Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to examine individual and contextual predictors of victimization and bullying on a sample of early adolescents. Using both self-reports and peer nominations for victimization and bullying assessment, potential differential predictors for self- vs. peer-reported victimization and bullying were examined. A total of 1905 elementary school students (49.9% boys) nested in 135 classrooms within 22 schools participated in the study. Students’ gender was found to be the most consistent predictor for both self- and peer-reported victimization and bullying. Other shared predictors of victimization and bullying were higher internalization and externalization of anger and perceived peer support for self-reported measures and younger age, lower academic achievement, higher anger internalizing and externalizing, perceived teacher support, and fewer peer-reported friendships for peer-reported measures. In addition, the same classroom characteristics—higher pro-bully classroom norms—represented a risk factor for both self-reported bullying and victimization.
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Notes
Compulsory basic education in Slovenia is organized into a single-structure (ISCED1 and ISCED2) 9-year basic school attended by students aged 6 to 15 years (Taštanoska 2017). Basic education is provided by public and private schools (less than 1% of students attend private schools). Students are allocated a school on the basis of geographical criteria but parents may request an alternative one (Key Data on Education in Europe 2012). Students are organized in classes independently of their gender, ability level, or ethnic affiliation; the instruction is organized in a way that students normatively spend their time in school within their class, so they mostly socialize with the same peers during all 9 years of elementary school.
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This work was partly supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (Research Program P3-0384).
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Katja Košir. Department of Psychology , Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Koroška cesta 160, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia; Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Glagoljaška 8, 6000 Koper, Slovenia. Phone: +386 41 242 983. E-mail: katja.kosir@um.si
Current themes of research:
Students’ social relations in school context. Assessment of students’ social relations. Teachers’ professional development. Bullying
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
Košir, K., Pečjak, S. (2005). Sociometry as a method for investigating peer relationships: what does it actually measure? Educational Research 47(1), 127–144.
Košir, K. (2005). The influence of teacher’s classroom management style on pupils’ self-regulative behaviour. Studia Psychologica, 47(2), 119–144.
Košir, K., Sočan, G., Pečjak, S. (2007). The role of interpersonal relationships with peers and with teachers in students’ academic achievement. Review of Psychology, 14(1), 43–58.
Košir, K., Tement, S. (2014). Teacher-student relationship and academic achievement: a cross-lagged longitudinal study on three different age groups. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 29(3), 409–428.
Košir, K., Tement, S., Licardo, M., Habe, K. (2015). Two sides of the same coin? The role of rumination and reflection in elementary school teachers’ classroom stress and burnout. Teaching and Teacher Education, 47, 131–141.
Košir, K., Horvat, M., Aram, U., Jurinec, N. (2016) Is being gifted always an advantage? Peer relations and self-concept of gifted students. High Ability Studies, 27(2), 129–148.
Košir, K., Horvat, M., Aram, U., Jurinec, N., Tement, S. (2016). Does being on Facebook make me (feel) accepted in the classroom? The relationships between early adolescents’ Facebook usage, classroom peer acceptance and self-concept. Computers in Human Behavior, 62, 375–384.
Lucia Klasinc. Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, Koroška cesta 160, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: lucia.klasinc1@um.si
Current themes of research:
Peer relations in school context. Bullying
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
Košir, K., Pivec, T., Klasinc, L., Špes, T., Horvat, M. (2018). Psihosocialne značilnosti učencev kot napovedniki različnih oblik medvrstniške viktimizacije in nasilnega vedenja [Students’ psychosocial characteristics as predictors of different forms of victimization and bullying]. Psihološka obzorja [Horizons of Psychology], 27, 171–186.
Tanja Špes. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Koroška cesta 160, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: tanja.spes@gmail.com
Current themes of research:
Bullying. The peak-end rule
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
Špes, T., Košir, K. (2017). Socialna sprejetost srednješolcev v razredu in na socialnem omrežju Facebook [Social acceptance of high school students in classroom and on Facebook]. Psihološka obzorja [Horizons of Psychology], 22, 33–40.
Košir, K., Pivec, T., Klasinc, L., Špes, T., Horvat, M. (2018). Psihosocialne značilnosti učencev kot napovedniki različnih oblik medvrstniške viktimizacije in nasilnega vedenja [Students’ psychosocial characteristics as predictors of different forms of victimization and bullying]. Psihološka obzorja [Horizons of Psychology], 27, 171–186.
Tina Pivec. Educational Research Institute, Gerbičeva 62, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-mail: tina.pivec@gmail.com
Current themes of research:
Peer relations in school context. Bullying
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
Košir, K., Pivec, T., Klasinc, L., Špes, T., Horvat, M. (2018). Psihosocialne značilnosti učencev kot napovedniki različnih oblik medvrstniške viktimizacije in nasilnega vedenja [Students’ psychosocial characteristics as predictors of different forms of victimization and bullying]. Psihološka obzorja [Horizons of Psychology], 27, 171–186.
Gašper Cankar. National Examinations Centre, Kajuhova ulica 32, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Phone: +386 1 5484 682. E-mail: gasper.cankar@ric.si
Current themes of research:
Students’ achievement and socio-economic status. Secondary analysis of international large scale assessments. Item choice in high stakes testing
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
Cankar, G. (2016). Governing the transition to higher levels of education and differences between achievement and school grades by gender. The Journal of Educational Research, 8(2), 60–86.
Kyriakides, L., Creemers, B. P. M., Panayiotiou, A., Vanlaar, G., Pfeifer, M., Cankar, G., McMahon, L. (2014). Using student ratings to measure quality of teaching in six European countries. European Journal of Teacher Education, 2, 1–19.
Gaber, S., Cankar, G., Marjanovič Umek, L., Tašner, V. (2012). The danger of inadequate conceptualisation in PISA for education policy. Compare, 42(4), 647–663.
Cankar, G. (2010). Allowing examinee choice in educational testing. Advances in Methodology and Statistics, 7(2), 151–166.
Marina Horvat. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Koroška cesta 160, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: marina.horvat2@um.si
Current themes of research:
Social development of gifted students. Students’ social relations in school context. Assessment of students’ social relations. Stress. Multilevel modelling
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
Horvat, M., Košir, K. Socialna sprejetost nadarjenih učencev in učencev z dodatno strokovno pomočjo v osnovni šoli [Social acceptance of gifted pupils and pupils with additional professional help in elementary school]. Psihološka obzorja [Horizons of Psychology], 22, 156–166.
Košir, K., Horvat, M., Aram, U., Jurinec, N. (2016). Is being gifted always an advantage? Peer relations and self-concept of gifted students. High Ability Studies, 27(2), 129–148.
Košir, K., Horvat, M., Aram, U., Jurinec, N., Tement, S. (2016). Does being on Facebook make me (feel) accepted in the classroom? The relationships between early adolescents’ Facebook usage, classroom peer acceptance and self-concept. Computers in Human Behavior, 62, 375–384.
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Košir, K., Klasinc, L., Špes, T. et al. Predictors of self-reported and peer-reported victimization and bullying behavior in early adolescents: the role of school, classroom, and individual factors. Eur J Psychol Educ 35, 381–402 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-019-00430-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-019-00430-y