Teacher victimization and teachers' subjective well-being: Does school climate matter?

Guided by the job demands-resources model, we examined the multilevel associations between victimization experience with student violence directed against teachers, school climate, and teachers' subjective well-being (i.e., school connectedness and teaching efficacy) among 1711 teachers (7th-12th grade) from 58 middle and high schools in China. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed that teachers who reported more frequent teacher victimization perceived a lower level of teaching efficacy; however, teachers in schools with a higher level of teacher victimization scores at the school level perceived a higher level of teaching efficacy. Although school climate was positively related to teacher well-being at both teacher and school levels, the negative association between teacher victimization and teachers' subjective well-being at the teacher level was exacerbated in schools with a more positive school climate at the school level. The significant cross-level moderating effect of school-level school climate in the association between teacher-level victimization and subjective well-being was consistent with the "healthy context paradox" but contradicted with the "emotion contagion hypothesis." Our findings support the risk influence of teacher victimization and the promotive role of positive school climate on teachers' subjective well-being. Our results also indicate that teachers in schools with a more positive and collective perception of school climate tend to be more attuned to the negative influences of teacher victimization on their subjective well-being than teachers in schools with a less positive and collective perception of school climate.

Teacher victimization by students in China: A multilevel analysis.

The goal of this study is to examine individual-level and school-level predictors of teacher victimization (TV) by students in China based upon the multilevel social-ecological framework. A sample of 1711 teachers (7-12th grade) from 58 schools from eight provinces in mainland China completed measures of teacher victimization (i.e., physical TV, verbal TV, social TV, cyber TV, sexual harassment, and personal property offenses) by students, school-wide bullying and disciplinary practices, and demographics. In the present sample, 25.1% of teachers reported that they experienced at least one of the six forms of victimization from students in the past school year. Prevalence of teacher victimization ranged from 4.0% (physical victimization) to 16.8% (social victimization). Male teachers were more likely to experience all forms of TV and homeroom teachers were more likely than non-homeroom teachers to experience social TV. Schools with fewer students, but higher number of teachers, also had higher levels of TV. Student bullying and punitive disciplinary practices at the teacher level were associated with higher levels of most forms of TV. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Initial development and validation of the Multidimensional Teacher Victimization Scale.

The Multidimensional Teacher Victimization Scale (MTVS) was developed to provide schools with a comprehensive and psychometrically sound self-report scale to assess teachers' perceptions of teacher-targeted aggressive and violent behaviors perpetrated by students. Using a cross-sectional survey-based research design, data were collected on a sample of 1,711 teachers (seventh to twelfth grade) from 58 schools in China. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a second-order model with one general Teacher Victimization (TV) factor and six lower-order factors (i.e., Physical TV, Social TV, Verbal TV, Cyber TV, Sexual Harassment, and Personal Property Offenses) best represented the data. Measurement invariance tests showed that the scale's factor structure was consistent across middle and high schools and across gender. Latent mean comparisons suggested that similar levels of teacher victimization were reported across male and female teachers and across middle school and high school teachers. As evidence of the scale's concurrent validity, the total teacher victimization score correlated significantly with teachers' self-reported total burnout score and 3 subscale scores, including emotional exhaustion, accomplishment, and depersonalization. Adequate internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability were achieved in both the total scale and subscales. Implications for using MTVS as a school-wide violence assessment tool in Chinese schools and other cultural groups are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Differences in school climate and student engagement in China and the United States.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine differences between American and Chinese students in their perceptions of school climate and engagement in school, and in the relation between school climate and engagement. METHOD: Confirmatory factor analyses were used to support the factor structure and measurement invariance of the two measures administered: The Delaware School Climate Survey-Student and the Delaware Student Engagement Scale. Differences in latent means were tested, and differences in relations between variables were examined using multilevel hierarchical linear modeling. Participants consisted of 3,176 Chinese and 4,085 American students, Grades 3-5, 7-8, and 10-12. RESULTS: Chinese students perceived school climate more favorably than American students, particularly beyond elementary school. Findings were more complex for student engagement. In elementary school, American students reported greater cognitive-behavioral and emotional engagement, and especially the former. In middle school and high school, Chinese students reported greater emotional engagement; however, no significant differences were found for cognitive-behavioral engagement. Most intriguing were results of multilevel hierarchical modeling that examined associations between school climate and student engagement: They were significant in American schools but not Chinese schools. CONCLUSION: Chinese students, compared with American students, perceived the climate of their schools more favorably, especially after elementary school. However, among Chinese students, their perceptions of school climate were unrelated to their self-reported engagement in school-school climate did not seem to matter as much. (PsycINFO Database Record