A Quantitative Study of Adolescent Aggressive Behavior in a Church-Based Context: Bully in the Pew

Abstract

This dissertation examines aggressive behavior (bullying) among adolescents in a church-based context.

Chapter 1 introduces the research concern that adolescent aggression is a challenge, not only in schools and work environments, but also in church. While the church should be a place of safety and transformation, the research asks if it has become an unsafe place for some.

Chapter 2 examines existing literature that addresses the concepts of bullying, the influence of bullying on identity formation, mechanisms used to prevent bullying, and the biblical and theological ideas of wisdom and the pursuit of it as a powerful response to the challenges of bullying.

Chapter 3 outlines the means used in this study to analyze and compare the levels of aggressive behavior occurring between adolescents in a church-based context. The researcher shares the research design overview, research population, samples and delimitations, limitations of generalization, research instrument, procedures for the research, and significance of the study.

Chapter 4 shows how the research study sought to analyze and compare the level of aggressive behavior occurring among adolescents in a church-based context. To study this objective properly, the researcher examined aggression and victimization in

youth, both in general and specifically, in the church-related environment among campers at Uplift in the summer of 2012. The findings and statistical data are evaluated and reviewed in this chapter in a concise manner.

Chapter 5 seeks to analyze and compare the levels of aggressive behavior among adolescents in a church-based context. In this chapter there is a review of what the findings mean and the significance of these findings for parents, youth workers, and church leaders. After looking at the possible implications from the stated research questions, the researcher discusses possible ideas for future research in the area of adolescent behavior in a church-based context.