Adult-Student Sexual Harassment in British Columbia High Schools

Abstract

Abstract To determine the prevalence and impact of adult-student sexually harassing behavior in British Columbia high schools, the High School Experiences Questionnaire was distributed to 449 undergraduate psychology students at the University of British Columbia. Thirty-seven and one-half percent of students reported being sexually harassed by school adult employees. There was no significant difference in the proportion of male and female students that experienced potentially sexually harassing behavior. However, female students were more upset than male students by sexually harassing behaviors. Overall, high school SES and type of school (public versus private) were not related to sexual harassment. An evaluation of reporting and discipline indicates that overall 1.4% of cases concluded with formal discipline of the perpetrator.