Situational Context of Student Bullying Victimization and Reporting Behavior: A Conjunctive Analysis of Case Configurations

Abstract

Bullying victimization is a growing problem for students, parents, teachers, and school administrators. Despite existing scholarship on various aspects of school bullying, certain facets of this important social issue remain underexplored. Using a pooled sample of 6^th through 12^th graders (N = 16,244), the current study analyzes the situational context of school bullying victimization. Findings from a conjunctive analysis of case configurations suggest that incidents of school bullying victimization are highly contextual, with few relevant factors demonstrating a constant “main effect” across situational profiles. Analyzing the situational context of bullying provides new insight into the dynamics of bullying, which are well documented in the literature. Results are discussed in terms of their contribution to the existing research and their implications for future study and policy.

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