Student‐teacher conflict moderates the link between students’ social status in the classroom and involvement in bullying behaviors and exposure to peer victimization

Abstract

Introduction: Student-teacher relationships have been shown to inluence bullying-related behaviors in students. In this study we considered the moderating role of student-teacher conlict and students' social status in the classroom and involvement in bullying behaviors and peer victimization. Methods: Sample consisted of 1742 students (47.2% females, mean age = 10.79; SD = 1.36; range = 8-14) clustered in 113 classrooms, of which 1017 (58.4%) attended primary schools and 725 (41.6%) attended lower secondary schools. We implemented a series of multilevel analyses aimed at determining the role of student-teacher conlict, and students' social status among classroom peers (i.e., average, popular, rejected, neglected, and controversial statuses), as well their interaction, in inluencing verbal, physical, and social forms of bullying and victimization at school. Results: Student-teacher conlict had a signiicant positive effect on all bullying and victimization variables. Regarding students' social status, rejected students showed increased bullying and victimization when compared with average students, except in social bullying. Signiicant interactions emerged indicating that a highly conlictual student-teacher relationship exacerbated bullying behaviors and the risk of victimization among rejected students. Additionally, popular students who had conlictual relationship with their teachers were more likely to engage in physical bullying then average students. Conclusions: Our study suggests the importance of low conlictual student-teacher relationships in acting as a buffer for aggressive student-student interactions in the classroom, especially when these interactions involve students rejected by their classroom peers.

Development of a sociometric web application to study the relationship among secondary school learners

“…Likewise, the researcher examined the validity of the information from the web application which classified learners into five groups according to the criteria of Coie et al. (1982, as cited in Marengo et al., 2021 ). The overall results were found to be consistent.…”

“…Using sociometry to study the relationships among 204 secondary school and high school students, the researcher chose the peer nomination method based on the concept of Moreno (1934) and the criteria of Coie et al. (1982, as cited in Marengo et al., 2021 ) to assess the students’ sociometric status by using a questionnaire. There were four scenarios for the students to nominate three peers wherein the data will be used to group the students according to the five types of sociometric statuses.…”

“…The interpretation results of the sociometric status in this study were based on the criteria of Coie et al. (1982, as cited in Marengo et al., 2021 ) as a guideline for grouping the learners. The teachers and users should consider the results in conjunction with other additional information, such as observing students’ relationships via real contexts or asking their peers, parents, teachers, and other related people, etc.…”

Teacher–student relationship and adolescents’ bullying perpetration: A moderated mediation model of deviant peer affiliation and peer pressure

“…First, from the attachment element of social bonds, establishing a positive relationship with teacher helps a student feel bond to society (Bouchard & Smith, 2016), which can prevent adolescents from engaging in deviant behavior. Second, from the involvement elements of social bonds, a positive teacher–student relationship helps a teacher encourage correct behavior and deter bad behavior of students, while a negative teacher–student relationship would impair a teacher’s ability to perform these functions (Marengo et al, 2021). Third, from the belief element of social bonds, a positive teacher–student relationship helps teachers convey positive moral validity of values to students.…”

Closeness in Student–Teacher Relationships and Students’ Psychological Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Hope

“…More generally, considering the teacher’s role in facilitating the student’s social relations in the classroom and in promoting positive relationships with their peer group (Quaglia et al, 2013; Wang et al, 2020; Wentzel, 2002), the quality of the student–teacher relationship was determined to be a predictive factor of both the student’s emotional and behavioral adjustment to the class context and the risk of peer victimization (Hamre & Pianta, 2005; Longobardi, Borello, et al, 2019; Marengo et al, 2018; Marengo, Fabris, et al, 2021; Prino et al, 2019; Thornberg et al, 2017).…”