School Shootings In The United States: An Analysis Of Micro And Macro Level Variables

Author

Vineeth Vijayan, Prairie View A&M University

Date of Award

8-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Discipline

Juvenile Justice

Abstract

In 2023, by November 2, there had been 45 school shootings resulting in fatalities and injuries (Matthews, 2023). There were 193 shooting incidents in preschools and K–12 schools during the previous school year, which is greater than an average of 49 incidents each school year since 2013 (Everytown Research & Policy, 2022). This predictive quantitative study offers a comprehensive analysis of various state-level, school-level, and individual-level variables, such as the laws related to guns, access to mental health services, economics, type of school shooting, socio-demographic indicators, school type, and timing of the incident toward informing effective preventative policies. It utilized information from five data sets: the K-12 School Shooting Data Base, Giffords Law Center, KFF Data Base, State of Mental Health in America Report, and the Washington Post School Shooting Database. The data were analyzed with t-tests and regression using a layered ecological contextual theoretical framework to understand what increases the possibility of school shootings with casualties. The findings revealed that school factors such as indoor locations, targeted victims, and the presence of School Resource Officers, and macro factors such as limited youth access to mental health services and a high percentage of youth in poverty are predictive of school shootings with casualties.

Keywords: school shootings, gun violence, school violence, school fatalities

Committee Chair/Advisor

Camille Gibson

Committee Member

Myrna Cintron

Committee Member

Nabil Ouassini

Committee Member

Gbolahan Solomon Osho

Publisher

Prairie View A&M University

Rights

Date of Digitization

8/27/2024

Contributing Institution

J. B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Vijayan, V. (2024). School Shootings In The United States: An Analysis Of Micro And Macro Level Variables. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-dissertations/52