Poster #228 - Teacher- and Peer-Preferred Boys and Girls: Who Bullies More Over Time?

• In Event: 3-053 - Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Not all bullies are socially incompetent; indeed, many are relatively popular. Teachers struggle to identify peer-identified bullies as well as bullying by popular students (Vaillancourt et al., 2003). We considered the possibility that bullying behavior might differ for children who are well liked by teachers only (LTO) versus by peers only (LPO). Child-, peer-, and teacher-reports of bullying assessed in Fall and Spring were compared across five groups: LPO, LTO, Both, Neither, and Average.

Method
Fourth-grade children from 10 schools who met criteria for one of the five groupings were included. Of the 438 children (M age = 9.30 years, SD = 0.50; 39.9% Hispanic, 30.6% white non-Hispanic, and 9.6 % Pacific Islander), 55.7% were girls. We classified children as LPO based on liked-most nominations (> 1SD) obtained via classroom sociometrics (Coie et al., 1982). We classified children as LTO (> 1SD) based on peer nominations of children who could play the part of “someone who gets along well with the teacher, who likes to talk to the teacher, and who the teacher enjoys spending time with” (Masten et al, 1985). Reports of bullying were obtained from children, teachers, and peers (Ladd & Kochenderfer-Ladd, 2004; Masten et al., 1985).

Results
Separate 5(group) x 2(time) x 2(gender) mixed factor ANOVAs were used to compare self-, teacher-, and peer-reported bullying (See Table). For self-report, there was a significant main effect for group: The Neither group engaged in the most bullying and the LTO group the least. There was also a significant main effect for gender, such that boys reported more bullying than girls. We also found a significant three-way interaction (see Figure) indicating that the sharpest increase over time in self-reported bullying was for boys in the LTO group. For teacher-report, we found a significant group by time interaction such that bullying increased for all groups except Average. For peer-report, we found significant main effects for both gender and group. Boys were viewed as bullies more than girls, and children in the LTO group were considered least involved in bullying whereas children in the LPO group the most involved.

Discussion
We found that rates of bullying varied significantly by gender, time, and whether children were well liked by peers only, teachers only, neither, or both. Some findings were consistent across informants and others were informant-specific. Children in the Neither group had the highest bullying scores, but significant only for self- and peer-report. For self-reports, rates of bullying over time varied as a function of group and gender such that boys in the LPO group and girls in the neither group showed the sharpest increase in bullying from Fall to Spring. Teachers rated all groups, except Average, as increasing their bullying over time. Peers nominated boys as bullies more often than girls but distinguished between LTO and LPO groups: LTO children were least involved in bullying and LPO children most involved.

Authors

• Ayla Mapes, University of Arkansas
  Presenting Author

• Katherine Hyde, University of Arkansas
  Non-Presenting Author

• Juventino Hernandez-Rodriguez, Medical University of South Carolina
  Non-Presenting Author

• Freddie A Pastrana, Medical University of South Carolina
  Non-Presenting Author

• James T Craig, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
  Non-Presenting Author

• Samantha J Gregus, Wichita State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• TIM CAVELL, University of Arkansas
  Non-Presenting Author