Academic literature on the topic 'Sexual harassment in schools Sexual harassment in education'

Purpose: The study sought to investigate the prevalence of sexual harassment of female students in public secondary schools in Dagoretti District in Nairobi County, the possible causes of sexual harassment on female students, the mechanisms which exist to handle sexual harassment issues and the strategies which can be put in place to curb sexual harassment of female students in public secondary schools in Dagoretti District.Methodology: The study adopted mixed paradigms (qualitative and quantitative research paradigms) in order to present a more comprehensive view of the prevalence of sexual harassment of female students in Dagoretti District. Therefore, the study used descriptive survey and phenomenology research design.Results: The study found out that sexual harassment of female students in schools under study by male teachers and male students exist. The study also established that both perpetrators and victims are accountable for the harassment, that is, causes of sexual harassment of female students were attributed to both victims and perpetrators. It was also revealed that the major ways of combating sexual harassment were empowering young women to report, stiff punishment for offenders and awareness campaigns, adequate security and decent dressing of female students. Strategies for curbing sexual harassment included students’ education about harassment, development of sexual harassment policy in schools, establishing workshops and meetings, empowering students and creating a harassment-free school environment.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: In order to curb sexual harassment of female students in schools the Ministry of Education should mainstreams policies that address sexual harassment at all educational levels. Teachers Service Commission on the other hand should offer stiff punishment to offenders such as teachers by excluding them from the service.

Research has recently found that sexual harassment occurs throughout our education system. Although the focus of these studies has been on both verbal and physical sexual harassment, the literature is scant when examining just verbal sexual harassment. Using self-report data from 30 New York City middle schools, the current study adds to the literature by examining the prevalence of verbal sexual harassment victimization and perpetration through the lens of gender and dating experiences. The study highlights that boys are verbally sexually harassed more than girls and students with dating experience are more likely to be victims or perpetrators of verbal sexual harassment. Additional findings, limitations, and policy implications are discussed.

Information service as one type of guidance and counseling services in schools has lost its function in helping students to control themselves from performing sexual harassment. This research aims to determine the effectiveness of information service in improving students’ self control against sexual harassment. This is a quantitative research with an experimental design. The research population is students of a Vocational School in Padang and the sampling technique is cluster random sampling. Data collection was performed through a questionnaire on self-control and data were analyzed using t test. The results of the test reveal that information service is effective in improving students’ self control against sexual harassment, with the help of Guidance and Counseling teachers/ the school’s Counselor to prevent sexual harassment in schools.

Education should safely shape the minds and attitudes of young adults and children, especially with the in loco parentis principle in mind. Young adults who have experienced sexual harassment in the very environment that should have protected them as learners suffer greatly from social problems and from emotional and academic strain. Victims often become future harassers themselves. Sexual harassment should be eradicated from the education sector in toto to ensure a safe learning environment. High incidences of harassment have been found among college students in America, while a very small percentage of such transgressions have been reported. Similar statistics in South African universities are not available, the problem is therefore managed in a void. The position in schools is more alarming. In South Africa it has been found that 30 per cent of girls are raped at school and that male learners and educators are the main culprits. Not only is the magnitude of this problem gravely underestimated, but the effect of sexual harassment on learners has also not been managed properly. The authors argue that the focus is on avoiding legal responsibility and accountability, rather than on being proactive. The historic invisibility of sexual harassment in education can be attributed to the wrongful silencing thereof.

In this article, Nan Stein argues that sexual harassment in schools is a form of gendered violence that often happens in the public arena. She presents the narratives of girls and boys about their experience of sexual harassment in schools and finds parallels with cases documented in court records and depositions. While highly publicized lawsuits and civil rights cases may have increased public awareness of the issue, inconsistent findings have sent educators mixed messages about ways of dealing with peer-to-peer sexual harassment. The antecedents of harassment, she suggests, are found in teasing and bullying, behaviors tacitly accepted by parents and teachers. Stein makes a case for deliberate adult intervention and the inclusion of a curriculum in schools that builds awareness of these issues.

Sexual harassment (SH) occurs when people are targets of unwanted sexual comments, sexual gestures, or sexual actions because of their actual or perceived gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Due to its frequency and harmful effects on people and organizations, and because it is often a symptom of social inequalities, SH is of concern to psychologists. Using psychological theory and research as well as intersectional and contextual lenses, this article describes how SH is varied in its forms, targets, and origins. I explore explanations for SH with a focus on sociocultural gender and power perspectives. I also employ a person-by-situation perspective to show how contextual factors interact with individual factors to influence incidence. Because reducing SH is important for safe and inclusive schools, organizations, and public settings, I identify possible solutions to this common social problem. Finally, I discuss how and why teaching about the psychology of SH can promote positive individual, group, organizational, and social change. In sum, I illustrate interesting and important psychological concepts and methods and show how psychology can be used to understand and treat social problems and inequalities.

This research investigates the prevalence of sexual harassment in Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) field placement settings. A survey distributed to a random sample of230 accredited field social work programs with a BSW component asked whether field students were harassed, who the perpetrators were, what corrective actions were taken, and if the program had a specific sexual harassment policy related to field placements. Responses from Directors of Field Education revealed that incidents of sexual harassment in BSW programs are relatively common, indicating the urgent need for specific attention to this issue in field placements. Furthermore, the results of this work, as well as studies of sexual harassment of graduate social work students, suggest the need for a coordinated longitudinal research effort among schools of social work to document the types of harassment occurring in field placements and methods of effective interventions.

ABSTRACTGiven the hierarchical nature and structure of field schools, enrolled students are particularly susceptible to harassment and assault. In 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released recommendations to help prevent sexual harassment and assault of women in academia. Although these recommendations are specific to higher education and exclusive to women, some can be modified and applied to the context of archaeological field schools. We review the NASEM's recommendations, with particular attention to those applicable to the field school setting, and provide suggestions for making field schools safer and more inclusive learning environments for all students. Although we present recommendations for practices that can be implemented at field schools, additional research is needed to understand how sexual harassment occurs at field schools and how the implementation of these recommendations can make learning safer.

Background: Sexual harassment is a public health problem which has serious effects to girls’ psychosomatic health. Due to social stigma and lack of skills, even the girls can’t refuse sexual harassment. This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of sexual harassment risk reduction education based on Health Belief Model. Methods: A quasi experimental study was conducted in secondary level public schools of Tokha Municipality, Kathmandu. The study was done from 5th February 2016 to 5th May 2016. The sample size was 117 for each group which was calculated with input of 95% CI, power of test=80%, assuming 38 % change based on baseline study and 10% nonresponse rate. The ratio of participants in intervention and control group was 1:1 and the total numbers of participants were 128 in pretest and 121 in posttest at the intervention group and 131 in pretest and 122 in posttest in the control group. Data was collected by using self-administered questionnaire for knowledge and likert’s scale was used for attitude and behavioural intention. Lecture, group discussion, role play and brainstorming were methods used for intervention. After two weeks of intervention, a post-test was done. Results: Testing of hypothesis revealed that the knowledge about sexual harassment, anti-sexual harassment attitude and behavioural intention of using refusal skills in sexual harassment in the intervention group were significantly higher than that of control groups i.e. p<0.001, p<0.001 and p<0.05 respectively. Conclusion: Sexual harassment risk reduction education intervention based on health belief model is effective to increase the knowledge, attitude and behavioural intention of participants. The findings of the study encourage further exploring creative approaches to programming in other violence prevention areas.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if public school districts in California have policies which manage student-to-student sexual harassment in grades four through eight according to established criteria. Seven general questions were generated from the literature review and then subdivided into 23 specific questions. In the policy analysis, it was determined whether each of the 23 variables was included and how explicitly the information was stated according to a five-point Likert scale. It also was noted whether school district student sexual harassment policies matched the wording of the California School Boards Association sample policy on each item. The policies of 118 school districts from 14 central California counties were analyzed. Written surveys also were collected from the 118 districts and provided background information. Variables included the range of grades within districts (K-12/Adult, K-12, K-8, K-6, and 7-12), site of district, and location (urban, suburban, or rural). In addition, ten district administrators were contacted in telephone interviews. They were asked questions about the extent of student-to-student sexual harassment in their district and the effectiveness of their policies. Administrators also were questioned about the type and extent of preventive training provided by their district for students and staff members. There were no major differences between policies when analyzed by grade range, location, or size, and the analysis shows that even the best policies did not contain all the information which was recommended in the literature review. Four policies were assigned a rating of "good." There were 55 policies that were considered "average," 50 policies which were labeled "poor" and 10 policies which were "very poor." It was recommended that school administrators review their existing policies and revise them as necessary to reflect the findings of this study. It is further recommended that more extensive preventive training should be given to staff members and students. Further research should be done to determine how explicit student sexual harassment policies are in the other 44 California counties as well as school districts in other states.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1994.
Includes table. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Jeannette Fleischner. Dissertation Committee: Jonathan Hughes. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 185-188).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2004.
Title from title page screen, viewed May 18, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Matthew S. Hesson-McInnis (chair), John B. Pryor, Eros R. DeSouza, Adena B. Meyers, Kathleen McKinney. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-152) and abstract. Also available in print.

Sexual harassments in schools have been identified as one of the factors preventing girls from attending education. Moreover, both female and male students who attend education and witness male teachers harassing female students may perpetuate this behaviour. In Mozambique, research addressing sexual abuse and harassments in school focus on the fact that decrees and policies on zero-tolerance against sexual abuse are not followed up properly. There is little research addressing how students perceive the issue, and even less on male students’ understanding of the phenomenon in relations to female students’ understanding. This study took place at two schools in Maputo, Mozambique, and examines what approach students in secondary school and university, as well as adults working around these students have upon sexual harassments and abuse in school. Furthermore, officials and informants at NGOs addressing gender issues and sexual harassments in schools were interviewed. The purpose was to find out how the informants described the phenomenon, what they believed were the reasons behind it and how they thought it could be prevented. The result has been analysed through a gender and power analysis. The study uses the social constructionist theory of gender, recognising that gender is constructed through interaction and expectations of people (Francis & Skelton 2005:28), and Collen’s (1996) theory of hegemonic masculinity, which explains how the patriarchy is legitimised. Further, in order to analyse the result, Allen’s (1998) theories of power-over, power-to and power-with as well as Lukes’ (2005) theories of different dimensions of power have been used. The informants described sexual harassments as occurring between male teachers and female students at the schools. However, there was a discrepancy between the male and the female students’ perception of whether it is the male teacher or the female student who is the harasser. Despite this, the informants agreed on sexual harassments occurring between female teachers and male students being rare. The explanations to why it occurs range from the patriarchal structures, myths claiming that an older man is given good luck if having sex with a virgin, the female students’ fear of failing in school if not saying yes to the teacher, her interest in getting material benefits and her lack of interest in studying, to the male teacher’s lack of ability to control himself sexually. The different explanations were given depending on how the informant described the phenomenon. This also led to different conclusions to what should be done to come to an end to sexual harassments. An issue brought up was the difficulties to report harassments and the lack of punishment towards the teachers. Further, some believed that the female students should be subjected to awareness raising in order to dress properly and focus on the studies. While the risk of the male students perpetuating the behaviour of male teachers harassing female students is prevalent, the female students interviewed have the power to say no to the teachers, but not the power-to report. There are a number of organisations addressing the issue in different ways and there are regulations on how to report. However, in order to work holistically with the issue, the male students have to be included in the work and the organisations have to co-ordinate their measures in order to find a solution to the problem.

The procedural survey on sexual harassment procedures sent to 300 Texas principals had a response rate of 48.3 %. The mean score on the procedural survey for all 300 principals was 69.30 %. Eighteen research questions were addressed in detail in Chapter 4. Only five showed a significant correlation or effect size. Question 5 asked if there was a correlation between gender and the mean score of the survey instrument regarding sexual harassment procedures. The mean score of women was significantly higher than men. Question 6 asked if there was a correlation between the number of students in a school and the mean score of the survey instrument regarding sexual harassment procedures. This revealed that a significant correlation appeared between principals who worked at larger schools. Question 10 asked if there was a correlation between the location of the school, whether rural, urban, or metroplex and the mean score of the survey instrument. Principals of urban and metroplex schools scored significantly higher. Question 13 asked if there was a correlation between the hours of sexual harassment training attended in the last year and the mean score of the survey instrument regarding sexual harassment procedures. The results of this analysis revealed that a correlation approaching a medium effect size of .237 was present. Question 18 asked if there was a correlation between the total number of hours a principal had attended training and the mean score of the survey instrument. Neither the Pearson's correlation or the Spearman's rho was statistically significant. However, due to the large variation in responses on the sum of hours of training about sexual harassment, it was suspected that there might be a covariate accounting for sub-populations within the principals who participated in the survey. For ages 30-43.5, as the number of total training hours increased, the mean score on the survey instrument also increased. There was no significantly statistical significance between the other age groups and the mean score on the survey instrument. The other thirteen research questions did not show a significant correlation to the sexual harassment procedural survey instrument administered to Texas principals.

This project was conducted to validate the survey used by the American Association of University Women in the study of sexual harassment in the schools, for use in studying the behaviors of juvenile sexual offenders in schools. The original survey was modified to decrease bias in the questions and eliminate questions that did not pertain to information that may be significant for juvenile sexual offenders. The project solicited information from juvenile sexual offenders (n=9) and experts (n=6) in the field of juvenile sexual offending to validate and modify the survey to better look at juvenile sexual offender behaviors in schools. Juvenile sexual offenders and experts reviewed the survey, provided written responses to questions about the survey, and participated in an openended interview with the researcher. Twenty percent of the survey was modified per review suggestions. Modifications were made in the area of how an adolescent who was participating in sexual harassment was feeling and motivators for those actions. Both the juvenile sexual offenders and experts validated the use of the survey as a tool to look at juvenile sexual offender behavior in the schools. Results are discussed, and recommendations for further study are noted.

All students should be guaranteed a learning environment that is free from all forms of harassment that negatively affect the school climate as well as the learning environment. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the perceptions and attitudes of Sullivan County, Tennessee, K-12 administrators regarding harassment and the associated legal liability. The study also ascertained the attitudes of the administrators pertaining to various forms of student-to-student harassment in their schools, collected data regarding their perceptions of the effectiveness of mandated anti-harassment measures, and examined administrators' attitudes toward the need for more harassment-avoidance training. The research design was descriptive and used data gathered from a survey instrument developed by the researcher regarding administrators' perceptions and attitudes regarding harassment and the associated legal liability. The survey contained 26 question-items. The study's population consisted of 48 Sullivan County administrators. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance, t test, Pearson's correlation, Tamhane post hoc pairwise comparison, and Tukey post hoc test. The results of the study indicated that administrators were knowledgeable about the law and legal ramifications regarding student-to-student harassment. The results also showed that middle and high school students needed more harassment-avoidance training than elementary students. No significant differences were found in their perceptions of the current status of harassment based on population, socioeconomic status, or level of the school. The study offers a valuable insight into administrators' perception and attitudes regarding harassment and the associated legal liability. It also offers a number of recommendations including the need for more harassment-avoidance training to combat this problem for middle and high school students. Effective implementation of bullying prevention programs will need to involve all school stakeholders in order to be successful. The results may be used by school systems to plan for future staff development regarding harassment-avoidance training. Students have a right to feel safe at school as they grow and mature into adulthood. It is the duty of all schools to provide them that safe and secure atmosphere.

This research project is based on ethnographic observations of andinterviews with a sample of nineteen young women about their experiences of sexual harassment in everyday life. The fieldwork was carried out in a school. The aims of the project were to explore young women's perceptions and negotiations of sexual harassment as much as to document the variety of forms it took and to explore the role of schools in the institutionalization of sexual harassment. The methods employed and the methodological perspective adopted were both ethnographic and feminist, underpinned by a realist philosophy and a standpoint epistemology. I highlight the need to address questions about how methodology, epistemology and substantive data are indissolubly interconnected. Thus, the traditional 'scientific' principles of objective impartiality and unemotionality are explicitly challenged by the demand that we reflect critically on -our own inevitably emotional knowledge of the world which we investigate. The appeal to reflexivity rather than to reason or rationality (supposedly unfettered by emotionality) profoundly challenges our understanding of what 'science' means and, therefore, what knowledge is. A definition of sexual harassment is offered. I argue that the phenomenon is a situated, mundane and masculine power practice which reconstructs or reproduces patriarchal social relations. It is patriarchy operationalized. Since the young women with whom I worked collaborated in defining what the research was about by relating their experiences of heterosex, the thesis also explores some of the oppressive continuities between these more intimate encounters and sexual harassment in everyday life. Given that sites of oppression are also potentially at least sites of resistance, the thesis critically examines the ideological context which structures human agency and explores the extent to which young women are empowered to resist rather than accommodate themselves to the oppressive exercise of masculine power. I argue that the school effectively reproduces the oppressive reality in which the young women live their everyday lives.

This chapter addresses the application of Title IX to protect students from sexual harassment and assault in schools and human service organizations. The United States continues to need this legislation to protect students and other vulnerable populations. Title IX recognizes that sexual harassment can happen between males and females or within genders. Age is not a limiting factor in sexual harassment cases. The law is designed to protect victims regardless of the source of the alleged abuse. Institutions must designate a Title IX Coordinator, create and publicize policies and procedures, and regularly train students and employees. When a complaint is being investigated, the institution must protect the privacy of the victim, protect the victim's safety, document the steps taken, and act promptly. Students can sue for damages if the school does not comply with Title IX procedures. This chapter was meant as an overview of this topic. The authors strongly recommend seeking legal counsel for any specific questions about a violation of Title IX.

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model for School Counseling highlights the role of professional school counselors in supporting the academic, personal social and career development of students. The ASCA Model further emphasizes the role of school counselors as leaders, advocates, consultants and collaborators for student development. The 2010 Ethical Standards for School Counselors further highlights students' rights to be treated with respect and dignity as well as their entitlement to a safe school environment that is free from abuse. This chapter explores the role of school counselors in working collaboratively to prevent and address sexual misconduct in schools. The author takes the position that the existence of sexual misconduct in any form hinders student development and directly undermines the efforts of educators to support their growth. The chapter emphasizes the importance collaboration, collective responsibility and the adoption of policies that effectively prevent and address sexual misconduct in schools.

For lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth, schools are often sites of exclusion and victimization. Research has demonstrated that LGBT youth experience elevated rates of victimization and bullying at school relative to their peers, but less research has explored the contexts and characteristics of schools that enable negative attitudes and behaviors toward LGBT youth. The authors examine how US schools construct environments that are unwelcoming and unsafe for LGBT students and largely fail to provide the supports that could improve the school learning climate. They examine strategies and practices employed by educators, students, and education advocates that can disrupt hetero- and gender-normative practices in schools. Specifically, we examine the mechanisms by which LGBT-related school supports—gay–straight alliances (GSAs), comprehensive anti-bullying/harassment school policies, supportive educators, and LGBT-inclusive curricula—support students’ well-being and academic success and challenge the hetero- and gender-normativity embedded in US secondary schools.

Aim/Purpose: This paper provides the results of the preliminary analysis of the findings of an ongoing study that seeks to examine the social media use, cultural and political awareness, civic engagement, issue prioritization, and social activism of Gen Z students enrolled at four different institutional types located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The aim of this study is to look at the group as a whole as well as compare findings across populations. The institutional types under consideration include a mid-sized majority serving or otherwise referred to as a traditionally white institution (TWI) located in a small coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, a small Historically Black University (HBCU) located in a rural area, a large community college located in a county that is a mixture of rural and suburban and which sits on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and graduating high school students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs in a large urban area. This exploration is purposed to examine the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z students within a representative American region during a time of tremendous turmoil and civil unrest in the United States. Background: Over 74 million strong, Gen Z makes up almost one-quarter of the U.S. population. They already outnumber any current living generation and are the first true digital natives. Born after 1996 and through 2012, they are known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task. Raised in the age of the smart phone, they have been tethered to digital devices from a young age with most having the preponderance of their childhood milestones commemorated online. Often called Zoomers, they are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation and are on track to be the most well-educated generation in history. Gen Zers in the United States have been found in the research to be progressive and pro-government and viewing increasing racial and ethnic diversity as positive change. Finally, they are less likely to hold xenophobic beliefs such as the notion of American exceptionalism and superiority that have been popular with by prior generations. The United States has been in a period of social and civil unrest in recent years with concerns over systematic racism, rampant inequalities, political polarization, xenophobia, police violence, sexual assault and harassment, and the growing epidemic of gun violence. Anxieties stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues resulting in a powder keg explosion occurring throughout the summer of 2020 and leading well into 2021. As a result, the United States has deteriorated significantly in the Civil Unrest Index falling from 91st to 34th. The vitriol, polarization, protests, murders, and shootings have all occurred during Gen Z’s formative years, and the limited research available indicates that it has shaped their values and political views. Methodology: The Mid-Atlantic region is a portion of the United States that exists as the overlap between the northeastern and southeastern portions of the country. It includes the nation’s capital, as well as large urban centers, small cities, suburbs, and rural enclaves. It is one of the most socially, economically, racially, and culturally diverse parts of the United States and is often referred to as the “typically American region.” An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2021 attending a high school dual enrollment program, a minority serving institution, a majority serving institution, and a community college all located within the larger mid-Atlantic region. The survey included a combination of multiple response, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by several content and methodological experts in order to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. Finally, the survey was pilot tested prior to implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly prior to widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Over 800 individuals completed the survey with just over 700 usable results, after partial completes and the responses of individuals outside of the 18-24 age range were removed. Findings: Participants in this study overwhelmingly were users of social media. In descending order, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Tik Tok were the most popular social media services reported as being used. When volume of use was considered, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter were the most cited with most participants reporting using Instagram and Snapchat multiple times a day. When asked to select which social media service they would use if forced to choose just one, the number one choice was YouTube followed by Instagram and Snapchat. Additionally, more than half of participants responded that they have uploaded a video to a video sharing site such as YouTube or Tik Tok. When asked about their familiarity with different technologies, participants overwhelmingly responded that they are “very familiar” with smart phones, searching the Web, social media, and email. About half the respondents said that they were “very familiar” with common computer applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite or Google Suite with another third saying that they were “somewhat familiar.” When asked about Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Blackboard, Course Compass, Canvas, Edmodo, Moodle, Course Sites, Google Classroom, Mindtap, Schoology, Absorb, D2L, itslearning, Otus, PowerSchool, or WizIQ, only 43% said they were “very familiar” with 31% responding that they were “somewhat familiar.” Finally, about half the students were either “very” or “somewhat” familiar with operating systems such as Windows. A few preferences with respect to technology in the teaching and learning process were explored in the survey. Most students (85%) responded that they want course announcements and reminders sent to their phones, 76% expect their courses to incorporate the use of technology, 71% want their courses to have course websites, and 71% said that they would rather watch a video than read a book chapter. When asked to consider the future, over 81% or respondents reported that technology will play a major role in their future career. Most participants considered themselves “informed” or “well informed” about current events although few considered themselves “very informed” or “well informed” about politics. When asked how they get their news, the most common forum reported for getting news and information about current events and politics was social media with 81% of respondents reporting. Gen Z is known to be an engaged generation and the participants in this study were not an exception. As such, it came as no surprise to discover that, in the past year more than 78% of respondents had educated friends or family about an important social or political issue, about half (48%) had donated to a cause of importance to them, more than a quarter (26%) had participated in a march or rally, and a quarter (26%) had actively boycotted a product or company. Further, about 37% consider themselves to be a social activist with another 41% responding that aren’t sure if they would consider themselves an activist and only 22% saying that they would not consider themselves an activist. When asked what issues were important to them, the most frequently cited were Black Lives Matter (75%), human trafficking (68%), sexual assault/harassment/Me Too (66.49%), gun violence (65.82%), women’s rights (65.15%), climate change (55.4%), immigration reform/deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) (48.8%), and LGBTQ+ rights (47.39%). When the schools were compared, there were only minor differences in social media use with the high school students indicating slightly more use of Tik Tok than the other participants. All groups were virtually equal when it came to how informed they perceived themselves about current events and politics. Consensus among groups existed with respect to how they get their news, and the community college and high school students were slightly more likely to have participated in a march, protest, or rally in the last 12 months than the university students. The community college and high school students were also slightly more likely to consider themselves social activists than the participants from either of the universities. When the importance of the issues was considered, significant differences based on institutional type were noted. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was identified as important by the largest portion of students attending the HBCU followed by the community college students and high school students. Less than half of the students attending the TWI considered BLM an important issue. Human trafficking was cited as important by a higher percentage of students attending the HBCU and urban high school than at the suburban and rural community college or the TWI. Sexual assault was considered important by the majority of students at all the schools with the percentage a bit smaller from the majority serving institution. About two thirds of the students at the high school, community college, and HBCU considered gun violence important versus about half the students at the majority serving institution. Women’s rights were reported as being important by more of the high school and HBCU participants than the community college or TWI. Climate change was considered important by about half the students at all schools with a slightly smaller portion reporting out the HBCU. Immigration reform/DACA was reported as important by half the high school, community college, and HBCU participants with only a third of the students from the majority serving institution citing it as an important issue. With respect to LGBTQ rights approximately half of the high school and community college participants cited it as important, 44.53% of the HBCU students, and only about a quarter of the students attending the majority serving institution. Contribution and Conclusion: This paper provides a timely investigation into the mindset of generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. This insight is useful to educators who should be informed about the generation of students that is currently populating higher education. The findings of this study are consistent with public opinion polls by Pew Research Center. According to the findings, the Gen Z students participating in this study are heavy users of multiple social media, expect technology to be integrated into teaching and learning, anticipate a future career where technology will play an important role, informed about current and political events, use social media as their main source for getting news and information, and fairly engaged in social activism. When institutional type was compared the students from the university with the more affluent and less diverse population were less likely to find social justice issues important than the other groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: During disruptive and contentious times, it is negligent to think that the abounding issues plaguing society are not important to our students. Gauging the issues of importance and levels of civic engagement provides us crucial information towards understanding the attitudes of students. Further, knowing how our students gain information, their social media usage, as well as how informed they are about current events and political issues can be used to more effectively communicate and educate. Recommendations for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. Additionally, in other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Impact on Society: During a highly contentious period replete with a large volume of civil unrest and compounded by a global pandemic, understanding the behaviors and attitudes of students can help us as higher education faculty be more attuned when it comes to the design and delivery of curriculum. Future Research This presentation presents preliminary findings. Data is still being collected and much more extensive statistical analyses will be performed.

With a few exceptions, research on ride-hailing has focused on North American cities. Previous studies have identified the characteristics and preferences of ride-hailing adopters in a handful of cities. However, given their marked geographical focus, the relevance and applicability of such work to the practice of transport planning and regulation in cities in the Global South is minimal. In developing cities, the entrance of new transport services follows very different trajectories to those in North America and Europe, facing additional social, economic, and cultural challenges, and involving different strategies. Moreover, the determinants of mode choice might be mediated by social issues such as the perception of crime and the risk of sexual harassment in public transportation, which is often experienced by women in large cities such as Mexico. This paper examines ride-hailing in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City, unpacking the characteristics of its users, the ways they differ from users of other transport modes, and the implications for urban mobility. Building on the household travel survey from 2017, our analytical approach is based on a set of categorical models. Findings suggest that gender, age, education, and being more mobile are determinants of ride-hailing adoption. The analysis shows that ride-hailing is used for occasional trips, and it is usually done for leisure and health trips as well as for night trips. The study also reflects on ride-hailings implications for the way women access the city.