Social supports preferred by the teachers when facing school violence

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims at examining whether the social support sources of teachers differ depending on the variables of gender and seniority when they encounter violence at school and investigating their opinions on precautions against school violence. Methods: Data was collected via a questionnaire from a sample of 179 female and 166 male Turkish teachers. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for data analysis. Results: Male and female teachers preferred to share the experience of exposure to verbal (chi(2) (5) = 22.81, p < .01), physical (chi(2) (5) = 36.64, p < .01), emotional (chi(2) (5) = 26.13, p < .01) and sexual violence (chi(2) (5) = 37.43, p < .01) at school with different social support sources. Male teachers preferred their colleagues as social support sources whereas female teachers preferred their spouses/families. Social support sources which teachers prefer when they face any type of violence other than sexual violence differ due to the length of teaching experience. School administrators and counselors are not among the social support sources of teachers when they were exposed to violence. Conclusions: Turkish teachers' preferences related to their victimization experiences indicate a need for prevention program encompassing teachers, school counselors and administrators