In the Aftermath of School Victimization: Links Between Authoritative School Climate and Adolescents' Perceptions of the Negative Effects of Bullying Victimization

Hate Speech Against Asian American Youth: Pre-Pandemic Trends and The Role of School Factors

Although hate speech against Asian American youth has intensified in recent years-fueled, in part, by anti-Asian rhetoric associated with the COVID-19 pandemic-the phenomenon remains largely understudied at scale and in relation to the role of schools prior to the pandemic. This study describes the prevalence of hate speech against Asian American adolescents in the US between 2015 and 2019 and investigates how school-related factors are associated with whether Asian American youth are victims of hate speech at school. Analyses are based on a sample of 938 Asian American adolescents (Mage = 14.8; 48% female) from the three most recently available waves (2015, 2017, and 2019) of the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. On average, approximately 7% of Asian Americans were targets of hate speech at school between 2015 and 2019, with rates remaining stable over time. Findings also indicate that students had lower odds of experiencing hate speech if they attended schools with a stronger authoritative school climate, which is characterized by strict, yet fair disciplinary rules coupled with high levels of support from adults. On the other hand, Asian American youth faced higher odds of experiencing hate speech if they were involved in school fights. Authoritative school climate and exposure to fights are malleable and can be shaped directly by broader school climate related policies, programs and interventions. Accordingly, efforts to promote stronger authoritative climates and reduce exposure to physical fights hold considerable potential in protecting Asian American youth from hate speech at school.

Bidirectional relationship between bullying victimization and functions of aggression in adolescents: The mediating effect of teacher justice

INTRODUCTION

Bullying victimization and aggression are frequent phenomena among adolescents and have been linked to various mental health problems. Although the correlation between bullying victimization and aggression is well-documented, the direction between the two has been debated. Moreover, the underlying mechanism through which victimization influences aggression or vice versa has gained little attention. The current study used data across two-time points to address this gap and explore the reciprocal relationships between victimization and aggression. The mediating role of teacher justice and related gender differences were also examined.

METHODS

A total of 2462 Chinese adolescents (50.9% boys; M_age   =  13.95 years, SD = 0.60) completed measures on two occasions in 1 year with 6-month assessment intervals. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the longitudinal relations among the variables.

RESULTS

Results found that bullying victimization significantly and positively predicted both reactive and proactive aggression over time among the total sample. Reactive aggression significantly positively predicted victimization, while proactive aggression negatively predicted victimization in boys. Furthermore, teacher justice mediated the relationships between victimization and both functions of aggression. Mediation was gender-specific, with a significant mediating effect on girls.

CONCLUSIONS

The results reveal the violent cycle of bullying victimization and aggression and underscore the role of teacher justice in this process. These findings have important implications for targeted interventions.

Teachers Can Make a Difference in Bullying: Effects of Teacher Interventions on Students' Adoption of Bully, Victim, Bully-Victim or Defender Roles across Time

School bullying is a serious problem worldwide, but little is known about how teacher interventions influence the adoption of bullying-related student roles. This study surveyed 750 early adolescents (50.5% female; average age: 12.9 years, SD = 0.4) from 39 classrooms in two waves, six months apart. Peer ratings of classmates were used to categorize students to five different bullying-related roles (criterion: >1 SD): bully, victim, bully-victim, defender, and non-participant. Student ratings of teachers were used to obtain class-level measures of teacher interventions: non-intervention, disciplinary sanctions, group discussion, and mediation/victim support. Controlling for student- and class-level background variables, two multilevel multinomial logistic regression analyses were computed to predict students’ bullying-related roles at wave 2. In the static model, predictors were teacher interventions at wave 1, and in the dynamic model, predictors were teacher intervention changes across time. The static model showed that disciplinary sanctions reduced the likelihood of being a bully or victim, and group discussion raised the likelihood of being a defender. Mediation/victim support raised the likelihood of being a bully. The dynamic model complemented these results by indicating that increases in group discussion across time raised the likelihood of being a defender, whereas increases in non-intervention across time raised the likelihood of being a victim and reduced the likelihood of being a defender. These results show that teacher interventions have distinct effects on students’ adoption of bullying-related roles and could help to better target intervention strategies. The findings carry practical implications for the professional training of prospective and current teachers.