Peer victimization in single-grade and multigrade classrooms

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Sociology of Education
• Child Development

Background:

• Peer victimization is a significant issue in elementary schools, primarily occurring within classrooms.
• The influence of specific classroom structures, such as single-grade versus multigrade settings, on peer victimization remains under-researched.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in victim-bully relationships between single-grade and multigrade elementary school classrooms.
• To determine if age differences within multigrade classrooms affect peer victimization dynamics.
• To compare victim-bully relationships in multigrade classrooms formed for administrative versus pedagogical reasons.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 646 elementary school students (ages 8-12) participated in the study.
• Social network analysis was employed to map peer victimization patterns.
• Classroom types included single-grade, administrative multigrade, and pedagogical multigrade settings.

Main Results:

• The occurrence of victim-bully relationships was similar in single-grade and administrative multigrade classrooms.
• Pedagogical multigrade classrooms exhibited lower rates of victim-bully relationships compared to single-grade classrooms.
• No evidence suggested that age differences within classrooms influenced peer victimization.
• Cross-grade victim-bully relationships were less common than same-grade relationships in administrative multigrade classrooms.

Conclusions:

• The formation reason for multigrade classrooms (administrative vs. pedagogical) significantly impacts peer victimization rates.
• Classroom context, specifically the pedagogical approach in multigrade settings, can mitigate peer victimization.
• Findings suggest that children in administrative multigrade classrooms are not significantly better or worse off regarding victim-bully relationships compared to those in single-grade classrooms.