Examining the Link Between Academic Achievement and Adolescent Bullying: A Moderated Moderating Model

• Main Authors: Xiong Q, Shi S, Chen J, Hu Y, Zheng X, Li C, Yu Q
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2020-11-01
• Series: Psychology Research and Behavior Management
• Subjects: academic achievement; bully; social support; age cohort; self-worth
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/examining-the-link-between-academic-achievement-and-adolescent-bullyin-peer-reviewed-article-PRBM
• ISSN: 1179-1578

Qing Xiong,1 Shuping Shi,2 Jianwen Chen,3 Yiqiu Hu,4 Xintong Zheng,3 Congcong Li,5 Quanlei Yu5– 7 1Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2RDFZ Chaoyang Branch School, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Graduate School of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Educational Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 5School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Hubei, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 6Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China; 7Central China Normal University Branch, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Toward Basic Education Quality, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Quanlei Yu School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, No. 152 Luoyu Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, People’s Republic of ChinaTel [phone]Email [e-mail]: Bullying is a serious problem among adolescents. Many scholars have examined school bullying in recent years; however, there are many psychological and behavioral mechanisms for bully that still remain unclear. Based on the theory of self-worth orientation, this study examined the influence of academic achievement on bullying behavior among adolescents and explored the moderating effects of perceived social support and age cohort.Methods: Participants were 3227 middle and high school students in the 7th through 12th grades in China. A self-report method was used to measure academic achievement, social support, bullying, and demographic variables.Results: Moderation analyses indicated that the relationship between academic achievement and bullying behavior was moderated by the perceived social support of adolescents and their age cohort. Specifically, social support moderated the relationship between achievement and bullying behavior positively in the middle school group but negatively in the high school group.Conclusion: The results support the hypothesis of self-worth orientation theory and indicate that bullying intervention could be enhanced by addressing the relationships between academic achievement, social support, age cohort, and bullying.Keywords: academic achievement, bully, social support, age cohort, self-worth