Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
9-2023
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9517-2036
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
John A. Harrison
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Laura A. Perry
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Janet Tareilo
Abstract
This study addressed teachers’ perceptions of safety and emergency preparedness. The problem that was addressed in this study is that lockdown drills are regularly being conducted at public high schools, but it was not known how teachers perceive their role in safety and emergency preparedness, which is important to teachers’ sense of security. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how lockdown drills negatively or positively affect high school teachers’ perceptions of emergency preparedness to answer the research questions regarding school safety. This study was grounded in the cognitive mediation processes framework of protection motivation theory. Data were collected from a sample of 24 teachers who worked at the study site, had at least a bachelor’s degree, and had a teaching certificate, by using semistructured interviews and focus groups. The data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to provide an answer to the research questions. The results of the analysis revealed that lockdown drills negatively impacted teachers’ perceptions of safety and emergency preparedness. The results led to the conclusion that school leaders must prioritize school safety and the recommendation that they must increase communication and mental health services. This study may contribute to positive social change by supporting both the emotional and physical safety needs of staff members responsible for protecting students’ lives.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Leija, Hector, "A Qualitative Descriptive Study on High School Teachers’ Perspectives Regarding School Safety and Lockdown Drills" (2023). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 672.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/672