Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States witnessed a significant surge in classroom and discipline issues, including increased student aggression toward teachers (Panchal et al., 2023). In 2022, The National Center for Education Statistics released data detailing the rise in reported student infractions as follow.

Escalation of Student Infractions in the School Year 2021-2022

• Classroom disruptions 56%
• Acts of disrespect towards teachers and staff 48%
• Rowdiness outside the classroom 49%
• The prohibited use of electronic devices 42%

Our recent study titled "Teacher Experiences with Physical or Verbal Aggression in the Aftermath of COVID-19" sheds light on the exacerbated issue of aggression against teachers by students after the pandemic. One of our authors, Dr. Juana Lang, experienced this issue firsthand. Here is her story and the results of our study. The study was conducted at the Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR).

As a K-12 educator deeply entrenched in the field, I not only experienced firsthand verbal abuse and harassment but also witnessed fellow educators enduring disrespect, unfair treatment, and various forms of abuse. Motivated by these experiences, and with solid data to support this problem, I embarked on phenomenology research with Dr. Karen Johnson and Dr. Lucinda Hines, both faculty members from the University of Phoenix.  

A significant discovery emerged from the data: participants noted a rise in verbal aggression toward teachers from students, encompassing insults and threats of physical harm. Additionally, one participant encountered a physical assault. Teachers initially felt shock, confusion, anger, and sadness in response to these incidents, emotions that endured throughout the study, leading to feelings of worry, anxiety, and distrust.

The study was grounded in three crucial theories: The Social Learning theory, The Attribution theory, and The Transactional Stress theory. The selection of this framework propelled an exhaustive literature review on the topic.

The literature commonly depicts the Social Learning theory as a pivotal framework for elucidating violence and abuse (Mihalic & Elliot, 1997). This theory, championed by Bandura, posits that aggression is acquired through imitation, observation, and modeling (Bandura & Walters, 1977). Given the surge of both verbal and physical violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, employing the Social Learning theory for this study was not only suitable but also timely.

The Attribution theory offers a compelling lens through which to investigate instances of verbal or physical abuse to teachers at the hands of students. This theory, pioneered by social psychologist Fritz Heider and expanded upon by others such as Bernard Weiner, examines how individuals attribute causes to their behavior and the behavior of others (Weiner, 2014).

In the study, teachers attributed experienced aggression to various factors encompassing individual, home, societal, and school contexts. Individual factors were associated with a perceived decline in students' mental health and social skills. Home factors were linked to potential exposure to aggression within violent home environments and perceived deficiencies in parenting. Additionally, societal factors, including the normalization of violence during the pandemic and a perceived lack of consequences, were identified as contributing to the escalation of aggressive behaviors toward teachers in schools following the reopening of face-to-face instruction after the initial wave of the virus. The excerpts below illustrate teacher-directed abuse attribution factors.

The findings of this study hold significant implications for educational policy and practice. Addressing aggression against teachers requires comprehensive revisions to school policies and consistent application of the student code of conduct. It is crucial to provide necessary support to both teachers and students to address mental health issues and improve social skills. Creating a school climate that condemns aggression and promotes positive behavior is essential. Teacher training programs should incorporate self-regulation, de-escalation, and self-care techniques to empower educators with effective coping strategies.