A Systematic Review of K-12 School Shooting Research

Abstract

High-profile school shootings (i.e., rampage school shootings) have fueled empirical and general inquiry into school shooting characteristics and have been a point of emphasis for stakeholders (e.g., parents, teachers, and students) nationwide. The current chapter's goals are to provide a systematic overview of the available evidence examining school shooting incidents. Specifically, this review is intended to gather, summarize, and review relevant peer-reviewed studies on the topic, integrate and identify key findings and themes, identify gaps and limitations in the literature, and discuss implications for directions for future research. Further, it is expected this systematic review can inform practitioners, academics, researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders on the current state of school shooting research and promote innovation in methodological approaches for investigating school shooting incidents.