Top

29-01-2025 | Empirical Research

Peer Victimization and School Engagement among Chinese Adolescents: Does Classroom-Level Victimization Matter?

Auteurs: Zhi Ye, Kehui Wu, Li Niu, Yan Li, Zhengge Chen, Lihua Chen, Shan Zhao

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Youth and Adolescence

Abstract

Peer victimization has been demonstrated to have a long-lasting negative impact on adolescents’ psychological well-being, yet its impact on school engagement is inconclusive, particularly during high school. In addition, research about the role of classroom-level victimization in the association between individual-level peer victimization and adolescents’ school engagement remains underexplored. Previous research has relied solely on self-report measures to assess peer victimization, potentially limiting the scope of understanding. This study investigated the moderating effects of both student-reported and teacher-reported classroom-level victimization on the association between individual-level peer victimization and school engagement among Chinese adolescents. A sample of 2,803 high school students (aged from 14–19 years, M_age = 15.43 years, SD = 0.56; 48.5% boys) from 48 classes (M_{class size} = 58.62, SD = 3.65) completed measures of peer victimization and school engagement in October 2023. Their homeroom teachers (85.4% males; M_age = 44.17 years, SD = 7.70) reported overall victimization in each class. Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that, at the individual level, adolescents who reported higher victimization exhibited lower school engagement. Notably, this association was significant only when the classroom-level victimization was high. Furthermore, these significant findings were observed for student-reported classroom-level victimization, but not for teacher-reported victimization. The findings suggest that reducing classroom-level victimization may help mitigate the negative effect of peer victimization on school engagement, underscoring the need to consider classroom environment when developing anti-bullying interventions for high school students.

Alleen toegankelijk voor geautoriseerde gebruikers

Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., Barker, E. D., Girard, A., Dionne, G., Tremblay, R. E., & Boivin, M. (2013). Do other people’s plights matter? A genetically informed twin study of the role of social context in the link between peer victimization and children’s aggression and depression symptoms. Developmental Psychology, 49(2), 327–340. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025665.CrossRefPubMed

Burgess, L. G., Riddell, P. M., Fancourt, A., & Murayama, K. (2018). The influence of social contagion within education: A motivational perspective. Mind, Brain, and Education, 12(4), 164–174. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12178.CrossRef

Card, N. A., & Hodges, E. V. E. (2008). Peer victimization among schoolchildren: Correlations, causes, consequences, and considerations in assessment and intervention. School Psychology Quarterly, 23(4), 451–461. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012769.CrossRef

Chase, P. A., Hilliard, L. J., John Geldhof, G., Warren, D. J. A., & Lerner, R. M. (2014). Academic achievement in the high school years: The changing role of school engagement. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(6), 884–896. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-0085-4.CrossRefPubMed

Chen, B., & Zhao, C. (2022). More is less: Homeroom teachers’ administrative duties and students’ achievements in China. Teaching and Teacher Education, 119, 103857 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103857.CrossRef

Chen, G., Kong, Y., Deater-Deckard, K., & Zhang, W. (2018). Bullying victimization heightens cortisol response to psychosocial stress in Chinese children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 46(5), 1051–1059. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-017-0366-6.CrossRefPubMed

Chen, J.-K., Wu, C., & Wang, L.-C. (2021). Longitudinal associations between school engagement and bullying victimization in school and cyberspace in Hong Kong: Latent variables and an autoregressive cross-lagged panel study. School Mental Health, 13(3), 462–472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09439-5.CrossRef

Cillessen, A. H. N., & Lansu, T. A. M. (2015). Stability, correlates, and time-covarying associations of peer victimization from Grade 4 to 12. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 44(3), 456–470. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2014.958841.CrossRef

Cowie, H., & Smith, P. K. (2012). Peer support as a means of improving school safety and reducing bullying and violence. Handbook of youth prevention science (pp. 177–193). Routledge, New York.

Debnam, K. J., Johnson, S. L., Waasdorp, T. E., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2014). Equity, connection, and engagement in the school context to promote positive youth development. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 24(3), 447–459. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12083.CrossRef

Ding, X., Liu, Y., & Peng, J.-E. (2023). Straddling burnout and resilience: A Q methodology study among high school EFL teachers. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2023.2193171

Dishion, T. J., & Tipsord, J. M. (2011). Peer contagion in child and adolescent social and emotional development. Annual Review of Psychology, 62, 189–214. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100412.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Dong, Z., Huitsing, G., & Veenstra, R. (2024). Students’ school and psychological adjustment in classrooms with positive and negative leaders. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 53(3), 550–562. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01937-w.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Dorio, N. B., Demaray, M. K., & Riffle, L. N. (2021). Bullying bystanders and emotional school engagement: The roles of rumination and depression. Psychology in the Schools, 59(2), 430–446. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22619.CrossRef

Enders, C. K., & Tofighi, D. (2007). Centering predictor variables in cross-sectional multilevel models: A new look at an old issue. Psychological Methods, 12(2), 121–138. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989x.12.2.121.CrossRefPubMed

Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059.CrossRef

Gini, G., Holt, M., Pozzoli, T., & Marino, C. (2020). Victimization and somatic problems: The role of class victimization levels. Journal of School Health, 90(1), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12844.CrossRefPubMed

Grew, E., Baysu, G., & Turner, R. N. (2022). Experiences of peer victimization and teacher support in secondary school predict university enrolment 5 years later: Role of school engagement. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(4), 1295–1314. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12500.CrossRefPubMed

Guo, J., Li, M., Wang, X., Ma, S., & Ma, J. (2020). Being bullied and depressive symptoms in Chinese high school students: The role of social support. Psychiatry Research, 284, 112676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.112676.CrossRefPubMed

Hawker, D. S. J., & Boulton, M. J. (2000). Twenty years’ research on peer victimization and psychosocial maladjustment: A meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 41(4), 441–455. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-7610.00629.CrossRefPubMed

Hill, N. E., & Wang, M.-T. (2015). From middle school to college: Developing aspirations, promoting engagement, and indirect pathways from parenting to post high school enrollment. Developmental Psychology, 51(2), 224–235. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038367.CrossRefPubMed

Hoglund, W. L. G. (2007). School functioning in early adolescence: Gender-linked responses to peer victimization. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(4), 683–699. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.99.4.683.CrossRef

Huang, G. H.-C., & Gove, M. (2015). Confucianism, Chinese families, and academic achievement: Exploring how confucianism and Asian descendant parenting practices influence children’s academic achievement. In M. S. Khine (Ed.), Science education in East Asia: Pedagogical innovations and research-informed practices (pp. 41–66). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16390-1_3

Huang, H., Hong, J. S., & Espelage, D. L. (2013). Understanding factors associated with bullying and peer victimization in Chinese schools within ecological contexts. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 22(7), 881–892. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-012-9647-4.CrossRef

Huitsing, G., Lodder, G. M. A., Oldenburg, B., Schacter, H. L., Salmivalli, C., Juvonen, J., & Veenstra, R. (2019). The healthy context paradox: Victims’ adjustment during an anti-bullying intervention. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(9), 2499–2509. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1194-1.CrossRef

Julian, M. W. (2001). The consequences of ignoring multilevel data structures in nonhierarchical covariance modeling. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 8(3), 325–352. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328007SEM0803_1.CrossRef

Kowalski, R. M., & Limber, S. P. (2013). Psychological, physical, and academic correlates of cyberbullying and traditional bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53(1), S13–S20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.09.018.CrossRef

Ladd, G. W., Ettekal, I., & Kochenderfer-Ladd, B. (2017). Peer victimization trajectories from kindergarten through high school: Differential pathways for children’s school engagement and achievement? Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(6), 826–841. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000177.CrossRef

Lam, C. B., McHale, S. M., & Crouter, A. C. (2014). Time with peers from middle childhood to late adolescence: Developmental course and adjustment correlates. Child Development, 85(4), 1677–1693. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12235.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Li, L., Chen, X., & Li, H. (2020). Bullying victimization, school belonging, academic engagement and achievement in adolescents in rural China: A serial mediation model. Children and Youth Services Review, 113, 104946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104946.CrossRef

Li, Y., Agans, J. P., Chase, P. A., Arbeit, M. R., Weiner, M. B., & Lerner, R. M. (2014). School engagement and positive youth development: A relational developmental systems perspective. Teachers College Record, 116(13), 37–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811411601303.CrossRef

Li, Y., Doyle Lynch, A., Kalvin, C., Liu, J., & Lerner, R. M. (2011). Peer relationships as a context for the development of school engagement during early adolescence. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 35(4), 329–342. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025411402578.CrossRef

Little, R. J. A. (1988). A test of missing completely at random for multivariate data with missing values. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83(404), 1198–1202. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1988.10478722.CrossRef

Liu, F., Gai, X., Xu, L., Wu, X., & Wang, H. (2021). School engagement and context: A multilevel analysis of adolescents in 31 provincial-level regions in China. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 724819 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.724819.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Martínez, M., Damme, K. S., Vargas, T., Yang, B., Rompilla, D. J., Stephens, J., Qu, Y., Mittal, V. A., & Haase, C. M. (2024). Longitudinal study of peer victimization, social support, and mental health during early adolescence. Psychological Medicine, 54(9), 1940–1955. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291724000035.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Martins, J., Cunha, J., Lopes, S., Moreira, T., & Rosário, P. (2022). School engagement in elementary school: A systematic review of 35 years of research. Educational Psychology Review, 34(2), 793–849. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09642-5.CrossRef

McDougall, P., & Vaillancourt, T. (2015). Long-term adult outcomes of peer victimization in childhood and adolescence: Pathways to adjustment and maladjustment. American Psychologist, 70(4), 300–310. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039174.CrossRefPubMed

Mendoza, N. B., & King, R. B. (2020). The social contagion of student engagement in school. School Psychology International, 41(5), 454–474. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034320946803.CrossRef

Moore, S. E., Norman, R. E., Suetani, S., Thomas, H. J., Sly, P. D., & Scott, J. G. (2017). Consequences of bullying victimization in childhood and adolescence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World Journal of Psychiatry, 7(1), 60–76. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v7.i1.60.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2012). Mplus user’s guide. (7th ed.). Muthén & Muthén.

Nakamoto, J., & Schwartz, D. (2011). The association between peer victimization and functioning at school among urban Latino children. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 32(3), 89–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2011.02.003.CrossRef

Pan, B., Li, T., Ji, L., Malamut, S., Zhang, W., & Salmivalli, C. (2021). Why does classroom-level victimization moderate the association between victimization and depressive Symptoms? The “healthy context paradox” and two explanations. Child Development, 92(5), 1836–1854. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13624.CrossRefPubMed

Perkins, H. W., Craig, D. W., & Perkins, J. M. (2011). Using social norms to reduce bullying: A research intervention among adolescents in five middle schools. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 14(5), 703–722. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430210398004.CrossRef

Polanco, C., Paskewich, B. S., Leff, S. S., & Waasdorp, T. E. (2023). Relational peer victimization as a predictor of academic engagement. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32(7), 1882–1894. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02470-3.CrossRefPubMed

Pouwels, J. L., Souren, P. M., Lansu, T. A. M., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2016). Stability of peer victimization: A meta-analysis of longitudinal research. Developmental Review, 40, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2016.01.001.CrossRef

Reuland, M. M., & Mikami, A. Y. (2014). Classroom victimization: Consequences for social and academic adjustment in elementary school. Psychology in the Schools, 51(6), 591–607. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21770.CrossRef

Salmon, S., Turner, S., Taillieu, T., Fortier, J., & Afifi, T. O. (2018). Bullying victimization experiences among middle and high school adolescents: Traditional bullying, discriminatory harassment, and cybervictimization. Journal of Adolescence, 63(1), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.12.005.CrossRefPubMed

Samara, M., Da Silva Nascimento, B., El-Asam, A., Hammuda, S., & Khattab, N. (2021). How can bullying victimisation lead to lower academic achievement? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the mediating role of cognitive-motivational factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(5), 2209. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052209.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Schacter, H. L., & Juvonen, J. (2019). Dynamic changes in peer victimization and adjustment across middle school: Does friends’ victimization alleviate distress? Child Development, 90(5), 1738–1753. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13038.CrossRefPubMed

Scholte, R. H. J., Burk, W. J., & Overbeek, G. (2013). Divergence in self- and peer-reported victimization and its association to concurrent and prospective adjustment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(12), 1789–1800. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9896-y.CrossRefPubMed

Schwartz, D., Tom, S. R., Chang, L., Xu, Y., Duong, M. T., & Kelly, B. M. (2010). Popularity and acceptance as distinct dimensions of social standing for Chinese children in Hong Kong. Social Development, 19(4), 681–697. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2009.00558.x.CrossRef

Shi, Q., & Leuwerke, W. C. (2010). Examination of Chinese homeroom teachers’ performance of professional school counselors’ activities. Asia Pacific Education Review, 11(4), 515–523. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-010-9099-8.CrossRef

Smith, P. K (2009). Bullying in primary and secondary schools: Psychological and organizational comparisons. Handbook of bullying in schools (pp. 137–150). Routledge, New York.

Sullivan, K., Zhu, Q., Wang, C., & Boyanton, D. (2021). Relations among peer victimization, aggression, and school climate among elementary school students in China. School Psychology Review, 53(6), 690–702. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2021.1898290.CrossRef

Tan, J. B., & Yates, S. (2011). Academic expectations as sources of stress in Asian students. Social Psychology of Education, 14(3), 389–407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-010-9146-7.CrossRef

Troop-Gordon, W., & Ladd, G. W. (2015). Teachers’ victimization-related beliefs and strategies: Associations with students’ aggressive behavior and peer victimization. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-013-9840-y.CrossRefPubMed

Varela, J. J., Muñoz, G. J., Reschly, A., & Melipillán, R. (2022). Bullying behavior and school bonding for predicting student engagement among Chilean adolescents. Journal of School Violence, 21(3), 327–341. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2022.2098501.CrossRef

Wang, C., La Salle, T., Wu, C., Do, K. A., & Sullivan, K. E. (2018). School climate and parental involvement buffer the risk of peer victimization on suicidal thoughts and behaviors among Asian American middle school students. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 9(4), 296–307. https://doi.org/10.1037/aap0000138.CrossRef

Wang, C., Li, B., Zhang, L., Liu, Y., & Xu, P. (2022). Prosocial behavior and teachers’ attitudes towards bullying on peer victimization among middle school students: Examining the cross-level moderating effect of classroom climate. School Psychology Review, 53(5), 579–592. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2021.2009313.CrossRef

Wei, X., & Li, Q. (2013). The Confucian value of harmony and its influence on Chinese social interaction. Cross-Cultural Communication, 9(1), 60–66. https://doi.org/10.3968/j.ccc.1923670020130901.12018.CrossRef

Wei, Y., Ren, P., Qin, X., Zhang, Y., Luo, F., & Chen, C. (2023). Adolescent peer victimization and deliberate self-harm: A three-wave moderated mediation model. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(1-2), 565–587. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221082740.CrossRef

Williford, A., Fite, P., Diaz, K., & Singh, M. (2020). Associations between different forms of peer victimization and school absences: The moderating role of teacher attachment and perceived school safety. Psychology in the Schools, 58(1), 185–202. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22438.CrossRef

Wu, F., Jiang, Y., Liu, D., Konorova, E., & Yang, X. (2022). The role of perceived teacher and peer relationships in adolescent students’ academic motivation and educational outcomes. Educational Psychology, 42(4), 439–458. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2022.2042488.CrossRef

Xie, Z., Man, W., Liu, C., & Fu, X. (2023). A PRISMA-based systematic review of measurements for school bullying. Adolescent Research Review, 8(2), 219–259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-022-00194-5.CrossRef

Xiong, Y., Wang, Y., Wang, Q., Wang, H., & Ren, P. (2022). Can lower levels of classroom victimization be harmful? Healthy context paradox among Chinese adolescents. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(3-4), 2464–2484. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221102482.CrossRefPubMed

Yang, C., Sharkey, J. D., Reed, L. A., Chen, C., & Dowdy, E. (2018). Bullying victimization and student engagement in elementary, middle, and high schools: Moderating role of school climate. School Psychology Quarterly, 33(1), 54–64. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000250.CrossRefPubMed

Yun, H.-Y., & Juvonen, J. (2020). Navigating the healthy context paradox: Identifying classroom characteristics that improve the psychological adjustment of bullying victims. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(11), 2203–2213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01300-3.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Zhang, W. (2002). Prevalence and major characteristics of bullying/victimization among primary and junior middle school children. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 34(4), 57–64.

Zhao, Q., & Li, C. (2022a). The roles of clique status hierarchy and aggression norms in victimized adolescents’ aggressive behavior. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(12), 2328–2339. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01677-3.CrossRefPubMed

Zhao, Q., & Li, C. (2022b). Victimized adolescents’ aggression in cliques with different victimization norms: The healthy context paradox or the peer contagion hypothesis? Journal of School Psychology, 92, 66–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2022.03.001.CrossRefPubMed

Zhao, S., Chen, L., King, R. B., Nie, Y., Du, H., & Chi, P. (2021). When adolescents believe that SES can be changed, they achieve more: The role of growth mindset of SES. Personality and Individual Differences, 183, 111104 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111104.CrossRef

Zhong, J., Wang, A., Qian, M., Zhang, L., Gao, J., Yang, J., Li, B., & Chen, P. (2008). Shame, personality, and social anxiety symptoms in Chinese and American nonclinical samples: A cross-cultural study. Depression and Anxiety, 25(5), 449–460. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20358.CrossRefPubMed

Zhou, J., Wang, L. A., Zhu, D., & Gong, X. (2024). Social anxiety and peer victimization and aggression: Examining reciprocal trait-state effects among early adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 53(3), 701–717. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01920-5.CrossRefPubMed

Zhou, N., Lam, S.-F., & Chan, K. C. (2012). The Chinese classroom paradox: A cross-cultural comparison of teacher controlling behaviors. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(4), 1162–1174. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027609.CrossRef

Titel: Peer Victimization and School Engagement among Chinese Adolescents: Does Classroom-Level Victimization Matter?
Auteurs: Zhi Ye
Kehui Wu
Li Niu
Yan Li
Zhengge Chen
Lihua Chen
Shan Zhao
Publicatiedatum: 29-01-2025
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Youth and Adolescence
Print ISSN: 0047-2891
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-6601
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-025-02150-7

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Welkom bij THIM Hogeschool voor Fysiotherapie & Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Registreer

Login

Peer Victimization and School Engagement among Chinese Adolescents: Does Classroom-Level Victimization Matter?

Abstract

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Welkom bij THIM Hogeschool voor Fysiotherapie & Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Registreer

Login

Deel dit onderdeel of sectie (kopieer de link)

Abstract

Log in om toegang te krijgen