The relevance of the school class as social unit for the prevalence of bullying and victimization

Abstract

Prevalence rates of bullying and victimization in schools are usually reported for the whole sample under study and not at a school-class level. The importance of classroom dynamics for the prevalence of bullying and victimization are either neglected or assumed to be constant mechanisms activated in nearly every school class. At a school-class level, similar prevalence rates of bullying and victimization are expected. The present study investigates whether this assumption is true, or whether bullying varies from class to class. For data analyses, information from four studies on bullying and victimization are used. In sum, rates of bullying and victimization were analysed in 86 different school classes (1910 pupils, grades 4 to 9). Results show a tremendous variability in the occurrence of bullying and victimization between school classes ranging between 0 and 54.5%. Thus, there exist very peaceful and very violent school classes. These differences are shown for various bullying forms (verbal vs. physical), methods of measurement (self-assessment vs. peer-nomination) and frames of reference (this week vs. this term). Implications of these findings are discussed.

Notes

¹In total, seven types of involved children were found: 11.7%“victims”; 8.2%“bullies”; 19.5%“reinforcers”; 6.8%“assistants”; 17.3%“defenders”; 23.7%“outsiders”; 12.7%“no role”.

³“Here are some questions about bullying. We say a student is being bullied when another student, or a group of students, say nasty and unpleasant things to him or her. It is also bullying when a student is hit, kicked, threatened, locked inside a room, and things like that. These things may take place frequently and it is difficult for the student being bullied to defend himself or herself. It is also bullying when a student is teased repeatedly in a negative way. But it is not bullying when two students of about the same strength quarrel or fight” (Olweus, 1989, p. 2).

²In Austria, compulsory schooling starts with a child's sixth birthday and lasts nine school years. In the first four years, the attendance of a primary school is obligatory. After primary school, children can either attend a general secondary school (5th to 8th grade), an academic secondary school (5th to 12th grade), a vocational school (9th grade), a vocational middle schools (9th to 11th grade), or a vocational high school (9th to 13th grade).

⁴Results are presented in terms of aggregated numbers; in-depth information can be requested from the authors.