St. John Fisher College Fisher Digital Publications Education Doctoral Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education 8-2011 The Effects of Teacher Personality Characteristics and Formal Training on Students’ Reporting Bullying in the Middle School Kristin E. Talleyrand St. John Fisher College Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd Part of the Education Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y Recommended Citation Talleyrand, Kristin E., "The Effects of Teacher Personality Characteristics and Formal Training on Students’ Reporting Bullying in the Middle School" (2011). Education Doctoral. Paper 53. Please note that the Recommended Citation provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations. This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/53 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Effects of Teacher Personality Characteristics and Formal Training on Students’ Reporting Bullying in the Middle School Abstract Bullying is a widespread and serious issue for students in the United States. Many students who are bullied do not report it to a teacher or other staff member. This correlational research study investigated four questions: (a) Is there a relationship between the first choice of a staff member ot whom a student would report bullying incidents and that staff member's personality characteristics, as assessed by the MyersBriggs Type Indicator, (b) Is there a relationship between the certificated staff member identified least frequently to whom a student would report bullying incidents and that staff member's personality characteristics, as assessed by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, (c) Is there a relationship betwee n a student’s first choice of a staff member ot whom a student would report bullying incidents and that staff member ’ s formal training in addressing bullying, and (d) Is there a relationship between a student’s choice of administrator and/or pupil personnel staff and that administrator and/or pupil personnel staff member’s personality characteristics, as assessed by the Myers -Briggs Type Indicator? Document Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Education (EdD) Department Executive Leadership First Supervisor Ronald D. Valenti Second Supervisor Edward J. Sullivan Subject Categories Education This dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/53 The Effects of Teacher Personality Characteristics and Formal Training on Students’ Reporting Bullying in the Middle School By Kristin E. Talleyrand Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Ed.D. in Executive Leadership Supervised by Dr. Ronald D. Valenti Committee Member Dr. Edward J. Sullivan Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education St. John Fisher College August 2011 Dedication I would like to thank my husband, Dan, for his continued support and encouragement throughout this process. It has been a long process, but it is finally over, now I hope I can be as helpful a wife as you were a husband. Thank you! Next, I would like to thank my family, specifically my mother, father, brother, and sister for their support and assistance throughout this journey. I would also like to thank my Dissertation Chair, Dr. Ronald Valenti and Committee Member, Dr. Edward Sullivan for their time, assistance, and guidance. Lastly, I would like to thank my Executive Mentor and friend Jill Berkowicz. Your help, encouragement, and confidence in my abilities were a tremendous help. ii Biographical Sketch Kristin Talleyrand is currently the Assistant Principal at Pearl River Middle School. Mrs. Talleyrand attended SUNY New Paltz from 1999 to 2003 and graduated with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Elementary Education in 2003. She attended New York Institute of Technology from 2004 to 2006 and graduated with a Master of Sciences degree in Instructional Technology in 2006. Kristin attended the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University from 2006 to 2008 and graduated with a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration in 2008. Mrs. Talleyrand came to St. John Fisher College in the summer of 2009 and began doctoral studies in the Ed.D. Program in Executive Leadership. Mrs. Talleyrand pursued her research in reporting bullying under the direction of Dr. Ronald Valenti and Dr. Edward Sullivan and received the Ed.D. Degree in 2011. iii Acknowledgment I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge CPP, Inc., who provided a grant, which covered 90% of the cost of administering the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. CPP, Inc. “is a world leader in personality, career, and organizational development assessments.” iv Abstract Bullying is a widespread and serious issue for students in the United States. Many students who are bullied do not report it to a teacher or other staff member. This correlational research study investigated four questions: (a) Is there a relationship between the first choice of a staff member to whom a student would report bullying incidents and that staff member's personality characteristics, as assessed by the Myers- Briggs Type Indicator, (b) Is there a relationship between the certificated staff member identified least frequently to whom a student would report bullying incidents and that staff member's personality characteristics, as assessed by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, (c) Is there a relationship between a student’s first choice of a staff member to whom a student would report bullying incidents and that staff member’s formal training in addressing bullying, and (d) Is there a relationship between a student’s choice of administrator and/or pupil personnel staff and that administrator and/or pupil personnel staff member’s personality characteristics, as assessed by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? v Table of Contents Dedication ........................................................................................................................... ii Biographical Sketch ........................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgment ............................................................................................................... iv Abstract ............................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement .................................................................................................. 1 Theoretical Rationale .............................................................................................. 2 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................... 9 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 10 Study Significance ................................................................................................ 10 Definition of Terms............................................................................................... 12 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................. 14 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature .................................................................................. 16 Introduction and Purpose ...................................................................................... 16 Reviews of the Literature ...................................................................................... 16 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................. 45 Chapter 3: Research Design Methodology ....................................................................... 48 General Perspective .............................................................................................. 48 vi Research Context .................................................................................................. 49 Research Participants ............................................................................................ 51 Instruments Used in Data Collection .................................................................... 53 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 60 Summary of the Methodology .............................................................................. 61 Chapter 4: Results ............................................................................................................. 64 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 64 Data Analysis and Findings .................................................................................. 64 Summary of Results .............................................................................................