Teacher Reports of Verbal Aggression in School Settings Among Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Abstract

Verbal aggression (VA) is among the most prevalent forms of problem behavior in schools with detrimental effects for both perpetrators and victims, yet little is known about VA among students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Accordingly, we surveyed 279 teachers of students with behavioral disorders to examine the prevalence, frequency, locations, bystander presence and interactions, student responses, and teacher assigned consequences for verbal aggressiveness. A majority of teachers indicated daily student-to-student and student-to-adult VA with students frequently reporting, complaining, or seeking advice. Teachers noted that VA takes place in multiple locations, with at least one bystander present, and they observed victim verbal retaliation and physical assaults. Teacher responses included redirection and verbal warnings. Few teachers reported instruction of alternative prosocial behaviors. We discuss the potential implications of these findings and the impact teacher perceptions may have on strategy selection when addressing VA. We propose a few areas for future research including teachers’ level of concern about the harmfulness of VA, the intent to harm when students with EBD engage in VA, the need for specialized teacher training, and the development of a conceptual framework to inform an integrated and substantive view of the VA phenomenon.