RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SELECTED SCHOOL DISTRICT CHARACTERISTICS AND DOLLAR AMOUNT OF REPORTED SCHOOL VANDALISM
Abstract
School vandalism is a persistent problem that creates an unwholesome educational environment and leads to lost education time and money. One reason for its tenacity is the fact that the cause or causes of vandalism are unknown. This study was conducted to determine if a predictive relationship existed between dollar amount of school vandalism, measured by the dollar amount of insurance claims filed by school districts for loss due to vandalism for the 1980-81 school year, and the following school district characteristics; type of student enrollment (homogeneous or heterogeneous); total district population (large, medium, or small); district assessed property valuation; average daily attendance; district enrollment; pupil/teacher ratio; and pupil/custodian ratio. To conduct the study an instrument, Johnson's School District Characteristic Assessment Questionnaire, was developed by the investigator. Instrument reliability was established by comparing data obtained at two different times i a pilot study. Validity was determined by obtaining expert opinion about its content, clarity, and construction, and by crosschecking obtained data with sources independent of the questionnaire. Reliability measures and validity were sufficient to justify use of the instrument. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed on the variables and a significant effect at the .001 level was observed. Subsequent partial correlation analyses revealed that of the variables studied, the best predictor of dollar amount of school vandalism was size of district enrollment; larger enrollments resulted in higher vandalism costs. The second best predictor of higher costs was low average daily attendance patterns (high absenteeism). The independent variables--pupil/teacher ratio, pupil/custodian ratio, and district assessed property valuation--were nonsignificant at the .05 level. However, directional differences indicate that higher vandalism costs occur in districts with low assessed property valuation. Type of student enrollment and total district population were highly significant predictors of dollar amount of school vandalism in the direction opposite to the hypothesized relationship. Thus, homogeneous rather than the hypothesized heterogeneous student enrollment, and small rather than the hypothesized large population living within the area served by the school district were positively related to dollar amount of school vandalism.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
School administration
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