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An Exploratory Analysis of University Safety Through an Examination Of Students' Self-Perceptions of Campus and Community Violence Levels and Student Learning Influences

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Title: An Exploratory Analysis of University Safety Through an Examination Of Students' Self-Perceptions of Campus and Community Violence Levels and Student Learning Influences
Language: English
Authors: Hollis, Michael J.
Source: Online Submission. 2010Ph.D. Dissertation, Texas State University-San Marcos.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 151
Publication Date: 2010
Document Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Reports - Research
Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Campuses, Student Attitudes, Crime, Safety, News Reporting, News Media, Student Surveys, College Environment, Communication Strategies, Mass Media Effects, Questionnaires, Research Needs, Databases, Correlation, Predictor Variables, School Demography, Path Analysis, Information Dissemination, Influences, Misconceptions
Geographic Terms: Idaho, Iowa, New York, Texas, Washington
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore areas of research in regards to how students learn about violent crime on university campuses and what level of awareness they hold regarding their personal safety. A combination of databases was used to measure reported rates of violent crime on campus and in the community and these were compared with students' self-perceptions of safety and personal exposure to violence through an online survey distributed to 7,000 students at eight diverse universities throughout the United States. The survey determined that students were more aware of their personal safety than most researchers were giving them credit for. The students were largely dependent upon and trusting in their university to provide them with the information they needed to keep them safe. The university's internal and external communications messages (emails and news media coverage) were a large factor in determining how safe a student felt. Overall, there were few differences in perceptions of safety from demographics (except year of schooling). There was however strong consistencies in perceptions of universities per university, suggesting that the university itself is actually the greatest factor determining students' self-perceptions of safety and that the university's safety perception was largely determined by through media coverage. The university proved such a strong factor that it even outweighed a students' personal experience with violence as a key factor in how safe a student felt. I believe that this exploratory study now indicates that future research in the field should focus on universities' safety images and whether or not this is making students feel artificially safe or unsafe as a result. Appended are copies of the survey instrument and emails as well as feedback from respondents. (Contains 19 tables and 21 figures.)
Abstractor: As Provided
Number of References: 55
Entry Date: 2010
Accession Number: ED512572
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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  – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED512572
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PubType: Dissertation/ Thesis
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  Data: An Exploratory Analysis of University Safety Through an Examination Of Students' Self-Perceptions of Campus and Community Violence Levels and Student Learning Influences
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Online+Submission%22"><i>Online Submission</i></searchLink>. 2010Ph.D. Dissertation, Texas State University-San Marcos.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Campuses%22">Campuses</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Attitudes%22">Student Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Crime%22">Crime</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Safety%22">Safety</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22News+Reporting%22">News Reporting</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22News+Media%22">News Media</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Surveys%22">Student Surveys</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Environment%22">College Environment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communication+Strategies%22">Communication Strategies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mass+Media+Effects%22">Mass Media Effects</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Questionnaires%22">Questionnaires</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+Needs%22">Research Needs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Databases%22">Databases</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Correlation%22">Correlation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Predictor+Variables%22">Predictor Variables</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Demography%22">School Demography</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Path+Analysis%22">Path Analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Information+Dissemination%22">Information Dissemination</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Influences%22">Influences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Misconceptions%22">Misconceptions</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Idaho%22">Idaho</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Iowa%22">Iowa</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22New+York%22">New York</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Texas%22">Texas</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Washington%22">Washington</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The purpose of this study was to explore areas of research in regards to how students learn about violent crime on university campuses and what level of awareness they hold regarding their personal safety. A combination of databases was used to measure reported rates of violent crime on campus and in the community and these were compared with students' self-perceptions of safety and personal exposure to violence through an online survey distributed to 7,000 students at eight diverse universities throughout the United States. The survey determined that students were more aware of their personal safety than most researchers were giving them credit for. The students were largely dependent upon and trusting in their university to provide them with the information they needed to keep them safe. The university's internal and external communications messages (emails and news media coverage) were a large factor in determining how safe a student felt. Overall, there were few differences in perceptions of safety from demographics (except year of schooling). There was however strong consistencies in perceptions of universities per university, suggesting that the university itself is actually the greatest factor determining students' self-perceptions of safety and that the university's safety perception was largely determined by through media coverage. The university proved such a strong factor that it even outweighed a students' personal experience with violence as a key factor in how safe a student felt. I believe that this exploratory study now indicates that future research in the field should focus on universities' safety images and whether or not this is making students feel artificially safe or unsafe as a result. Appended are copies of the survey instrument and emails as well as feedback from respondents. (Contains 19 tables and 21 figures.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 151
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Campuses
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Crime
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Safety
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: News Reporting
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: News Media
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Surveys
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College Environment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Communication Strategies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mass Media Effects
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Questionnaires
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research Needs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Databases
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Correlation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Predictor Variables
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School Demography
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Path Analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Information Dissemination
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Influences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Misconceptions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Idaho
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Iowa
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: New York
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Texas
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Washington
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: An Exploratory Analysis of University Safety Through an Examination Of Students' Self-Perceptions of Campus and Community Violence Levels and Student Learning Influences
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            NameFull: Hollis, Michael J.
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              Type: published
              Y: 2010
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            – TitleFull: Online Submission
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