Mona Khoury-Kassabri

Values as protective factors against violent behavior in Jewish and Arab high schools in Israel.

This study tested the hypothesis that values, abstract goals serving as guiding life principles, become relatively important predictors of adolescents self-reported violent behavior in school environments in which violence is relatively common. The study employed a students-nested-in-schools design. Arab and Jewish adolescents (N = 907, M age = 16.8), attending 33 Israeli schools, reported their values and their own violent behavior. Power values correlated positively, and universalism and conformity correlated negatively with self-reported violent behavior, accounting for 12% of the variance in violent behavior, whereas school membership accounted for 6% of the variance. In schools in which violence was more common, power values relationship with adolescents self-reported violence was especially positive, and the relationship of universalism with self-reported violence was especially negative.

Middle Eastern Adolescents' Perpetration of School Violence Against Peers and Teachers: A Cross-Cultural and Ecological Analysis

The current study presents the prevalence of students reports of perpetration of violence toward peers and teachers among 16,604 7th- through 11th-grade Jewish and Arab students in Israel and examines the individual and school contextual factors that explain students violence. The study explores how students reports of violence are influenced by individual factors (gender, age, perception of school climate and intervention) and school contextual factors (cultural affiliation, SES of students families, school and class size, school climate, intervention). Almost one third of all students reported at least one form of perpetration toward peers, and one in five reported perpetration against teachers. Compared to the school climate characteristics, school organizational factors, and cultural affiliation, students SES has the highest contribution to explained variance in reports of violence toward others. The discussion highlights the need to allocate more resources to schools in low-SES contexts to protect low-SES students from school violence.

Maltreatment of primary school students by educational staff in Israel

OBJECTIVESnThis paper reports on the prevalence of emotional and physical maltreatment of students in primary schools by school staff in Israel. Victimization by staff was analyzed according to students gender, age group (4th, 5th, and 6th grade), cultural group (Jewish-non-religious, Jewish-religious, and Arab schools), school characteristics (school size and class size), and by socio-economic status of the students families.nnnMETHODnData were obtained from a nationally representative sample of 5472 students in Grades 4-6 in 71 schools across Israel. The students completed questionnaires during class, which included a scale for reporting physical and psychological maltreatment by staff. Data on the socio-economic status of the families of the students in each school were also obtained.nnnRESULTSnStudents reported generally high rates of maltreatment by staff members. Almost a third reported being emotionally maltreated by a staff member, and more than a fifth (22.2%) reported being a victim of at least one type of physical maltreatment. The most vulnerable groups for maltreatment were males, students in Arab schools, and students in schools with a high percentage of students from low-income and low-education families.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThese high rates of primary school students victimization by staff are unacceptable. We recommend educational campaigns among teachers, as well as allocating more resources to support staff in low socio-economic neighborhoods.

The relationship between staff maltreatment of students and bully-victim group membership.

OBJECTIVESnThe current study presents the prevalence of students reports of physical and emotional maltreatment by school staff and examines the differences between these reports according to the students category of involvement in school bullying (only bullies, only victims, bully-victims, and neither bullies nor victims).nnnMETHODnThis study is based on a large, nationally representative sample of 16,604 students in grades 7-11 in 324 schools across Israel, who completed questionnaires during class. Using Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVA), the study explores the differences between bully-victim group memberships on their reports of staff maltreatment. It also examines the interaction of students gender, nation (Jewish vs. Arab students) and school level (junior high vs. high school student) with physical and emotional maltreatment.nnnRESULTSnSignificant MANOVA results were found for gender (boys more than girls), nation (Arabs more than Jews) and bully-victim group membership for both emotional and physical maltreatment. Post hoc follow-up analyses revealed that bully-victims reported significantly more staff maltreatment than other students, followed by bullies and victims. Students who were not involved in bullying reported the lowest levels of staff maltreatment. In addition, the interaction analysis revealed that differences in bully-victim subgroup membership vary by gender, nations and school level in both physical and emotional maltreatment.nnnCONCLUSIONnThe findings showed that levels of staff maltreatment toward students vary according to the category of students involvement in bullying, with bully-victims boys being at the highest risk. These findings mirror past research suggesting that bully-victims present multiple challenges for school staff and they are in need for special attention.nnnPRACTICE IMPLICATIONnThe findings emphasize the need to invest more efforts in helping bully-victims that were found at highest risk for staff maltreatment in both Jewish and Arab schools. Furthermore, it is essential to support teachers to help them cope effectively with difficult situations without resorting to aggression. To achieve this goal, training opportunities for teachers in Israel and other countries need to be expanded. This intervention should be designed and implemented from a whole school approach that includes students, school staff, and parents.

Student victimization by peers in elementary schools: Individual, teacher-class, and school-level predictors

OBJECTIVESnThis study examined individual and contextual factors that explain students victimization by peers among 4th- through 6th-grade Jewish and Arab students.nnnMETHODnA total of 120 homeroom teachers and 3,375 students from 47 schools participated. The study explored how students reports of violence are influenced by individual factors (gender, age, perception of school climate, victimization by teachers, and fear) teacher-class factors (school climate, homeroom teachers characteristics such as self-efficacy, and education) and cultural affiliation as a school level factor.nnnRESULTSnThe results showed that levels of victimization vary significantly between classes and between schools. However, the vast majority of variation in students victimization lay at the individual level. Factors such as fear, physical and emotional victimization by teachers, and gender affected levels of students victimization by peers.nnnCONCLUSIONSnStudents victimized by peers are more likely to be victimized by their teachers and to miss school because of their fear of violence. Further research should be conducted to investigate additional teacher, class and school factors that can predict levels of students victimization.nnnPRACTICE IMPLICATIONnBased on the studys results, efforts to deal with school violence should be targeted to students and school staff. It is essential to design and implement a whole school approach that includes participation of the entire school community. Furthermore, intensive individual treatment should be given to victimized students to improve their sense of safety and protection on school property. In addition, the findings emphasized the need to design and implement school intervention programs in a sensitive way that takes into consideration childrens developmental stages and other factors that affect their levels of victimization. The results showed that younger children do not take advantage of the many positive effects that can be achieved from positive school policy and good relationships with staff. It might be that more efforts should be made to raise victimized students awareness by emphasizing that schools have rules that are there to protect them.

Generational, ethnic, and national differences in attitudes toward the rights of children in israel and palestine.

With the nearly universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, childrens rights have become a cornerstone of discussions in relation to human rights and human services around the world. Although the concept of childrens rights is now broadly established, the meaning of this concept and its significance for policies and programs are apt to vary across nations, cultures, religions, and age groups. With the close proximity of diverse national, ethnic, and religious groups and seemingly omnipresent political conflicts about the meaning of rights among them, the Middle East presents unusual opportunities to understand the effects of such variables on attitudes toward childrens rights. Drawing from samples of Jews from Israel, Palestinian Muslims from Israel, and Palestinian Muslims from the Palestinian Authority, surveys were conducted of adolescents, young mothers (mothers of toddlers), middle-aged mothers (mothers of adolescents), and grandmothers. Attitudes toward childrens rights were more strongly affected by the respondents ethnicity and nationality than by their age.

Weapon Carrying in Israeli Schools The Contribution of Individual and School Factors

The present study employed an ecological perspective to examine the relative predictive power of individual and school contextual factors on weapon carrying at school. The study is based on a nationally representative sample of 10,400 students in Grades 7 through 11 in 162 schools across Israel. Hierarchical logistic modeling examined the relationships between students and school-level variables and carrying weapons to school (guns, knives, and other weapons). The authors found that school context is associated with weapon carrying and increases the likelihood of having students with weapons in the school. For instance, schools with a large proportion of students from low–socioeconomic status (SES) families showed higher levels of weapon carrying. Furthermore, individual factors, such as victimization and fear, are positively associated with weapon carrying in school. The discussion highlights the importance of improving school climate to deal more effectively with weapon carrying to school.

Indirect and verbal victimization by peers among at-risk youth in residential care

Verbal and indirect violence among peers in residential care settings (RCSs) are understudied social problems. This study, based on a sample of 1,324 Jewish and Arab adolescents aged 11-19 in 32 RCSs, examines the prevalence and multilevel correlates of verbal (such as cursing) and indirect (such as social exclusion) forms of victimization by peers in RCSs. Adolescents completed a self-report anonymous questionnaire in their facility. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) is used to examine the links between adolescents victimization, individual-level characteristics (gender, age, adjustment difficulties, self-efficacy, staff maltreatment experiences and perceived institutional social climate), and RCS-level characteristics (setting type of care, size, structure, and ethnic affiliation). Most adolescents reported having been verbally (73%) and indirectly (62%) victimized by their peers at least once in the month prior to filling out the questionnaire. Vulnerability to indirect violence is higher among girls and those with low perception of their social self-efficacy. Younger adolescents, adolescents with higher levels of overall adjustment difficulties, those experiencing high levels of physical maltreatment by RCS staff and those perceiving levels of child friendliness in their RCS as poor, were all more vulnerable to verbal and indirect victimization by peers. Verbal victimization is positively associated with residence in Jewish RCSs and indirect victimization is positively associated with residence in therapeutic settings which contain higher concentrations of vulnerable youth compared with rehabilitative settings. The findings can assist in designing anti-bullying intervention and prevention programs tailored for the at-risk children and institutions identified in the study.

Understanding the mediating role of corporal punishment in the association between maternal stress, efficacy, co-parenting and children's adjustment difficulties among Arab mothers.

This study, guided by the Family Systems Theory, examines the direct effect of maternal use of corporal punishment on childrens adjustment difficulties. Also, it explores whether corporal punishment serves as a mediating factor in the relationship between several maternal characteristics, marital relationships, and childrens adjustment difficulties. A total of 2,447 Arab mothers completed anonymous, structured, self-report questionnaires. The use of corporal punishment was generally strongly supported by the Arab mothers in our sample. A greater likelihood of using corporal punishment was found among mothers of boys rather than girls, among mothers with lower perceived self-efficacy to discipline children, and among mothers with a lower perception of their husbands participation in child-related labor. In addition, the higher a mothers reports on disagreement with her husband about discipline methods and the stronger her level of maternal stress, the more likely she was to use corporal punishment. Corporal punishment also mediated the association between the above mentioned factors and child adjustment difficulties. Furthermore, a husbands emotional support and family socioeconomic status were directly associated to childrens adjustment difficulties. The results of the current study emphasize the need to observe childrens development within the context of their family systems and to consider the mutual influences of different subsystems such as marital relationships and mother-child interactions. Prevention and intervention programs should raise parents awareness concerning the harmful effects of corporal punishment and take into account the impact of dynamic transactions of parental conflicts and disagreements regarding discipline methods on child outcomes.

Perpetration of aggressive behaviors against peers and teachers as predicted by student and contextual factors

This study uses an ecological/contextual theory to explore how students perpetration of violence and other aggressive behaviors is associated with individual factors such as gender, age, and perception of school climate, and contextual factors such as cultural affiliation, school climate, and teacher characteristics among 4th- through 6th-grade Jewish and Arab students in Israel. A questionnaire testing the use of aggressive behavior in school was completed by 120 homeroom teachers and 3,375 students. The results of the study show that levels of perpetration of violence and other aggressive behaviors vary between classes (15.20% directed against students and 7.33% directed against teachers). At the teacher-classroom level, higher levels of perpetration were found in classes with a lower percentage of girls and in classes with fewer or less clear and consistent policies to deal with aggressive behaviors. At the individual level, gender and perception of school climate were found to be associated with levels of perpetration of aggression. The Discussion section highlights the importance of improving school climate in order to deal more effectively with violence and aggressive behaviors in schools.