ABSTRACT
This dissertation reports the fïndings of a study designed to explore those
variables that influenced exemplary junior high school principals in their decisions to
prevent, or to respond to school violence. The data source comprised twelve purposefully
selected principals, who were interviewed fiom one large, urban, school district in
Western Canada. These individuals had been identified as demonstrating both knowledge
and success in the area of violence prevention.
Using the principles of grounded theory methods, interview data were analyzed
and organized to fonn the bais of a theoretical mode1 descnbing the influences on
decision making and leadership related to school violence. Based on principals'
understandings of violence as a symptom of other problems, a rnodel descnbing four
stages in the decision-maklig process, related to violence prevention, evolved. This
model challenged current conceptualizations of violence and the motives for adopting
violence prevention pro- in schools.
The kdings suggested that principals did not consider a reduction in school
violence to be an objective of their decision making. Rather, they viewed the underlying
causes of violence, often under the direct control of schools, as a more appropriate
starting point for identifying problems. Principals balanced thek personal beliefs of
discipline, philosophies of schooling, and their understandings of the needs of adolescent
students with the expectations and assumptions of stanand community. As an example,
principals made a deliberate effort to replace control and de-based discipline with a
more humanistic model focused on self-discipline and expectations for behavior. With
full knowledge that these directions were often not supported by teachers, principals
responded by playing a key role in the hiring and subsequent ernpowerment of those staff
who shared their penonai beliefs.
Principals determined needs of the school community by actively soliciting the
views of students, which then formed the basis of viable alternatives for problem
resolution. A key area of concem was the lack of attachment and sense of belonging often
expenenced in a large junior hi& school. Principals believed that if students' needs were
met, and the school staff believed in serving the best interests of children first, little
violence would occur in their schools. The primary outcome of these decisions was the
establishment of a safe and caring school climate.
For those who are in the process of evaluating violence prevention programs, or
seeking an understanding of how violence is conceptualized and operationalized at the
junior high school level, the conclusions of this study challenge some underlying
assurnptions of previous research and offer insights applicable to both theory and
practice.