Annotated Bibliography on School Shootings in the United States

1. Comer, B. P., & Connolly, E. J. (2020). Correlates of school gun carrying among black, Hispanic, and white male adolescents: Evidence from a nationally representative sample of youth. Preventive medicine, 141, 106277. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091743520303017

The analysis portrays the Evidence from a nationally representative sample of students on the concern carrying guns in schools among different ethnicities (white, Hispanic, and black male adolescents).

The study determined whether previously recognized characteristics related to adolescent gun carrying also predict the essence of adolescents carrying guns in schools. However, in this analysis, there is a need to utilize a sample of 456 adolescents from the national representatives to estimate the risk of carrying guns in schools using logistic regression models. The findings found that different environmental factors and a variety of individuals enhance the risk of carrying a gun in schools. In fact, such factors enhance the chance of carrying a gun to school, particularly among individuals full of depression and anxiety signs.

Therefore, the article portrayed those environmental and individual factors differentially enhancing the chances of individuals from different ethnicities and races carrying a gun to school.

2. Graham, B., & Weingarten, R. (2018). The Power of Active Citizenship: A Renewed Focus on Teaching Civics Education. American Educator, 42(2), 4. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1182076

Summary:

The study emphasizes ‘The Power of Active Citizenship. ‘, emphasizing Teaching Civics Education. The article portrayed that following the shooting at some schools in Florida motivated students to take action themselves. For example, the shooting of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland causes a point of concern among students. During the scenario, students began to take matters into their own hands. In this regard, students tried to involve in different practices to embrace their perceptions. They formed coalitions with others who share their disgrace and goals. Also, students are tempted to speak to the media and even organize demonstrations as they travel to Washington DC, and Tallassee to lobby for gun safety laws.

Therefore, the article portrays that students have acted as informed and engaged citizens, exercising their constitutional rights to meet and speak freely. They have learned how to petition the government to satisfy their grievances. Hence, Citizenship education is critical to ensuring the future of American democracy.

3. Goodrum, S., Evans, M. K., Thompson, A. J., & Woodward, W. (2019). Learning from a failure in threat assessment: 11 questions and not enough answers. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 37(4), 353-371. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bsl.2399

Summary:

This article portrays the ‘threat assessment theory and practice’ have progressed dramatically for quite period of time in the U.S. This qualitative case study looks at how school administrators utilized approximately eleven questions to assess a student who experienced a threat valuation and then a gunshot and murdered a peer and himself on school grounds three months later.

However, the results illustrate what analysts knew about the threat assessment and what they learned from the imposed questions; the verdicts also reveal the necessity of numerous foundations of data, a diverse squad, and a curious attitude. Therefore, results generate an important lesson for threat assessment and effective measures to prevent school violence.

4. Farr, K. (2018). Adolescent rampage school shootings: Responses to failing masculinity performances by already-troubled boys. Gender Issues, 35, 73-97. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12147-017-9203-z

This study investigates the role of failed masculinity in adolescent school shooting rampages. The article portrays that the shooters encounter a suspect of their presentation of traditional prescriptive masculinity, which has been a history in American culture and is especially noticeable in the success of insider status in middle and high school. In this context, the boys may become progressively angry and violent in their gendered practice once they perceive that the rejection of their peers is unfair injustice. Therefore, younger teenagers may become violent in their acts ending involving in the rampage school shooting.

The information from the article portrayed the factors linked to school shooters in the research literature and reflected on their social performances at school. Therefore, the article complements s my hypothesis because the younger shooters also differed in the prevalence and intensity of insider masculinity-related activities, such as excursion and shooting planning. Hence, relying on this article’s results, various techniques for averting adolescent rampage school shootings are anticipated.

5. Tingey, J. L., McGuire, A. P., Stebbins, O. L., & Erickson, T. M. (2019). Moral elevation and compassionate goals predict posttraumatic growth in the context of a college shooting. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(3), 261-70. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439760.2017.1402077<

Summary:

This article portrays the concepts in which the ‘Moral elevation and compassionate objectives foresee posttraumatic development in the setting of an institution shooting.’. Following a terrible shooting, community members may feel uplifted or morally exalted by the prosocial responses of others to the trauma. Those who have encountered elevation may be more inclined to strive to help others, which they refer to as ‘compassionate objectives’ and foster posttraumatic development. However, the significance of elevation in fostering posttraumatic development remains unknown. Therefore, as expected, compassionate goals toward others incrementally predicted higher Posttraumatic growth beyond the perspectives of compassionate objectives from others.

Therefore, through this article, we can embrace that elevation incrementally predicted higher Posttraumatic development.

6. Tracy, S. J., & Huffman, T. P. (2017). Compassion in the face of terror: a case study of recognizing suffering, co-creating hope, and developing trust in a would-be school shooting. Communication Monographs, 84(1), 30-53. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03637751.2016.1218642

Summary:

The article emphasizes the ‘Compassion in the terror face:’ The analysis focuses on identifying suffering and fostering trust and hope in the outcome of a potential school shooting.

However, the study also embraces the current theoretical conceptions of communicating compassion s to persons whose pain is concealed in fear and threat. This article is used to advance ideas about collaborative compassion to unenthusiastic beneficiaries, and it emphasizes face-enhancement strategies.

Thus, since the article embraces the current theoretical conceptions of communicating compassion s to persons whose pain is concealed in fear and threat, it broadens contemporary teaching of compassion and paints a realistic image of how to practice compassion when people who are suffering are threatening help.