An examination of peer bullying among middle school students under temporary protection in relation to various variables

In this study, the tendencies of middle school students under temporary protection to engage in bullying and to be subjected to bullying were examined in relation to various variables (gender, grade level, level of Turkish language proficiency, academic achievement, parental education levels, frequency of witnessing domestic violence, and socioeconomic status). A relational research model was employed in the study. In order to determine the sociodemographic characteristics of the students under temporary protection, they were asked to complete a personal information form. To assess the students' levels of bullying perpetration and victimization tendencies, the "Peer Bullying Identification Scale – Adolescent Form" was administered to 300 students under temporary protection receiving education in 9 different middle schools affiliated with the Batman Provincial Directorate of National Education. The data obtained from the personal information form and the survey were analyzed using the SPSS software. As a result of the study, when the mean values and distributions of the students' tendencies to be exposed to bullying and its sub-dimensions were examined, it was found that among the students under temporary protection who participated in the research, the highest mean score in terms of bullying victimization tendencies belonged to the sub-dimension of "Exclusion," followed respectively by "Verbal bullying, physical bullying, rumor-spreading, damaging belongings, and sexual bullying." In terms of bullying perpetration tendencies, the highest mean score was found in the sub-dimension of "Physical bullying," followed respectively by "Exclusion, verbal bullying, rumor-spreading, damaging belongings, and sexual bullying." Findings related to the general and sub-dimensional tendencies of bullying perpetration and victimization according to students' gender, grade level, Turkish language proficiency, academic achievement, parental education levels, frequency of witnessing domestic violence at home, and socioeconomic status were interpreted and evaluated along with comparisons to the similarities and differences with the findings of other studies on peer bullying and their underlying reasons. In general, the results of this study, in which the "Peer Bullying Identification Scale – Adolescent Form" was applied to students, are consistent with those of other studies that employed the same form. Finally, solution-oriented recommendations based on the findings and results of the study were presented.