We are pleased to announce that Dr. Teruki Sanada’s latest research paper, “Contextualizing ijime: The relationship between school bullying, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement with a focus on school position”, has been published in Contemporary Japan.
This study investigates how differences in socioeconomic status (SES) and academic performance among students influence bullying dynamics in Japanese schools. Using data from the OECD’s PISA 2018 survey, the research reveals that students with significantly higher SES or academic achievement compared to their peers within the same school are more likely to be bullied. Interestingly, the overall socioeconomic or academic profile of the school itself did not have a significant impact on individual bullying susceptibility.
The findings highlight the importance of understanding bullying not only as a social problem but also as one shaped by the relative positions of students within their immediate educational environment. This research provides a new perspective on how social and academic hierarchies within schools contribute to bullying behaviors.
Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1080/18692729.2024.2425550