Social Achievement Goals and Bullying: Mediating Effects of Sense of Belonging and Noninclusive Group Norms

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Belonging and the Social Dynamics of Learning

Abstract

This study investigated gender-specific effects of social achievement goals - i.e., social development goals, social demonstration approach goals, and social demonstration avoid goals - on bullying perpetration in a sample of 788 adolescents, considering the mediating role of sense of belonging and non-inclusive group norms. Two-group structural equation modeling results indicated that social demonstration approach goals positively predicted bullying perpetration for both genders. For girls, higher social development goals and for boys, higher social avoidance goals decreased bullying perpetration. Gender-specific effects of belonging and non-inclusive group norms on bullying perpetration occurred. For boys, but not for girls, non-inclusive group norms mediated the relation between all social achievement goals and bullying perpetration. Implications for future research and bullying interventions are discussed.

Authors

• Marko Lüftenegger, Universität Wien

• Sophie Oczlon, University of Vienna

• Daniel Graf, University of Vienna

• Marlene Kollmayer, University of Vienna

• Takuya Yanagida, University of Vienna

• Lisa Bardach, University of Tübingen