The Promise of School Engagement as a Moderator of Peer Victimization

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: Equity and Social Inclusion in School Policy and Practice

Abstract

Children who face peer victimization are susceptible to a host of negative aftermaths that can affect the educational process. Various studies validate school engagement as a factor in a multitude of issues related to student success and well-being. This study used logistic regression to assess the effect of school engagement on peer victimization in a nationally-representative survey of 12- to 18-year old students, the School Crime Supplement of the National Crime Victimization Survey. Results indicated that students with low-level academic engagement were more likely than those with high-level engagement to be bullied and to be the subject of hate-related words. The findings are significant for promoting school engagement as an end onto itself and as a moderator of peer victimization.

Authors

• Grace Kena, U.S. Department of Justice

• Jijun Zhang, American Institutes for Research