Date of Award
Fall 2022
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Sociology
Abstract
Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland: these are words that represent moments in history where schools should have become unprecedented sites of tragedy and isolated events. Except Columbine occurred in 1999, Sandy Hook in 2012, and Parkland in 2016, making them almost commonplace alongside hundreds of other mass shootings in the US. In place of gun regulation, schools are mandated to conduct active shooter drills, which mimic actual shootings through simulated events including the use of rubber bullets and masked actors to produce visceral reactions. Research has shown that these drills have produced trauma and desensitization among teachers, administrators, and counselors; but few analyze the student experience. The social psychology of adults as it relates to their training can, at best, only account theoretically for the effects of these simulations on children. This study addresses the gap in literature by asking how recent high school graduates reflect on and interpret the development and experiences of active shooter drills that took place during their K-12 education. I will conduct 10-20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews of current students enrolled in Sociology courses at Loyola University Chicago. My aim is to better understand how young adults and teenagers make sense of active shooter drills, and how the drills influence development and social reproduction throughout elementary school, high school, and into adult life.
Recommended Citation
Platten, Lillian Wynne, "Institutionalism, Peer Culture, and Cultural Reproduction in Active Shooter Drills" (2022). Master's Theses. 4440.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/4440
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2022 Lillian Wynne Platten
