Date of Award
Spring 5-9-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department/Program
Forensic Mental Health Counseling
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Elizabeth Jeglic
Second Reader
Cynthia Calkins
Third Advisor
Georgia Winters
Abstract
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of reports of educator sexual misconduct (ESM), but the extent of the problem is relatively unknown. A lot of what is known is based on media reports and self-report surveys. There have been few empirical studies examining the scope of this problem based on official reports. Thus, this descriptive study aimed to examine ESM through official reports regarding educator disciplinary actions obtained from the Department of Education website of eight U.S. states. To identify the prevalence and characteristics of ESM across states, information was gathered and coded for a 10-year period (2011-2020). Findings show that about 25% of the 3,905 educator misconduct cases coded were sexual in nature, with most perpetrators being male and a teacher. Many victim characteristics were not reported, thus are mostly unknown. The most prevalent sexual misconduct behaviors exhibited by educators were the distribution of sexual images (pornography) and/or sexual messages, and physical contact.
Recommended Citation
Yu, Yan Shan, "Educator Sexual Misconduct: Prevalence and Characteristics in Disciplinary Actions" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/321