PEER NETWORKS AND BULLYING IN SCHOOLS

This study looked at how the social constellations in school classes r elate to bullying problems. Using peer-evaluation questionnaires, the peer networks of children with different participant roles (such as vi ctim, bully, assistant of bully, reinforcer of bully, defender of vict im, outsider) were explored. The subjects were 459 sixth-grade-childre n (218 girls, 241 boys), aged 11 to 12 years, in Finland. The main fin dings were: 1) Children who tended to behave in either similar or comp lementary participant roles in situations of bullying formed networks with each other. The individual child's behavior in bullying situation s was strongly connected to how the members of his/her network behaved in such situations. 2) Bullies, assistants, and reinforcers belonged to larger networks than did defenders, outsiders and victims. 3) Child ren outside the networks were most often victims. It was concluded tha t behavior in bullying situations can be said to be one feature around which the peer networks in school classes are organized. Thus prevent ion, as well as intervention strategies against bullying should focus not only on individual children, but also on the wider social context of the class.