This Is AuburnElectronic Theses and Dissertations

Middle School Students' Perceptions of Bullying

Date

2009-08-03

Author

Taylor, Jonte

Type of Degree

dissertation

Department

Rehabilitation and Special Education

Abstract

The present study is an examination of bullying perceptions by rural middle school students. Three rural middle schools participated in the study which involved 138 students completing The School Bullying Survey to determine their experiences with bullying by types and the overall school climate as it relates to bullying behavior. Results from the responses on The School Bullying Survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis (MANOVA), univariate analysis (ANOVA), and post-hoc follow-up analysis. Significance was found when comparing gender and grade with dependent variable of physical bullying. The practical implications of the current study include improved assessment of bullying behavior in schools, increased awareness of bullying behavior and victimization, greater knowledge of bullying in rural school environments, consequences of bullying as in a long-term context, and better intervention strategies to combat bullying and bullies in schools.