Bullying and Discrimination in Schools: Exploring Variations Across Student Subgroups
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See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304557292 Bullying and Discrimination in Schools: Exploring Variations Across Student Subgroups Article in School psychology review · December 2015 DOI: 10.17105/15-0133.1 CITATIONS READS 6 449 2 authors, including: Susan M Swearer University of Nebraska at Lincoln 90 PUBLICATIONS 2,697 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE All content following this page was uploaded by Susan M Swearer on 25 August 2016. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. School Psychology Review, 2015, Volume 44, No. 4, pp. 504–509 Bullying and Discrimination in Schools: Exploring Variations Across Student Subgroups Susan Swearer Bullying Research Network, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Shelley Hymel Bullying Research Network, University of British Columbia Abstract. This commentary reviews the four articles included in a special issue of the School Psychology Review that address factors related to the bullying and discrimination among youth. The articles explore rather diverse topics within the broader literature on youth interpersonal violence, but each adds to our under- standing of the very complex nature of bullying involvement. In an attempt to understand this complexity, we view these studies through the lens of a social- ecological diathesis-stress model (Swearer & Hymel, 2015), considering the individual, family, peer, school community, and societal contexts in which youth interpersonal violence occurs, and how biological and cognitive vulnerabilities interact with stressors like peer victimization to understanding the mechanisms at play in any particular incident of interpersonal violence. Together, the studies presented in this special issue contribute to our understanding of this complexity, reminding us that peers matter; educational placement matters; individual differ- ences in race, sexual orientation, and disabilities matter; and measurement mat- ters. It is perhaps this complexity that limits the effectiveness of current universal strategies for addressing such behaviors in school, but paves the way for more effective, multidimensional prevention and intervention efforts. Bullying and discrimination are signifi- translating research knowledge to real solu- cant and long-standing social issues facing tions is proving to be more mysterious than students, educators, and adults; yet, the gap researchers could have predicted. The research between research findings and real, tangible presented in this special issue of School Psy- solutions seems to be growing. Researchers chology Review includes four theoretically and have studied these forms of youth interper- empirically derived, competently conducted sonal violence for decades (Hymel & Swearer, and analyzed studies, the results of which 2015), and why bullying and discrimination highlight four important factors that can in- happen is no longer a mystery. However, form translational research by expanding our Correspondence regarding this article should be directed to either Susan M. Swearer, Ph.D., Professor of School Psychology, 40 Teachers College Hall, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0345; e-mail: [email protected]; or Shelley Hymel, Ph.D. Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, 2125 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4; e-mail: [email protected]. Copyright 2015 by the National Association of School Psychologists, ISSN 0279-6015, eISSN 2372-966x 504 Bullying and Discrimination understanding of the truly complex set of also be influenced by the relationships that mechanisms and processes underlying youth exist and the roles that peers play. Defending interpersonal violence in our schools. Results might actually be related more to bravery and of these studies underscore how peers matter, courage than to empathy in such situations. As individual differences matter (race, sexual ori- illustrated in research by Rocke Henderson entation, disability), educational context mat- and Hymel (2011), student reports of defender ters, and measurement matters. We explore behavior are also predicted by reported feel- each in turn here. ings of anger, what Vigtalione and Barnett (2003) referred to as empathic anger in their Peers Matter research with adults. Poteat, Rivers, and Vecho, in their arti- Bullying has long been recognized as a cle, “The role of peers in predicting students’ peer-group phenomenon (Craig & Pepler, homophobic behavior: Effects of peer aggres- 1997; Craig, Pepler, & Atlas, 2000; Olweus, sion, prejudice, and sexual orientation identity 1993; Pepler, Craig, & O’Connell, 2010), with importance” shift our focus to the larger peer more than two decades of research demon- group. Applying a social-ecological lens and strating that the social structure of peer groups considering the influence of the peer group, greatly influences these behaviors (Faris & based on Tajfel and Turner’s (1986) social Felmlee, 2011). Despite such recognition, the identity theory, Poteat and colleagues explore implications of peer processes for educational the unique and interactive effects of individual practice and prevention/intervention efforts re- and peer group factors (level of aggressive- main largely unexplored (e.g., see Farmer, ness, prejudice) on homophobic behavior. McAuliffe Lines, & Hamm; 2011; Hymel, They found that high school students were McClure, Miller, Shumka, & Trach, 2015). more likely to engage in homophobic aggres- Two of the studies in this special issue focused sion when they were in peer groups that were directly on peer influences in interpersonal aggressive and homophobic. Peer group violence. norms are a critical component in the perpe- Nickerson, Aloe, and Werth, in their ar- tration of bullying behaviors—rarely is bully- ticle entitled, “The relation of empathy and ing solely an individual or dyadic problem defending in bullying: A meta-analytic inves- (Espelage & Swearer, 2003). Future research tigation” confirm through meta-analysis what aimed at understanding the interactions be- researchers and practitioners have assumed— tween individual values, identity and group that “upstanders” or witnesses who are willing norms, and collective identity will help edu- to defend and support peers who are victim- cators and researchers design interventions ized report greater empathy. Against this that take into account these important norma- backdrop, future research can focus on under- tive influences. standing the complexities of the relationship between empathy and the willingness of youth Individual Differences Matter (Race, to stand up and defend others in bullying sit- Sexual Orientation, and Disabilities) uations, as well as other factors that may fur- ther contribute to the likelihood of defending Three of the articles in this special issue behavior. For example, research by Vaillan- focus on recognized biases against others who court, Hymel, and McDougall (2003) empha- are somehow “different,” making them targets sizes the fact that bullying is about power and of discrimination and peer bullying. Research- powerlessness. How would defending behav- ers have long examined the relationship be- ior vary if the perpetrator is a friend? What if tween discrimination, race, ethnicity, and bul- a group of students is bullying? What if the lying (Juvonen & Graham, 2001). These three perpetrator is popular? A bystander in these studies extend our understanding of the com- situations might have high empathy but, actu- plexities of these relationships. As noted be- ally intervening and defending the victim may fore, Poteat and colleagues (this issue) dem- 505 School Psychology Review, 2015, Volume 44, No. 4 onstrate how individual and peer group factors disabilities. Students with intellectual disabil- interact in their contribution to youth ho- ities, however, were also more likely to per- mophobic behavior. petrate bullying and relational aggression. The Tynes, Del Toro, and Lozada, in their primary focus of their research, however, was article, “An unwelcome digital visitor in the on variations as a function of educational classroom: The longitudinal impact of online placement, described in the next section. racial discrimination on school achievement motivation,” examined the connection be- Educational Placement Matters tween online racial discrimination and aca- demic motivation among African American It is clear from the research that school and Latino middle school and high school contexts are important contributing factors to students. Applying latent growth models in environments that either foster or inhibit bul- analyzing data over three years, they found lying and discrimination behaviors. Students that online racial discrimination negatively af- receiving special education services are gen- fected school achievement motivation, opera- erally seen as being at greater risk for involve- tionalized in terms of academic values and ment in bullying than are their counterparts in academic self-efficacy. Their findings under- general education (Swearer, Wang, Maag, Sie- score the far-reaching negative effects of dis- becker, & Frerichs, 2012). In their article, crimination on school performance and the “Bullying and students with disabilities: Ex- importance of school-based efforts to address amination of disability status and educational such behavior. The recent Ad Council cam- placement,” Rose, Stormont, Wang, Simpson, paign, “I Am A Witness,” might be an effec- Preast, and Green found that educational tive