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Cooperativeness and bully/victim problems among Australian schoolchildren
1Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, University of South Australia, Underdale, Australia.
The Journal of Social Psychology
|June 1, 1997
Summary
Low cooperativeness is linked to bullying and victimization among Australian secondary students. This study developed and validated the Cooperativeness Scale to assess this relationship in peer abuse dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Peer abuse, encompassing bullying and victimization, is a significant issue in secondary schools.
- Understanding the psychological correlates of involvement in peer abuse is crucial for developing effective interventions.
- Cooperativeness, a key social-emotional trait, has been theorized to play a role in peer interactions, including negative ones.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between self-reported cooperativeness and involvement in peer abuse (as bully or victim) among Australian secondary school students.
- To develop and validate a reliable and concurrent measure of cooperativeness for use in this age group.
- To investigate potential gender differences in cooperativeness within the school context.
Main Methods:
- Development and validation of the 18-item Cooperativeness Scale using Likert-type responses.
- Application of the scale to two diverse samples of Australian secondary students (N=176 and N=763).
- Anonymous administration of peer abuse involvement measures (bullying, victimization) to students in one sample, alongside the Cooperativeness Scale.
Main Results:
- The Cooperativeness Scale demonstrated good reliability and concurrent validity in both student samples.
- Girls consistently scored higher on cooperativeness than boys across both schools.
- Lower levels of cooperativeness were significantly associated with students involved in bullying and, to a lesser extent, with those frequently victimized by peers.
Conclusions:
- Low cooperativeness is a characteristic associated with both perpetration (bullying) and experience (victimization) of peer abuse in secondary schools.
- The findings underscore the importance of fostering cooperativeness as a potential protective factor against peer aggression and victimization.
- The validated Cooperativeness Scale provides a useful tool for future research on social-emotional factors in adolescent peer relationships and school climate.