Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Psychology

Advisor

Roger Hart

Committee Members

David Chapin

Brett Stoudt

Subject Categories

Other Psychology

Keywords

School Safety, School Climate, Bullying, Environmental Psychology, Ecological Psychology

Abstract

This dissertation explores how the spatial and social contexts of schools interact to influence how school safety and climate are perceived and enacted. Using ecological psychology theories, I examined the perspectives of teachers, counselors, and architects, school stakeholders involved in school planning and operation at different times, with varying levels of control and involvement in the daily life of schools. The study investigates how these stakeholders think about school climate and safety, the strategies they employ to improve it, and the challenges they face in doing so.

This qualitative study employs semi-structured interviews with 11 teachers and 4 counselors from a range of public schools, spanning from early education to high school, as well as 8 architects with extensive experience designing schools, often in collaboration with educators and school administrations through participatory processes. Additionally, I analyzed two prominent school safety guidelines to investigate the safety concerns they emphasize and the solutions they propose.

I conducted thematic analysis on the guidelines and interview transcripts. My findings highlight the differences and similarities between the ways official safety policies, educators, and architects conceptualize school climate and safety. While both groups of educators and architects share similar concerns, their understanding of the role of the physical environment differs. Architects explicitly recognize the importance of the physical setting in fostering a safe and positive school climate, while teachers more implicitly mention the physical environment, focusing instead on behavioral and social interventions to improve safety and climate. This difference can be attributed to the respective roles of these stakeholders. While architects only have control over the physical space that sets the stage for school operation, teachers have more influence over social interactions but limited control over the physical environment. Both groups, however, face institutional constraints that limit their autonomy and ability to act on what they believe would be most effective for improving school safety and climate.

Further analysis revealed that while school safety guidelines tend to focus on a narrower set of safety concerns, teachers, counselors, and architects express concern over a broad range of safety issues, from subtle acts of social exclusion to more acute forms of violence, such as mass shootings. This highlights the need for more holistic school safety policies that address a wider spectrum of safety issues and consider the diverse perspectives of the stakeholders involved in school environments.

This dissertation brings the spatial setting of schools to the forefront of discussions on school climate and safety, an aspect often overlooked in the literature. It offers insights into the importance of integrating both spatial and social considerations into school design and safety planning, advocating for a more comprehensive approach to improving school climate. Effective interventions should not only focus on behavioral strategies but also take into account the physical settings that influence interactions and perceptions of safety. This work contributes to the field of ecological psychology by applying its principles to school contexts and offers valuable implications for future educational policy, design, and practice.

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