The Relationship between Bully Victimization and School Climate

• In Event: Poster Session II

Abstract

The relationship between school climate and bully victimization has been well studied; however, past researchers have generally focused on bully victimization in the physical space, while cyberbully victimization have received less attention. The current study uses the 2013 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) School Crime Supplement (SCS) with a sample of 4,942 individuals that attended school between the ages of 12 and 18 who attended school in the past year. The purpose of the research is to examine both bully victimization, both in the physical and cyber space, and their relationship to the perceptions of different aspects of school climate, including student perception of fairness of school rules, teacher-student relationship, and their relationship with other people they have in contact within schools (other adults and friends). It is hypothesized that increased severity of bully victimization in both physical and cyber space would be related to a more negative view on school climate. However, since internet bullying happens in the “cyber space” and is more disconnected with the physical space of schools, the strength of the relationship would be weaker for internet bullying compared to physical victimization, especially for the perception of fairness of school rules.

Author

• Andrew Kuo, University of Florida