Active Shooters on Campus: University of Mississippi Employees’ Perceptions and Preparedness

Holland, Calli Faye (2019) Active Shooters on Campus: University of Mississippi Employees’ Perceptions and Preparedness. Undergraduate thesis, under the direction of Stefan Schulenberg from Psychology, The University of Mississippi.

Preview

Text Holland Thesis 2019.pdf Download (427kB) | Preview

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine university employees’ perceptions, knowledge, and preparedness of active shooter situations on campus, and how gender influences these factors. This study collected data from a broader survey of faculty and staff that examined crime on a college campus, perceptions about crime on campus, and knowledge about crime on campus. This research also serves as a companion piece to the research conducted by Mulvey (2018), where similar research questions were posed to a large sample of undergraduate students. As in Mulvey’s study, it was hypothesized that participants would report generally low levels of confidence in their ability to respond to an active shooter event (i.e., self-efficacy), with males tending to report greater self-efficacy than females. It was also hypothesized that females would report a higher perceived likelihood and a greater fearfulness of an active shooter event occurring. A cross-sectional survey was administered to faculty and staff members at the University of Mississippi. The data support these hypotheses. In terms of self-efficacy, the difference between males and females was statistically significant, t (247) = 3.19, p < .001. In terms of perceived likelihood, the difference between males and females was statistically significant, t(225) = -3.64, p < .001. Finally, in terms of fearfulness, the difference between males and females was also statistically significant, t(291) = -4.48, p < .001. Women were reportedly more fearful and had a higher perceived likelihood of an active shooter event occurring, while men reported greater self-efficacy pertaining to the occurrence of an active shooter event. These data suggest that employees on campus could benefit from increased availability of information and targeted training.

Actions (login required)

View Item