Abstract
This study examines how individuals’ engagement in bullying at school and at university relates to the anxiety they feel in general and in various learning situations in which students interact during their higher education. It was predicted that, of the individuals who have experiences of bullying (in the role of bully, victim, or in a dual role as bully-victim), those who have been subjected to bullying experience more anxiety than do those who have no experience with bullying. A nationally representative sample of Finnish university students (N = 5086) participated in the study by responding to survey questions assessing their experiences of (a) anxiety syndrome, (b) context-specific social anxiety, and (c) situation-specific social anxiety in university learning settings. The findings revealed that victims differed from those with no experience of bullying in that they reported more of having current diagnosis of anxiety syndrome and higher levels of context-specific social anxiety in university learning contexts. This held true for both victims of school bullying and those who were bullied at university. The particular learning situations in which victims reported significantly higher levels of social anxiety were seminars, discussions with their teacher, and taking tests and exams. Implications for educational practices at university, student health services, and future directions for research are discussed.
Highlights
Interaction is one of the salient means of learning in educational contexts such as university
We examine whether previous and current experiences of peer victimization are associated with having an anxiety syndrome and, in particular, with the social anxiety that the student experiences in university learning contexts, and if they do, which learning situations differentiate victims from others
Distribution of the sum-score used to indicate the level of context-specific social anxiety across various types of university learning situations was skewed (M = .96, SD = .53, n = 5044), revealing that context-specific social anxiety was experienced by a minority of university students
Summary
Interaction is one of the salient means of learning in educational contexts such as university. In order to learn together, students interact with each other and their teachers in various learning situations These include sharing understanding and knowledge; creating, presenting and evaluating ideas; giving and receiving feedback; negotiating and arguing; and expressing agreement and disagreement with other participants of the interaction. In many countries, such as Finland where the present study was conducted, there has been a transition from teacher-centered and content-oriented instruction to more student-centered and learning-oriented educational practices. This interaction can be seen as rewarding and supportive by some students, in some of them it might generate distress and anxiety and even feelings of being abused and bullied
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