NCJ Number
193862
Journal
Journal of School Violence Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: 2002 Pages: 11-33
Editor(s)
Edwin R. Gerler Jr.
Date Published
2002
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This part of a two-part study focused on elementary school students in Israel, examined the effects of the awareness of risky peer group behaviors on students’ experiences of school victimization. The study attempts to offer a better understanding of the relationships between peer dynamics in school and student victimization.
Abstract
Evidence showing a link between peer behaviors and victimization present a strong argument for policy makers, practitioners, and researchers to devote more attention to school-based programs reducing overall risky behavior, thereby reducing overall victimization. This study in Israel examined the effects of the awareness of risky peer group behavior, such as drug use, carrying weapons, or school vandalism on students’ experiences of school victimization in an attempt to offer such evidence. The Part I article focused only on elementary school students. In a forthcoming Part II article, the study focus will be on junior high school students. Using a self-report questionnaire, the study sample was drawn from four school districts in central and northern Israel, serving both Jewish and Arab students. Study results supported the proposition that the students’ awareness of risky peer group behaviors in school contexts was an important element in understanding students’ likelihood of being victimized. The knowledge of risky peer group behaviors on school grounds by elementary school students was a more powerful predictor of personal victimization on school grounds than the students’ gender, age, or ethnicity. The findings imply that elementary school staff’s awareness of peer group risky behaviors, and interventions to target these kinds of peer group behaviors are likely to reduce overall student victimization on school grounds. Tables and references