Positive Teacher-Student Relationships Lead to Less Cyberbullying Perpetration: A Within-Person Perspective
Ling Gao1, Xuan Li1, Xiani Wu2
1School of Educational Science, Shanxi University, No. 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan, 030006, China.
Journal of Youth and Adolescence
|December 26, 2024
Summary
Positive teacher-student relationships can reduce cyberbullying perpetration among adolescents. This longitudinal study found that improvements in relationships predicted fewer cyberbullying incidents over time.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Education
- Criminology
Background:
- Adolescence is a critical period for externalizing behaviors, including cyberbullying.
- Teacher-student relationships evolve during adolescence and may influence behavior.
- Previous research suggests bidirectional links between relationships and cyberbullying, but within-person dynamics are understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the longitudinal, within-person influence of teacher-student relationships on cyberbullying perpetration.
- To examine whether teacher-student relationships predict cyberbullying perpetration over time.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study with 2,407 Chinese adolescents across three time points (one-year intervals).
- Utilized the random-intercept cross-lagged model to analyze within-person and between-person effects.
- Assessed teacher-student relationships and cyberbullying perpetration.
Main Results:
- Teacher-student relationships significantly predicted cyberbullying perpetration at the within-person level.
- The association between relationships and cyberbullying was stable within individuals over time.
- Self-esteem predicted cyberbullying at the between-person level, but not within-person.
Conclusions:
- Adolescents experiencing better teacher-student relationships relative to their own baseline tend to exhibit lower cyberbullying perpetration.
- Improving teacher-student relationships may be a viable strategy to mitigate adolescent cyberbullying.
- Low self-esteem was not identified as a within-person risk factor for cyberbullying in this study.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:04Bullying
8.4K
A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is...
8.4K
03:00Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
5.2K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
5.2K
04:49Robbers Cave
14.2K
During the 1950s, the landmark Robbers Cave experiment demonstrated that when groups must compete with one another, intergroup conflict, hostility, and even violence may result. At the Oklahoman summer camp, two troops of boys—termed the Rattlers and the Eagles—took part in a week-long tournament. During this time, their negativity culminated in derogatory name-calling, fistfights, and even vandalism and destruction of property. However, this work also revealed that such tension...
14.2K
01:23Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
43
Adolescence is a pivotal period of identity formation, during which individuals begin to answer questions central to their sense of self, such as "Who am I?" and "Who do I hope to become?" Both parents and peers play critical roles in guiding adolescents through this complex developmental phase.
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
43
02:09Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
37.5K
When we hold a stereotype about a person, we have expectations that he or she will fulfill that stereotype. A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation held by a person that alters his or her behavior in a way that tends to make it true. When we hold stereotypes about a person, we tend to treat the person according to our expectations. This treatment can influence the person to act according to our stereotypic expectations, thus confirming our stereotypic beliefs. Research by Rosenthal and...
37.5K
01:27Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
30
Adolescents from ethnic minority backgrounds face a multifaceted journey in forming their identities, shaped by the intersections of cultural expectations and personal exploration. For these adolescents, identity formation involves not only typical developmental challenges but also navigating the perceptions and attitudes of the majority culture. As they grow, adolescents in ethnic minority groups often become increasingly aware of stereotypes, social biases, and discrimination, all of which...
30