School climate and bystander responses to bullying

Perceived School Fairness and Willingness to Report Bias-Based Bullying Among Youth During COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

As COVID-19 has let many students into remote learning environments and exacerbated inequality among marginalized individuals, there is a growing concern about Bias-Based Bullying (BBB) in online spaces among school-aged youths. Learning modality and perceived school fairness may affect youth's likelihood of reporting BBB.

METHODS

Data were collected as part of "No Place For Hate" (NPFH) project, which was conducted by an equity office of a school district. A sample of middle and high school students (N = 1117) in the school district was used as an analytic sample. We conducted a series of independent samples t tests and calculated a hierarchical stepwise multivariate regression model to examine the proposition.

RESULTS

Results demonstrated that students in fully remote modality reported slightly higher levels of witnessing BBB (t = 2.29, p < .05), lower perceived school fairness (t = -2.94, p < .01), and higher levels of likelihood of reporting BBB (t = 2.31, p < .05). Results of the regression model showed that perceived school fairness was positively associated with likelihood of reporting BBB, even when considering the influences of sociodemographic characteristics, learning modality, and experience of witnessing BBB.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings of this study suggest that learning modality and perceived school fairness can meaningfully explain witnesses' likelihood of reporting BBB. Additional research should continue investigating how schools can encourage students to increase their likelihood of reporting and adopt the bystander response of reporting against BBB at school to ensure school health and safety.

School Climate and Bullying Bystander Responses in Middle and High School

Bullying bystanders' reactions are important for either stopping or perpetuating bullying behaviors. Given school-based bullying programs' focus on bystanders, understanding the associations between school-level factors and individual bystander responses can improve intervention efficacy. Data from 64,670 adolescents were used to examine bullying bystander responses as a function of 13 school-climate dimensions within 3 main factors (Engagement, Environment, Safety) and individual-level factors (e.g., race/ethnicity, perceptions of student-teacher connectedness). Multi-level models showed schools with better Engagement and Safety had higher odds of defender behaviors, a better Environment was associated with lower odds of passive and assisting behaviors. Differences also varied by individual-level factors. For example, an aggressive climate was associated with passive behaviors more strongly in boys and high schoolers. Further, higher perceived parent-teacher and student-teacher connectedness were associated with positive bystander behaviors, and this was stronger for Black and Latinx youth, highlighting the importance of improving relationships as a crucial starting point.