Relations Between Students' Perceptions of School Connectedness and Peer Victimization

Abstract

This study examines the relations between student's perceptions of school connectedness and their self-reported rates of victimization (physical, verbal, and relational), as well as perceived reasons for peer victimization (ethnicity, sexuality). Data come from 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students who completed the California Healthy Kids Survey as part of an evaluation of a Safe School/Healthy Students project (N = 1,253). Multivariate analyses indicate that the main effects of both school connectedness and grade level are significant. Follow-up univariate ANOVAs reveal that school connectedness is significantly related to students' experiences of all forms of victimization and perceived reasons for victimization, whereas grade level is only related to the form of victimization experienced. Implications for research and school-based intervention are discussed.