

183

4G

rade

19

RI B

oys

Sch

ool 1

0 G

irls

Sch

ool 1

Boy

s S

choo

l 2G

irls

Sch

ool 2

5

Uni

varia

te a

naly

sis

reve

aled

a s

igni

fican

t Com

mun

ityT

ype

X G

ende

r in

tera

ctio

nF

(1, 7

45)

= 2

8.33

, Q<

.001

a.) 2

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Mea

n P

eer

Nom

inat

ions

for

Dis

rupt

ing

Gro

up b

yS

choo

l, G

rade

, and

Gen

der

Boy

s S

choo

l 1O

Girl

s S

choo

l 1E

n B

oys

Sch

ool 2

N G

irls

Sch

ool 2

34

5G

rade

Uni

varia

te a

naly

sis

reve

aled

a s

igni

fican

t Com

mun

ity T

ype

X G

rade

X G

ende

r in

tera

ctio

nF

(2, 7

45)

= 7

.44,

p <

.001

21?f

l

5

4.5 4

3.5 3

4)2.

52

2

1.5 1

0.5

Mea

n P

eer

Nom

inat

ions

for

Losi

ng T

empe

r by

Sch

ool,

Gra

de, a

nd G

ende

rB

oys

Sch

ool 1

1::1

Girl

s S

choo

l 1

EU

Boy

s S

choo

l 2

Girl

s S

choo

l 2

34

522

Gra

de23

Uni

varia

te a

naly

sis

reve

aled

asi

gnifi

cant

Com

mun

ity T

ype

X G

rade

X G

ende

r in

tera

ctio

nF

(2, 7

45)

= 3

.58,

p <

.05

DiscussionAs expected, more children in the violent community were

seen as moderately aggressive by some peers. In contrast, fewer

children in the less violent neighborhood were perceived as

aggressive. Therefore, from the peer perspective, aggressive

behavior is perceived as a fairly pervasive phenomenon in the

more violent community.

Teacher perceptions also differed across communities but not

in the same ways as did peer perceptions. Teachers in the less

violent community rated their students to be more aggressive than

did their counterparts in the more violent community. One

possible explanation may be that children in the more violent

community may exhibit more positive behavior than children in

the less violent community. However, it is likely that teachers in

the more violent community may have lower expectations for their

students' behavior than their counterparts in the less violent

community. The more positive ratings of children in the more

violent community may reflect the belief that these children are

unable to behave in ways that would be required of students from

more advantaged communities (Turner, 1993).

24

In general, teachers perceived boys as more aggressive thangirls. Also, boys received more nominations than girls by theirpeers. This concurs with multiple findings that boys are perceivedto be more physically aggressive than girls (Archer, Peerson, &

Westerman, 1988). In addition, teachers viewed older children as

less aggressive than younger children. This may be explained by

self-regulation: among those who study metacognition, there is

general consensus that younger children are not as skilled at self

control as are older children (Pressley, 1979). At the school in the

more violent neighborhood, gender and grade differences were

less pronounced. Perhaps teacher's expectations based on the

school community are more salient than those based on gender orgrade.

Based on these findings, it appears that educational initiatives

to address childhood aggressive behavior should be broad based,

targeting not only children but also the school context. Such efforts

would involve the development of greater self-awareness of

personal stereotypes and expectations for students among teachers

in urban, disadvantaged communities.

25

References

Archer, J., Pearson, N., & Westerman, K. (1988). Aggressive behavior of children aged 6-11:

Gender differences and their magnitude. British Journal of Social Psychology, 27, 371-384.

Attar, B. K., Guerra, N. G., & To lan, P. H. (1994). Neighborhood disadvantage, stressful life

events and adjustment in urban elementary-school children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology,

23 391-400.

California Department of Justice Statistics Center (1995). California crime index.

Coie, J. (1990). Teacher Checklist. Unpublished manuscript.

Coie, J., & Dodge, K. (1988). Multiple sources of data on social behavior and social status in

the school: A cross-age comparison. Child Development, 52, 815-829.

Coie, J., Dodge, K., & Kuperschmidt, J. (1990). Peer group behavior and social status. In S.

Asher & J. Coie (Eds.), Peer rejection in childhood (pp. 17-59). Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press.

Hudley, C. (1994). Perceptions of intentionality, feelings of anger, and reactive aggression. In

M. Furlong & D. Smith (Eds.), Anger, hostility, and aggression: Assessment, prevention and

intervention strategies for youth (pp. 39-56). Brandon, VT: Clinical Psychology Publishing Co.

Los Angeles Police Department (1996). Arrests by reporting districts (quarterly report). Los Angeles,

California.

Mc Loyd, V. C. (1990). The impact of economic hardship on black families and children:

Psychological distress, parenting, and socioemotional development. Child Development, 61 311-346.

Patterson, G. (1992). Developmental changes in antisocial behavior. In R. Peters, R.

McMahon, & V. Quinsey (Eds.), Aggression and violence throughout the life span (pp. 52-82).

Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Pressley, M. (1979). Increasing children's self-control through cognitive interventions.

Review of Educational Research, 49, 319-370.

Turner, C. L. (1993). Teachers' perceptions of effective classroom management within an

inner-city middle school. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational

Research Association, New Orleans LA.

U. S. Census Bureau (1990). U.S. Gazetteer [On-line]. Available: http://www.census.gov/cgi-

bin/gazetteer? city=&state&zip=90008; http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer? city=&state&zip=90002.

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