BETWEEN BULLYING AND OTHER VIOLENCES: EXPLORING THE SCHOOL EXPERIENCES OF IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE CHILDREN AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN DUQUE DE CAXIAS (RJ)

This article explores the main challenges faced by a small group of children from Angola and from the Democratic Republic of Congo in two elementary schools in Duque de Caxias, a municipality part of the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro. The article draws from a qualitative multi-method study conducted with children and community members. The empirical material shows that most of the Angolan and Congolese participants of this study suffer different types of peer harassment in school, as bullying and peer coercion. Moreover, the participants experience a triple kind of discrimination in school, first because they are black, second because they are outsiders, and third because they have an African background. KEYWORDS: Child Research. Formal Education. Refugee and Immigrant Children. Refugee Education.

Role-Based Cyberbullying Situations: Cybervictims, Cyberaggressors and Cyberbystanders

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) has led to new risks, and among them is cyberbullying. It is important to be aware of the prevalence of cyberbullying in order to design intervention plans based on real contexts. Studies, however, vary widely in the data they report. These discrepancies may be due to differences in measurement. The main aim of our study, conducted in the Region of Murcia (Spain), was to ascertain the prevalence of cyberbullying in the three roles involved: victim, perpetrator and bystander. A descriptive, correlational and quantitative study was conducted using a “Cyberbullying: peer harassment screening”questionnaire to collect data. The representative sample comprised 950 students aged between 11 and 18 years (M = 13.93, SD = 1.35). The data showed that 72.1% of the participants had been involved in one or more cyberbullying situation (as victim, aggressor and/or bystander) in the previous year. Specifically, 49.3% had been cybervictims, 23.3% cyberaggressors and 62.3% cyberbystanders. The study provides detailed information about the prevalence of cyberbullying in the Region of Murcia and enables comparisons of the three roles involved. The data point to the need to promote active prevention and psychoeducational intervention strategies.

Disclosing or Hiding Bullying Victimization: A Grounded Theory Study From Former Victims’ Point of View

This study aimed to investigate the process of disclosing bullying victimization from the former victims’ point of view. Twenty-three individuals with prior experience of victimization at school were interviewed. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data, which generated a grounded theory of help-seeking in victimization, comprising factors and conditions that influenced the willingness to ask for help when bullied. We concentrated on disclosure barriers and facilitators in a school context to identify important factors, which comprised type of peer harassment, type and form of initial attack, perception of available support at school, and perception of peer support. In terms of the practical implications of the present study, the identification of disclosure tendencies could provide a basis for developing school policies to facilitate disclosure.

Counterpoint in the music classroom: Creating an environment of resilience with peer mentoring and LGBTQIA+ students

LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual) students face significant challenges that include peer harassment and health risks surpassing those of students who do not identify as being gay. Learning environments that include peer mentoring promote resilience and help LGBTQIA+ students gain a sense of well-being. Researchers in music education have recently begun to explore the various complexities that exist in the recognition of sexual orientation in the music classroom, yet research on how peer mentoring assists LGBTQIA+ students with resilience is noticeably absent. Drawing upon available educational research, the social-ecological framework of resilience served as the theoretical framework with how teachers can work with LGBTQIA+ students to become resilient through the process of peer mentoring. Five themes surfaced while conducting this review: the necessity of (a) setting the foundation for peer mentoring, (b) creating safe spaces, (c) encouraging socialization, (d) establishing leadership and identity, and (e) acknowledging intersectionality. Peer mentoring contributes to student well-being and positive sexual identity for LGBTQIA+ students. Salient concepts found in the literature can aid LGBTQIA+ students in the music classroom and inform future research in music education by portraying ways music teachers can use peer mentoring to create an environment of resilience for LGBTQIA+ students.

Personality Traits and Aggression as Explanatory Variables of Cyberbullying in Spanish Preadolescents

There is a growing interest in preventing cyberbullying in youth. However, multiple questions remain as to the relationship between cyberbullying and psychosocial variables. This study examines the relationship between personality traits, aggression and cyberbullying (victims, bullies, victimized bullies and not involved) in 548 Spanish students aged 10 to 13 (50.2% boys). To do so, the Screening of Peer Harassment, the Big Five Questionnaire for Children and the Aggression Questionnaire were used. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the extraversion trait is an explanatory factor for being a victim and openness is a protective factor against being a cyberbully. Agreeableness was found to be a positive predictor of being a cyberbullying victim. Only verbal aggression and anger were included as explanatory factors of being a victim and a victimized bully, respectively. The results are discussed, suggesting their potential implications in the development of preventive programs.

Relationship between Emotional Intelligence, Social Skills and Peer Harassment. A Study with High School Students

The objective of this study was to analyse the relationship between emotional intelligence and social skills, and how these two variables influence bullying. In this study, 912 Spanish high school students, 471 boys and 441 girls aged 14–16 years, participated, who were administered the Spanish version of the Trait Meta Mood Scale 24, the “Bateria de socialización BAS-3” and the Peer Harassment Questionnaire. To analyse the results, a structural equation model was made. The results reflected a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and social skills (B = 0.44, p < 0.001), and a negative relationship with respect to bullying (B = −0.56, p < 0.001). In turn, social skills reflected a negative relationship with respect to bullying (B = −0.38, p < 0.001). These results reflect the need to implement educational programs focused on the development of emotional intelligence in the classroom, as a means to try to stop bullying behaviours in the classroom.