Protecting the High School Environment as an Island of Safety

Correlates of Student Fear of In-School Victimization

Abstract

A sample of 1,272 students from eight high schools representative of the 49 regular high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District was used to determine the association of fear of experiencing victimization with age, sex of student, and ethnic background. Differential levels of fear associated with the three status variables were analyzed in contingency tables that included location and type (violence and thievery) of victimization. In addition, student fear of apprehension of the school environment was examined in contingency tables that included measures of in-school victimization experience, neighborhood stress, student achievement level, and student feelings toward school.