ABSTRACT

In recent years, instances of educator sexual assault against students have flooded the media. In particular, female teachers who abused students have seized the public’s attention as they are often portrayed as attractive and a sexual fantasy. This portrayal can then impact the way society perceives these sexual assaults. Importantly, however, it is not known whether this perception influences the prosecution and sentencing of these cases. The current study examined the impact of gender and attractiveness of a teacher, as well as gender of the student victim, on juror decision-making in a teacher/student sexual assault case. Using a 2 (Teacher Gender) X 2 (Student Gender) X 3 (Attractiveness Level: Attractive/Unattractive/No Photo) experimental design, we examined jurors’ decisions regarding guilt, sentencing, and perceptions of the teacher and student. Results suggest that the gender of the teacher may impact juror decision-making; however, the level of attractiveness of the teacher and gender of the student had minimal effects. The study contributes to our understanding of how educators who commit sexual acts against students are perceived and treated in the court system.

摘要

近年来，教育工作者对学生的性侵犯事件充斥着媒体。尤其是虐待学生的女教师，因其经常被描绘成有吸引力的性幻想而引起了公众的注意。这种描述会影响社会对这些性侵犯的看法。然而，重要的是，尚不清楚这种看法是否会影响这些案件的起诉和量刑。目前的研究检查了教师的性别和吸引力以及学生受害者的性别对教师/学生性侵犯案件中陪审员决策的影响。使用 2（教师性别）X 2（学生性别）X 3（吸引力等级：有吸引力/不吸引人/没有照片）实验设计，我们检查了陪审员关于有罪、量刑、以及对老师和学生的看法。结果表明，教师的性别可能会影响陪审员的决策；然而，教师的吸引力水平和学生的性别影响甚微。该研究有助于我们了解对学生实施性行为的教育工作者如何在法院系统中被感知和对待。