Poster #223 - Children’s Perceptions of Teachers’ Responses to Bullying and Their Adjustment Across Two School Years

• In Event: 2-163 - Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Underlying belief systems (i.e., social schemas) are foundational to how children respond to interpersonal stress, impacting immediate stress responses and long-term adjustment (e.g., Dodge, 1993; Troop-Gordon & Ladd, 2005). This may be particularly true for peer-victimized children who cope with chronic interpersonal stress, often at school and in their classrooms. Despite a developing body of research on the link between peer-victimized children’s social schemas and their adjustment, little attention has been paid to children’s beliefs about their teacher. However, the teacher holds a unique role in managing the classroom social environment (Troop-Gordon, 2015), and children’s expectations for their teachers’ responses to peer victimization may have significant consequences for their behavioral and emotional well-being. Using cross-sectional data, Troop-Gordon and Quenette (2010) found that for children experiencing high levels of peer victimization: (a) perceiving the teacher as reprimanding aggressive students was associated with less school avoidance, and (b) perceiving the teacher as advocating strategies that put the onus of coping on the targeted children (i.e., telling children to work it out on their own, avoid aggressive classmates, or stand up for themselves) was associated with higher levels of internalizing distress. This research seeks to replicate these findings and build upon them by expanding the outcome variables studied and testing prospective links across two school years. Consistent with previous research, we also examine whether associations vary as a function of peer victimization and gender.

Data were collected from 364 3rd-grade and 4th-grade children (Mage = 9.34 years, ngirls = 196). Data were collected in the fall and spring of two school years. Perceived teacher responses were measured with the Perceived Teacher Response Scale (Troop-Gordon & Quenette, 2010; αs range .49 -.74). Children also completed self-reports of depression (Radloff, 1977; αs ≥ .68), anxiety (Reynolds & Richmond, 1978; αs = ≥ .63), and school avoidance (Ladd & Price, 1987; αs ≥ .64) and peer-reports of relational and physical aggression (Ladd & Kochenderfer-Ladd, 2002) and prosocial behavior.

Latent growth curve models were estimated for each outcome with perceptions of teachers’ responses serving as predictors of the latent intercept and linear slope. Consistent with previous research, perceiving the teacher as having children work it out on their own or stand up for themselves was associated with greater maladjustment (e.g., low prosocial behavior, greater school avoidance, and increasing aggression) for children at high levels of peer victimization. Overall, perceiving the teacher as advocating avoidance or separating students was predictive of positive adjustment for boys and poor adjustment for girls. For children high in peer victimization, believing that the teacher punishes aggression did not predict low levels of school avoidance. Rather it predicted initial and increased aggression and, for girls, initial high levels of depression.

In general, results indicate that peer-victimized children’s perceptions of their teacher’s intervention practices may contribute to sometimes temporary, but often sustained, maladjustment. That the results were stronger for behavioral than psychological outcomes suggests that these expectations may more directly affect coping strategies than emotional reactions. Implications for school practices will be discussed.

Authors

• Darcy J Corbitt-Hall, Auburn University
  Presenting Author

• Alexander Kaeppler, Auburn University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Wendy Troop-Gordon, Auburn University
  Non-Presenting Author