Apples for Health- Connected students more apt to warn others

Connected students more apt to warn others

UNIVEERSITY PARK, Pa., Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Students connected to their peers and teachers are more inclined to alert a teacher a student "wants to do something dangerous," U.S. researchers said.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University and Missouri State University presented a hypothetical scenario -- in which a peer plans "to do something dangerous" -- to 1,740 middle and high school students from 13 schools. The students were asked if they would intervene directly, tell a teacher or principal, talk it over with a friend but not tell an adult, or do nothing.

"High school students were less likely than middle school students to talk directly to the peer planning to do something dangerous or tell a teacher or principal," lead author Amy K. Syvertsen of Pennsylvania State University said in a statement. "High schools are generally larger than middle schools and provide less opportunity for teachers and students to interact -- the foundation for building trust."

Most students who said they would take action favored directly approaching the peer rather than telling an adult.

"This may be a reflection of where many of these students are developmentally. They want to assert their autonomy, make decisions and handle the situation on their own," the study authors said.

The study, published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, said students who generally felt a sense of pride in their school and concern for others were more likely to say they would act rather than ignore the situation.