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Abstract
Background: Bullying is a problem for schools in many countries, especially, according to various surveys, in New Zealand. Students' involvement in bullying as bullies, victims or bystanders has serious implication for emotional, social and academic development.
Purpose: The purpose of this research was to examine the relationships between bullying, victimisation, prosocial behaviour, and classroom climate. A secondary purpose was to examine the use of the Peer Relations Questionnaire in New Zealand.
Sample: A stratified randomised sample of 15 schools were included in this study; 1168 school children (48% male, 52% female) participated. All students were in school years 4–8 (approximately 8–13 years of age).
Design and methods: Cross-sectional design was used with students completing anonymous surveys on bullying and other features of their school and classroom experiences.
Results: Self-reported data indicated that involvement in bullying was related to empathy and classroom climate, with bullies and bully/victims having lowest connection to school and poorest relationships with their teachers. The Peer Relations Questionnaire was found to be useful with New Zealand youth.
Conclusions: These are the first findings on these relationships in New Zealand. The findings have implications for interventions designed to enhance children's emotional experiences at school through enhancing positive teacher–student relationships, empathy and social skills.
Acknowledgement
This study was conducted as part of, and supported by, a larger programme of research on the emotional climate of the primary school classroom, entitled Te Aniwaniwa (Ian M. Evans, Principal Investigator) and funded by the Marsden Fund, Royal Society of New Zealand; this funding is acknowledged with gratitude.
For further information about Te Aniwaniwa, contact either Shane Harvey, Associate Investigator ([email protected]), or Ian Evans ([email protected]). Correspondence concerning this article may be addressed to Juliana Raskauskas, Department of Child Development, College of Education, California State University, 6000 J. Street, Sacramento, CA 95819, USA ([email protected]).