Bullying behavior among primary school children: an examination of the underlying risks within contemporary educational settings

Belyaeva O.

doi:10.14529/jpps240307

O. A. Belyaeva Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University named after K.D. Ushinsky (108/1 Respublikanskaya str., Yaroslavl, 150000, Russia) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1524-0803 olga-alekseevna@mail.ru

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14529/jpps240307

Keywords: educational environment, primary school student, destructive behavior, bullying, bullying structure, bullying strategy

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the study of potential antecedents leading to the emergence of destructive behaviors among students, particularly those related to bullying within primary school settings, cannot be overstated. This urgency stems from the necessity of ensuring children’s rights and freedoms and providing psychological safety in educational settings. Aims: the objective of this study is to identify the nuances of bullying as a form of destructive relationship between primary school children. Materials and methods: a diagnostic approach was employed with the participation of 18 primary classrooms in Yaroslavl and the Yaroslavl region. The sample comprised over 400 participants, primarily from grades 3 and 4. The main diagnostic tool was the methodology developed by E.G. Norkina, designed to ascertain the bullying structure and the presence of peer-to-peer or teacher aggression, along with identifying the roles of individuals within bullying scenarios. Data analysis took into consideration factors such as sex and academic performance, correlated against classroom teachers’ assessments. Results. Findings indicate that the first manifestations of aggressive and bullying behaviors trace to primary school settings. Primary school students exhibit all the roles characteristic of a bullying system and demonstrate certain bullying strategies. Furthermore, bullying strategies depend on the child's sex and academic performance. Conclusion. The presence of potential antecedents leading to the emergence of destructive behaviors can jeopardize primary school environments. Classroom settings at the end of primary education contain all the elements of the bullying structure with respect to classical understandings of bullying dynamics. The results of the study open up prospects for corrective and developmental initiatives aimed at enhancing the psychological safety of educational settings through the implementation of preventive in-class measures.

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Author Biography

O. A. Belyaeva , Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University named after K.D. Ushinsky (108/1 Respublikanskaya str., Yaroslavl, 150000, Russia)

Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Primary Education

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