Offensive behaviours against school leaders

Prevalence, perpetrators and mediators in Australian government schools

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21784151
AutoresBen Arnold (0000-0003-2482-7611, Deakin University, autor de correspondencia), Mark Rahimi (0000-0002-9278-3537, Deakin University), Phil Riley (Deakin University)
Año2024
Volumen52
Número2
Páginas378-394
Fecha de publicación2024-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEducational Management Administration & Leadership (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1741-1432 • E-ISSN: 1741-1440
EditorialSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/17411432211057350
OpenAlexW4200542053
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas27

Offensive behaviour towards school employees is widespread and involves a number of potentially harmful acts. There is evidence that school employees’ experiences of offensive behaviour are shaped by demographic, role and school-based factors that mediate the likelihood of victimisation. However, very few studies have investigated the prevalence and correlates of offensive behaviour against school leaders. This study analysed 13,028 survey responses from the Australia Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing survey that were completed between the years 2011 and 2019. The analysis determined the prevalence of bullying, threats of violence and physical violence against government school leaders, the main perpetrators of these offenses and the moderating effects of key socio-demographic factors. Results from the study demonstrated that considerable proportions of Australian government school leaders were subjected to offensive behaviour with an average (pooled) prevalence of 36.2% for bullying, 48.6% for threats of violence and 38.7% for physical violence. School leaders report that students and parents are responsible for most offensive behaviours, but that colleagues also contribute considerably to incidents of bullying. Our findings illustrate that offensive behaviours against Australian school leaders are very high and that particular groups of school leaders are at elevated risk of victimization, especially female school leaders and to a lesser extent assistant principals and those inner or outer regional areas

Criminology · Environmental health · Management · Offensive · Poison control · Suicide prevention · Victimisation · Workplace bullying · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Workplace Violence and Bullying