Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Susana Verdinelli

Abstract

Schools in the United States need to be prepared for a possible school shooting. However, the types of planning and security measures differ across states and there is not a national policy center or central authority that standardize the quality and feasibility of the safety and security plans. Little research exists on teachers’ perceptions of preparedness for active shooter incidents. The purpose of this qualitative generic study was to examine teachers’ perceptions of preparedness for an active shooter incident. The purpose of this study was to understand teacher’s feelings of safety and their perceptions on how their school trained school personnel for a gun related crisis management. The theoretical foundation for this study was influenced by Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy. The participants for this study were 10 urban public high school teachers. Data were examined using thematic analysis. Results of this study provided an understanding of teachers’ opinions on how adequate they perceived the training received to face potential shooter incidents. Training varied across participants, most participants noted they were trained in lockdown drills procedures, ALICE training, or a color code card procedure. The participants thoughts on school safety varied in range, some participants felt safe, others felt semi safe, or very safe. Therefore, thoughts on school safety were situational dependent. Participants also described their differing thoughts on administration support during crisis management training. Only few teachers felt supported by administration. Results of this study have the potential to be used for positive social change by administrators in the creation and implementation of teachers’ training methods in active shooter incidents.

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