Researchers have found that verbal aggression (VA) is the most frequent form of aggression reported in U.S. schools across all grade levels. There are numerous harmful outcomes for VA perpetrators, victims, and witnesses including depression, anxiety, decreased academic performance, and low sense of school belonging. Moreover, VA is known to…

A phenomenological study, according to Creswell (2013), is one that "focuses on describing what all participants have in common as they experience a phenomenon" (p. 76). This phenomenological study aimed to (a) explore teacher perceptions who have experienced teacher-directed student aggression by students with emotional behavioral…

Multi-informant reports of student emotional and behavioral problems determine eligibility for school-based services; however, multiple informants often yield inconsistent reports of child concerns. Informant discrepancies are thought to reflect either measurement error or meaningful differences (e.g., situational variation). It is important to…

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,…

Aggression by students is a highly stable behavior and is a significant predictor for later aggression along with other undesirable outcomes for both the aggressor and victim. While aggression is often thought of in its physical form, acts of verbal aggression are equally problematic and can be especially complex for students who are identified…

This study examines the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between reactive and proactive aggression and children's peer status. Participants were 94 Dutch elementary school-aged boys in self-contained special education classrooms for students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) and 47 boys with no disabilities in general education…

In this article the author presents results from an ongoing study about a special education programme in Switzerland for students with behavior disorders. The study explores careers and identities of adolescent students, who were referred to so-called "Timeout-classes" because of behavior disorders (e.g disengagement, disruptive and…

A social dynamics perspective of aggression in school is presented. This framework focuses on the role of natural social processes in the establishment and maintenance of aggressive behavior in the school context. The five articles in this special issue are briefly reviewed and a synthesis of their contributions for understanding the social…

This article reviews research describing assessment-based antecedent interventions implemented in natural settings. Descriptive information is provided along a number of dimensions pertaining to participant characteristics (n=42), assessment utilized, and intervention attributes. Results indicate the most common interventions targeted aggression,…

A public health model of prevention and intervention is applied to violent, aggressive, and antisocial student behaviors. Stressed is secondary prevention through school intervention by such means as comprehensive school planning, behavioral management strategies, student supervision, and providing for prosocial activity. Primary and tertiary…

This article discusses key aspects of school-based efforts to identify school context variables that can either ameliorate or exacerbate the risk for violence and aggression. A review of risk factors for aggression is followed by discussion of intervention in early childhood, intervention throughout middle childhood and adolescence, teaching…

This brief paper summarizes the current literature concerning youth aggression and violence especially risk, resilience, and prevention. It summarizes risk factors for aggression and violence including child characteristics (e.g., hyperactivity, risk-taking, emotional disturbance), home conditions (e.g., harsh and ineffective parental discipline,…

A study investigated the perceptions of five male elementary students with behavior disorders regarding aggression and violence in schools. Students associated aggressive and violent behavior with drug use, stealing, destruction of property, fighting, and gangs. Participants suggested adding more police to schools and involving students in…

This case study of a 6-year-old boy with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder discusses the advantages of combining person-centered planning and functional analysis to develop and implement broad-based behavioral-support plans. The support plan resulted in decreased challenging behavior, increased functional communication, improved academic…

A study evaluated a consultative approach to assisting a middle school (n=617 students) in implementing empirically based school-wide behavior management practices. The effective behavior support program resulted in increased positive reinforcement for appropriate social behavior and decreased aggressive social behavior among students. Discipline…