Improvement of the Measurement of Bullying in Schools

This dissertation is comprised of three manuscripts and presents a line of research aimed at improving the measurement of bullying in schools. The first manuscript investigated the impact of an educational video on selfreports of bullying. A sample of 1,283 middle school students in randomly assigned classrooms either watched or did not watch an educational video about bullying prior to completing a self-report bullying survey. Students who watched the video reported 32 0.000000e+00ss social bullying victimization and boys who watched the video reported 54 0.000000e+00ss physical bullying victimization and 68 0.000000e+00ss physical bullying of others. These results indicate that self-report surveys could yield inflated estimates of the prevalence of bullying if students are not adequately educated about the distinction between bullying and other forms of peer conflict. The second manuscript examined the use of validity screening items on longitudinal adolescent survey data. This longitudinal study examined the response patterns of 382 students who completed self-report surveys each fall and spring for three years of middle school (grades 6-8). Approximately 100f students in each wave indicated on validity screening questions that they were either not telling the truth or paying attention. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses found that invalid responding students were more likely to be referred for disciplinary infractions, made poorer grades, and performed less well on standardized tests than other students. This study provides new information about student survey validity and appears to be the first to identify characteristics of students who generate invalid response patterns. iii The third manuscript examined the longitudinal stability and cumulative impact of bullying victimization through both peerand self-report measures. Using the same sample as the second study, this study assessed victimization experiences in the fall and the spring of grades 6, 7, and 8. Students who had higher levels of victimization throughout middle school were more likely to be referred for disciplinary infractions, make poorer grades, perform less well on standardized tests, engage in more risk behaviors, and have less favorable perceptions of school climate. This study provides new information about the cumulative impact of peerand self-reported bullying across middle school. iv DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my fiancé and best friend, Sage. I could not have done this without you.

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