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School Shootings in the United States: A Case Study

Victoria Clowers

University of North Carolina at Pembroke

SWK 3910-800

Dr. Tamara Estes Savage

February 25, 2022

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School Shootings in the United States: A Case Study

Although the infamous Columbine High School shooting in the late 1990s was

neither the first nor last mass-shooting event in the United States, many have argued

(Wetterneck, Sass, & Davies, 2019; Luckett & Cangemi, 2020; Zierhoffer, 2014) that it

set the precedence for decades of violent, emulated attacks on U.S. schools. After the

occurrence of these events, the rest of the world has a front row seat to these ghastly

images via media outlets. These events, as tragic as they may seem to most of the

population, frequently serve as recruitment ads for potential individuals with the desire

to repeat kindred acts (Towers et al, 2015). Thus, in conjunction with numerous other

risk factors that will be analyzed, a cycle of violence is born. Prevalence and magnitude

of severity have only increased with time. According to data gathered by Every Town for

Gun Safety (2022), from 2019 to 2021 there have been 428 school shootings that have

resulted in 106 premature deaths and hundreds more injuries.

Apart from children losing their life so early, there are numerous other damaging

effects of school shootings – or gun violence in a general sense. Schools is a place for

children and teenagers to grow, learn, dream, and explore; however, for many, it has

become a place of angst, uncertainty, and fear. Many studies have shown that children

have begun to lose a sense of protection and security in schools – reinforcing surveys

showing one-third of the victims of school shootings having mental health related issues

following the traumatic event (Banerjee, 2010). Rachel Ehmke (2022) believes that the

parents of school-aged children and teenagers often have more anxiety and worry

about school shootings than that of their kids. Devastatingly enough, parents are being

taught coping mechanisms and anxiety-reducing strategies to decrease stress on their

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children (Ehmke, 2022). In today’s world, there are few things more dangerous than

sending a child to school.

This social problem is at the forefront of necessity in the United States. Due to

the upward trend of occurrences and severity of occurrences, this problem is likely to

worsen with time if left unnoticed (Every Town for Gun Safety, 2022). The level of public

interest and concern for the regulation of gun laws and prevention of violent school

shootings requires further study and exploration. Children and teenagers in the United

States deserve to attend schooling without fearing for their lives; thus, the level of public

interest in the safety of schools is a topic of frequent discussion for parents. Lastly,

identifying demographics on prior perpetrators of these violent acts can potentially

troubleshoot the crisis before it begins. If this problem should persist, the fate of the

American education systems could be at risk.

Literature Review

Literature reveals that while there are numerous theories behind the causes of

school shootings, there is no singular reason that they occur (Hicks et. al., 2020; Frisby,

Se-Kang, & Wolfmeyer, 2005; Gereluk, Kent, & Thompson, 2015). Gereluk, Kent, &

Thomson (2015) take it a step further by pointing out the importance of analyzing the

issue of gun violence in schools from all angles. Additionally, within the drastic increase

in school shootings, “it is imperative to explore the causes in order to fully examine the

data surrounding these events” (Luckett & Cangemi, 2020, p. 371). By doing this, the

public and lawmakers can avoid using a one size fits all method to solving the crisis of

school gun violence (Gereluk, Kent, & Thompson, 2015). However, a review of existing

literature does identify some common causes of school shootings.

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Some external causes include familial problems, bullying, and media (Bushman

et al., 2016; Hicks et al., 2020; Fiedler et al., 2019). According to Fielder et al. (2019),

when these external causes are combined, they can create psychosocial crises for an

individual. Further, a notable finding in the research of school violence “is that severe

targeted school violence is the endpoint of a negative psychosocial development

including complex interactions of psychosocial, situational, and structural risk factors”

(Fiedler et al., 2019, p. 110). Another potential cause of school gun violence could

possibly be technology (Luckett & Cangemi, 2020). National news coverage of violent

events across the country through television and social media could potentially

“motivate would-be mass shooters, who may be narcissistic, suicidal, and socially

isolated” (Luckett & Cangemi, 2020, p. 372).

While there are some similar causes for school shootings, there are also

common characteristics of perpetrators (Fiedler et al., 2019; Wtterneck, Sass, & Davies,

2005; Luckett & Cangemi, 2020). After conducting a study (FBI, 2000), the Federal

Bureau of investigation “identified a number of background characteristics of school

shooters but explained that these characteristics should not be used as a profile for

school violence” (Wetterneck, Sass, & Davies, 2019, p. 154). Common denominators of

a potential violent individual in a school setting include, but are not limited to,

“arrogance, dishonesty, poor interpersonal skills, poor emotional intelligence” and an

indifference towards consequences (Luckett & Cangemi, 2020, p. 373). Other studies

have indicated that perpetrators of school violence show common characteristics with

radicalized, individualist terrorists in the United States (Zierhoffer, 2014).

Proposed Solutions
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A study was conducted to address the effectiveness of United States government

interventions on gun violence in schools (Lewis et al., 2016). The main issue addressed

in by this study is about how gun violence, control, and use has become a significant

concern for public health in the United States (Lewis et al., 2016, p.482). The research

design was a qualitative approach as data was gathered from the perspectives of the

informants on the problem area through surveys and questionnaires (Lewis et al.,

2016). The participants of the survey/research design were 419 college students. The

sampling method is 1400 undergraduate students that were selected to participate in

the study (Lewis et al, 2016, p. 483). One major finding is that there “was not consensus

on how to address the issue” (Lewis et al, 2016, 485). Another major finding of the study

was that “bullying emerged as an issue that needs to be included in the political

discourse about gun violence” (Lewis et al, 2016, 486).

After another review of the literature, another one of the proposed

solutions for dealing with school gun violence is the emphasis on intervention training,

skills, and practice (Fiedler et al., 2019; Bushman et al., 2016; Hicks et al., 2020).

Fielder et al. (2019) notes that while ignoring profiling techniques is not necessarily the

solution, developing an intervention strategy may prove to be more beneficial. Some of

these interventions can start early in life. According to the proposed solutions expanded

on by Buahman et al. (2016), preventing school violence takes a variety on programs

geared towards intervention. Some of these programs include the careful teaching of

self-control skills, the collaboration with “family-based protective factors” (Bushman et

al., 2016, p. 26).

Summary Statement
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A review of the literature surrounding school gun violence identified a few

common themes: causes, interventions, and perceptions. While it is impractical and

erroneous to believe that there is one true cause of school gun violence, research has

shown that there are several common causes of school violence (Hicks et. al., 2020;

Frisby, Se-Kang, & Wolfmeyer, 2005; Gereluk, Kent, & Thompson, 2015). Many

scholars, lawmakers, and educators have tried their hand at developing potential

solutions, but there is not a distinct, all-encompassing solution to this complex crisis

Fiedler et al., 2019; Bushman et al., 2016; Hicks et al., 2020). With that, public

perceptions of the effects of school gun violence on youth, parents, and school faculty is

an important area of emphasis when assessing the severity school gun violence in the

United States (Wetterneck, Sass, & Davies, 2005; Bushman et al., 2016; Hicks et al,

2020).

Research Questions / Hypothesis

The level of public interest and concern for the regulation of gun laws and the

safety of schools is in question. The current level of public interest is potentially causing

a heightened level of gun related violence in schools and leading to an increase in

anxiety for student and parents (Ehmke, 2022). Some research questions that are being

posed by this study are as follows. What is the level of anxiety/concern that students,

teachers, and parents have today about potential gun violence in their school? Is gun

related violence causing an increase in anxiety and depression issues in

children/teenagers? The hypothesis for this research is students, teachers, and parents

will have a high level of concern for their safety in schools that will results in increased

levels of anxiety among members of the sample population. The independent variables
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in this study are the age of the student in the study and the amount of exposure to

violence in schools they have had. Additionally, the same will apply to the adults in the

study. The dependent variables will be the level of concern about school violence

experienced by the participants of the study and the level of anxiety and depression

experienced due to exposure to violence in school.

Defining, Operationalizing Variables & Measurement of variables

For the age of the students in the study and the amount of exposure to violence

in schools they have had, it is important to explain the significance behind these

independent variables. There would be a minimum of 10 years old and a maximum of

17 years old to participate as a school age child in this study. The variable of age would

be easily measure by checked the dates of birth of children interested and willing to

participate in this study. The amount of exposure to violence in schools would be more

difficult to determine accurately. For example, if only looking at school districts and

communities that have a higher crime percentage, it would not account for children who

have recently moved to the area or left the area. The way to measure this variable for

the purposes of this study would be to add questions into the survey to help identify the

level of violence each participant has witnessed or experienced in a school setting.

The dependent variables would be slightly more complex. For the level of

concern about school violence, the best way to gauge this would be to include a serious

of questions and vignettes about various school-related concerns in the survey itself.

This would include concerns outside of just violence and safety so that avoidance of

weighted responses towards the hypothesis could be avoided. For example, if the

questions were, “What are you most concerned about in school?”, some of the answer
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choices could be, “Healthy foods, grades, extra-curricular activities, zoning, etc.” Lastly,

the level of anxiety about school violence could be assessed using a scale like the BAI

developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck (Lovibond, & Lovibond, 1955).

Sampling

As this research is quantitative, probability sampling will be the best sampling

method. The subtype of probability sampling that will be utilized in this study is random

sampling. Random sampling will be conducted for convenience. The source of this

sample will be a random and even selection of students, teachers, and parents within

the Cumberland County School District who attend public school. The participants will

consist of 100 students, 100 parents, and 100 teachers. Recruiting participants will be

done with the approval and permission of the school board and the administration of the

school. After that is acquired, it would be best to partner with a teacher at the school to

gain support from students and other members of faculty.

One of the limitations that are present is the small sample size. It would be more

difficult and require more time to interview a larger number of people. Another limitation

is that there will only be gathering of data from one school district so it may not

accurately assess the overall opinions of all students, teachers, and parents within the

United States. Some ethical issues that will be important to consider include research

participant informed consent, maintaining scientific integrity with the data, and protection

of the privacy of the research participants. Additionally, as one third of my participants

are minors, it would be unethical to conduct the study without the permission and

notification of their parents or guardians. While not a motivating factor to pursue

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permission, it may serve to get more participation from parents of students at the

school.

Research Design

Due to the research being quantitative research, a cross-sectional survey design

over one group of people will be utilized. There would be no need to do a longitudinal

design, as the area of research is on the current effects of school violence on children,

adults, and teachers. It could be possible to do a longitudinal design if done by

spreading out the data collect over a few years, but for the purposes of this research

hypothesis it would take too long. Cross-sectional group survey designs are used when

there is no proposed interventional method (Grinnell, 2021). Additionally, it is used when

the surveys will only be conducted once among the designated population and there are

no plans of future trend, cohort, or panel studies (Grinnell, 2021). It would not be

feasible to do qualitative research to conduct this study as it requires the cause-and-

effect hypothesis to be studied (Grinnell, 2021). Additionally, “reliability and objectivity”

in this research design is pertinent; there are no plans to act as a research participant in

this study (Grinnell, 2021, p 143).

Some threats to internal validity in this research include the age of the students in

the study and the level of involvement that the parents have with their children. For

instance, the age of the students could affect their ability to accurately describe their

feelings about school safety. Also, a parent that is not as involved with their children

might not have as many worries about their school environment. A threat to external

validity includes how a study conducted on one school system could be applied to

another school system in a completely different area. For example, if this study were
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conducted on a school system that has higher levels of crime and violence, it could

inaccurately skew the results.

Data Collection

The main source of data collection in this study will be interviews, questionnaires,

and surveys. The questionnaires will contain demographic information gathering on the

participants of the study. The information that will need to be obtained will help

determine the level of concern over gun violence and overall safety in schools in the

United States. This information includes how students assess their overall safety in

school, how teachers perceive their safety in schools, and if parents are concerned

about the safety of schools. The survey and questionnaires will be slightly different for

students, teachers, and parents. This is due to the various roles each of those

participants play into the research questions and the overall hypothesis.

Some ethical considerations that will be taken into account when collecting data

is to accurately store the data. It will need to be checked numerous times to ensure the

validity and integrity of the data collection. Additionally, questions should not be skewed

in any way to help gather certain results. This study is designed to accurately assess

how school-aged children and those around them feel about gun violence in the United

States school systems. Efforts made to protect confidentially information collected in the

study include only allowing research facilitators to see the data, keeping the data on a

locked computer and in a locked folder, and destroying any paper data after it is

recorded.

Conclusion
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Studies (Hicks et. al., 2020; Frisby, Se-Kang, & Wolfmeyer, 2005; Gereluk, Kent,

& Thompson, 2015) have shown that gun violence in the United States has had

devastating consequences apart from the tragic loss of life. Many elected officials,

educators, and researchers have developing potential solutions to this crisis, only to

discover that there is not a distinct, all-encompassing solution (Fiedler et al., 2019;

Bushman et al., 2016; Hicks et al., 2020). Due to the lack of ability to find an appropriate

solution, the research proposed in this paper could potentially shine light on the

perceptions of the safety of schools that could lead to more advanced effort to put

America’s children on ease. Children should not have to worry about whether they will

make it home at the end of the day of school; parents should be able to trust schools

with the safety of their children. This research will help show lawmakers, politicians, and

administrators that there is a massive problem in their schools.

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