Differences in pupil characteristics and motives in being a victim, perpetrator and witness of violence in secondary education

Figures & data

Table 1. Types of violent behaviour and specifications.

Types of violence	Specifications
Verbal	Calling names, bothering someone on purpose, talking in an extra loud voice, making a lot of noise on purpose
Material	Scratching or damaging something, spray‐painting or dirtying something, hiding or mislaying something, destroying things, stealing
Social	Ignoring, excluding, threatening, intimidating, blackmailing, spreading false rumours
Mild physical	Striking or hurting someone on purpose, pushing or kicking someone on purpose, tripping someone on purpose, punching someone on purpose, hitting
Severe physical	Fighting with someone, beating or roughing someone up, threatening someone with a weapon, using a weapon
Sexual	Making sexual comments, sexual gestures, feeling someone up, sexually molesting someone, rape

Table 2. Types of violent behaviour and scale results.

Types of violence	N	N items	M	SD	Alpha
Verbal	26,727	4	0.65	0.39	.85
Material	26,471	5	0.26	0.32	.79
Social	26,188	6	0.30	0.31	.80
Mild physical	26,172	5	0.45	0.40	.86
Severe physical	26,249	4	0.19	0.25	.66
Sexual	25,763	5	0.15	0.23	.73

Table 3. Univariate results of feeling safe, playing truant, drugs and weapons.

	Analysis N ^a	Item mean^b	SD
Feeling safe
Classroom	79,929	6.55	1.17
Study or work areas	79,927	6.51	1.22
Hallways	79,929	6.37	1.29
Cafeteria, dining hall	79,927	6.44	1.27
Toilets	79,929	6.43	1.36
Vestibule, lockers	79,927	6.44	1.29
Schoolyard	79,928	6.32	1.34
School neighbourhood	79,924	6.27	1.36
At home	79,927	6.70	1.08
Playing truant
Have other pupils in your class skipped school?	55,773	2.73	1.63
Have you skipped school?	77,701	1.43	.93
Has the school taken any steps against truancy?	45,386	3.48	2.57
Drugs
Do pupils in your class have drugs on them?	51,761	1.69	1.46
Have you ever taken drugs to school?	77,455	1.11	.68
Are drugs sold in or around the school?	37,987	2.03	1.77
Do pupils at your school take drugs?	40,516	3.00	2.10
Has the school taken any steps against drugs?	33,594	2.57	2.35
Weapons
Do pupils in your class have weapons on them?	48,911	1.42	1.24
Have you ever taken a weapon to school?	75,046	1.16	.85
Are weapons sold in or around the school?	40,698	1.21	.97
Do pupils at your school use weapons?	39,720	1.32	1.08
Has the school taken any steps against weapons?	31,835	2.32	2.33
Notes: ^aExcludes the category: I don’t know.^bItem score: (1) = never to (7) = always.

Table 4. Pearson correlations between pupil characteristics and feeling safe, playing truant, drugs and weapons.

	Age 9–24	Boy–girl	I feel at home in the Netherlands (yes–no)	I am religious (no–baptised–yes)	Level of educational attainment (low–high)	Urbanisation (big city–rural)
Feeling safe
Classroom	−.01**	.03**	−.08**	−.00	.14**	.03**
Study or work areas	.00	.03**	−.08**	−.00	.15**	.03**
Hallways	.03**	.02**	−.08**	.01*	.14**	.03**
Cafeteria, dining hall	.01*	.03**	−.08**	.00	.13**	.04**
Toilets	.01**	.04**	−.08**	.00	.13**	.04**
Vestibule, lockers	.01**	.02**	−.08**	.00	.13**	.03**
Schoolyard	.02**	.01**	−.08**	.01	.13**	.02**
School neighbourhood	.02**	.00	−.08**	−.00	.12**	.04**
At home	−.04**	.04**	−.07**	−.00	.11**	.02**
Play truant
Have other pupils in your class skipped school?	.30**	−.02**	.09**	−.04**	.07**	−.09**
Have you skipped school?	.25**	−.05**	.09**	−.02**	.04**	−.05**
Has the school taken any steps against truancy?	.06**	.06**	−.02**	.07**	.05**	.02**
Drugs
Do pupils in your class have drugs on them?	.24**	−.08**	.09**	−.07**	−.01	−.03**
Have you ever taken drugs to school?	.12**	−.07**	.09**	−.01**	−.05**	−.02**
Are drugs sold in or around the school?	.15**	−.05**	.08**	−.05**	.06**	.06**
Do pupils at your school take drugs?	.16**	.03**	.06**	−.08**	.09**	.03**
Has the school taken any steps against drugs?	−.08**	.03**	−.02**	.03**	−.05**	.05**
Weapons
Do pupils in your class have weapons on them?	.11**	−.14**	.12**	.01*	−.07**	−.02**
Have you ever taken a weapon to school?	.09**	−.12**	.09**	.02**	−.06**	−.01**
Are weapons sold in or around the school?	.10**	−.10**	.12**	.03**	−.06**	−.01*
Do pupils at your school use weapons?	.08**	−.07**	.14**	.03**	−.07**	−.02**
Has the school taken any steps against weapons?	−.08**	.01	.00	.03**	−.07**	−.01
Notes: *Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (two‐tailed).**Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (two‐tailed).

Table 5. Numbers of significant Pearson correlations between pupil characteristics and specified motives with respect to particular combinations of verbal violence.

Person himself/herself (No. of pupils = 26,726)	Age 9–24	Boy–girl	I feel at home in the Netherlands(yes–no)	I am religious (no–baptised–yes)	Level of educational attainment (low–high)	Urbanisation (big city–rural)
Victim (N)	Offenders
3229	Pupils	+10	−12	+11	+4	−13	−2
367	Teachers	+4	−1	+11	+2	−8	0
255	Other personnel	0	−2	+4	0	−1	0
220	Pupils’ relatives	−1	0	+10	+1	−4	0
Offender (N)	Victims
2287	Pupils	+6	−13	+6	0	−14	0
731	Teachers	+11	−14	+7	−1	−13	+1
316	Other personnel	+6	0	0	−1	−2	−1
203	Pupils’ relatives	0	−1	0	−2	0	0
Witness (N)	Victims
7622	Pupils	+6	−12	+7	−4	−13	+3
1307	Teachers	+2	−12	−1	−1	−12	−1
509	Other personnel	0	−12	−2	+1	−5	−5
369	Pupils’ relatives	0	−1	+1	0	0	−2

Table 6. Numbers of significant Pearson correlations between pupil characteristics and specified motives with respect to particular combinations of material violence.

Person himself/herself (No. of pupils = 26,470)	Age 9–24	Boy–girl	I feel at home in the Netherlands (yes–no)	I am religious (no–baptised–yes)	Level of educational attainment (low–high)	Urbanisation (big city–rural)
Victim (N)	Offenders
1415	Pupils	+10	−8	+16	+14	−14	−1
233	Teachers	−1	+1	+12	+1	−10	0
166	Other personnel	+5	0	+10	+2	−4	−1
130	Pupils’ relatives	+15	+3	+13	+5	−7	0
Offender (N)	Victims
687	Pupils	+15	−7	+12	+8	−16	0
308	Teachers	+13	0	+14	+3	−11	+3
198	Other personnel	+4	0	+12	+7	−2	0
120	Pupils’ relatives	0	−1	+2	+8	−7	0
Witness (N)	Victims
2967	Pupils	+10	−11	+12	0	−10	−2
664	Teachers	+3	−10	+4	+2	−8	0
415	Other personnel	+2	−8	+3	−1	−3	+2
272	Pupils’ relatives	0	−2	+1	0	−4	0

Table 7. Numbers of significant Pearson correlations between pupil characteristics and specified motives with respect to particular combinations of social violence.

Person himself/herself (No. of pupils = 26,185)	Age 9–24	Boy–girl	I feel at home in the Netherlands (yes–no)	I am religious (no–baptised–yes)	Level of educational attainment (low–high)	Urbanisation (big city–rural)
Victim (N)	Offenders
2177	Pupils	+11	−8	+7	+4	−3	0
237	Teachers	+3	−5	+4	+4	−3	0
255	Other personnel	+3	0	+2	0	−3	−2
133	Pupils’ relatives	+2	−2	+2	+2	0	+2
Offender (N)	Victims
1233	Pupils	+10	−15	+3	+3	−13	+3
205	Teachers	+4	−1	+1	+2	+1	0
103	Other personnel	0	−4	+5	0	+1	+2
66	Pupils’ relatives	0	−4	+5	−1	+1	−6
Witness (N)	Victims
4393	Pupils	+3	−10	+12	+1	−9	+2
491	Teachers	0	−7	+1	+1	+2	+1
221	Other personnel	0	0	+1	+2	+1	−1
204	Pupils’ relatives	+6	−2	0	+4	+3	−1

Table 8. Numbers of significant Pearson correlations between pupil characteristics and specified motives with respect to particular combinations of mild physical violence.

Person himself/herself (No. of pupils = 26,173)	Age 9–24	Boy–girl	I feel at home in the Netherlands (yes–no)	I am religious (no–baptised–yes)	Level of educational attainment (low–high)	Urbanisation (big city–rural)
Victim (N)	Offenders
2663	Pupils	+10	−10	+14	+4	−15	−5
303	Teachers	+2	−4	+7	+10	0	0
208	Other personnel	+2	+1	+9	+2	−1	0
188	Pupils’ relatives	+1	+2	+3	+1	−1	0
Offender (N)	Victims
1878	Pupils	+15	−6	+15	+1	−16	+1
275	Teachers	+4	−1	0	0	−5	+1
201	Other personnel	+2	−2	+1	0	−5	+3
179	Pupils’ relatives	+11	0	0	0	−6	+1
Witness (N)	Victims
6445	Pupils	+6	−12	+6	0	−14	+6
499	Teachers	+2	+1	+1	+1	0	0
355	Other personnel	+1	0	+8	+8	0	−2
320	Pupils’ relatives	+1	+1	+2	0	−3	−1

Table 9. Numbers of significant Pearson correlations between pupil characteristics and specified motives with respect to particular combinations of severe physical violence.

Person himself/herself (No. of pupils = 26,242)	Age 9–24	Boy–girl	I feel at home in the Netherlands (yes–no)	I am religious (no–baptised–yes)	Level of educational attainment (low–high)	Urbanisation (big city–rural)
Victim (N)	Offenders
544	Pupils	+1	−4	+3	+4	0	−1
76	Teachers	0	+1	+3	0	−1	−1
63	Other personnel	0	0	+1	0	0	0
71	Pupils’ relatives	+1	−2	0	−1	+1	0
Offender (N)	Victims
519	Pupils	+2	0	+4	0	0	−4
116	Teachers	0	+1	0	0	−2	−3
72	Other personnel	+1	0	0	0	−1	+1
63	Pupils’ relatives	0	0	0	0	−1	0
Witness (N)	Victims
2557	Pupils	+3	−11	+6	−2	−10	+2
145	Teachers	+1	−5	+1	0	+1	0
112	Other personnel	+1	−3	0	+4	+1	0
105	Pupils’ relatives	−1	0	0	0	0	+4

Table 10. Numbers of significant Pearson correlations between pupil characteristics and specified motives with respect to particular combinations of sexual violence.

Person himself/herself (No. of pupils = 25,764)	Age 9–24	Boy–girl	I feel at home in the Netherlands (yes–no)	I am religious (no–baptised–yes)	Level of educational attainment (low–high)	Urbanisation (big city–rural)
Victim (N)	Offenders
363	Pupils	+13	−15	+11	0	−10	0
120	Teachers	+11	−6	+2	0	−3	0
49	Other personnel	+1	0	0	0	0	+1
48	Pupils’ relatives	+16	0	+9	+1	−2	−1
Offender (N)	Victims
184	Pupils	+11	+2	+3	+4	−16	0
60	Teachers	+15	+4	0	0	−15	−1
34	Other personnel	+10	+1	0	+3	−12	0
25	Pupils’ relatives	+1	0	0	0	−10	0
Witness (N)	Victims
644	Pupils	+1	−1	+3	−2	−11	0
42	Teachers	+3	+5	+11	+2	0	0
37	Other personnel	+8	0	0	0	−2	0
31	Pupils’ relatives	+11	+1	+5	+2	−6	−1