Teacher and School Staff Perspectives on the Effects of Disaster Media Coverage on Students

Background and Purpose

Teachers and school staff (e.g., school social workers, counselors, administrators) face significant challenges when facilitating classroom conversations about media coverage of major disasters (e.g. Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting; Boston Marathon bombing; 2011 Joplin tornado). Previous research has documented that even students who do not directly experience a disaster may exhibit negative psychological and emotional effects related to disaster media coverage exposure. However, little research has examined school staff perceptions of how disaster media coverage affects students and how school staff might help reduce any negative effects. This study helps address this gap in knowledge.

Method

Forty-two in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with adult teachers and school staff in urban, rural, and suburban areas in a Midwestern state. Participants were primarily female and Caucasian (79% female, 21% male, 93% Caucasian, 7% African American), and all participants were employed at a public K-12 school. Participants were recruited through study fliers posted at several schools and through e-mail and social media. Semi-structured interview questions assessed teacher and school staff experiences discussing disasters with students, perceptions of student reactions to disaster media coverage, administration and parent issues related to this issue, and awareness of or need for disaster media coverage resources. Interviews were transcribed and coded thematically using NVivo qualitative software, guided by the principles of grounded theory.

Findings

Our results indicated that students presented a variety of reactions to media coverage of disasters. These reactions often included negative emotions (e.g. feeling sad, angry, afraid), and having questions about the disaster events (e.g. “why did this happen?” and “are we safe?”). Participants reported that they responded to student concerns by comforting students, discussing school safety procedures, and providing facts and information. Participants noted varying levels of individual confidence in facilitating conversations with students about disaster media coverage. Many participants felt unprepared for facilitating conversations or for answering student questions. The majority of participants reported needing further support and information for assisting students affected by disaster media coverage.

Conclusion and Implications

Our findings highlight the classroom challenges faced by teachers and school staff when students are affected by disaster media coverage. Our results indicate that teachers and school staff often need further information and training to support students affected by media coverage of disasters. School social workers may be helpful for providing support, information, and resources for teachers and other school staff in addressing student reactions to disasters that receive significant media coverage.