Contrary to teachers’ and students’ perceptions, bullying may not be any more commonplace in larger high schools than it is in smaller ones, a study suggests.
Researchers at the University of Virginia gathered data from nearly 10,000 students and teachers in 200 Virginia high schools. They found that, while teachers and students in larger schools perceived bullying and teasing to be frequent occurrences on their campuses, the data showed otherwise. Researchers found no correlations between school size and the rate at which students said that they themselves had been victimized by peers. Also, the rate—but not the overall number—of reported bullying incidents was lower in larger schools than in smaller ones.
The study was published last month in the Journal of Educational Psychology.
