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School Violence, Diversity and Psychosocial Environment: Bullying, Cyberbullying, Discrimination and Social Exclusion

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Education and Approaches".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 26146

Special Issue Editors

Department of Psychology, Cátedra de Cooperación al Desarrollo, University of Cordoba, Avda. San Alberto Magno S/N, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: bullying; cyberbullying; social exclusion; discrimination; ethnic-cultural bullying; homophobic bullying
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Psychology, University of Cordoba, Avda. San Alberto Magno S/N, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: bullying; cyberbullying; moral disengagement; social-emotional development; disability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bullying, cyberbullying, discrimination, and social exclusion are serious problems in developing a sustainable school environment, with harmful consequences for the health of those involved. One of the challenges facing the current education system is the question of how to create diversity without generating any type of exclusion or aggression process. Only by building an inclusive education will a global and interconnected world be achieved with ethical and sustainable thinking. Articles on the generic phenomena of bullying or cyberbullying, as well as on the specific phenomena of bullying based on stigma, discrimination and/or social exclusion, are welcomed. Studies into the role of those involved, social dynamics, associated psychosocial variables, their precursor or protective factors, their effects and consequences, the evidence of the effectiveness of prevention strategies, among others, are of interest to this Special Issue.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Dr. Antonio Jesús Rodríguez-Hidalgo
Dr. Daniel Falla
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Bullying or cyberbullying
  • Stigma-based bullying
  • Discrimination in childhood or youth
  • Ethnic-cultural bullying or racism in schools
  • Homophobic or transphobic violence in education
  • Bullying around special educational needs and disabilities
  • Sexual bullying among peers
  • Social exclusion among peers
  • Sustainable school environment

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 322 KiB  
Article
Conflicts and Sustainability of Coexistence in Secondary Education: An Ethnographic Study in Spain
by Fulgencio Sánchez Vera, Javier Eloy Martínez Guirao, Anastasia Tellez Infantes and Fina Antón Hurtado
Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 11888; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132111888 - 27 Oct 2021
Viewed by 1584
Abstract
In the last two decades, school coexistence in Spain has suffered an important deterioration with consequences in the quality of working life and the health of teachers, as well as in the academic performance of students. Educational administrations have promoted actions to improve [...] Read more.
In the last two decades, school coexistence in Spain has suffered an important deterioration with consequences in the quality of working life and the health of teachers, as well as in the academic performance of students. Educational administrations have promoted actions to improve it; however, the results have not been positive. To give a more adequate answer we must know in depth the scope of the problem. The objective of this study was to analyze the most common types of conflicts, the degree of incidence of each one and how they are distributed among students, as well as to determine the most important underlying cause according to the teachers. The field work was carried out during the 2018/2019 academic year, in a Secondary School located in the south of the Valencian Community (Spain). The student population was 1040, 532 women and 508 men. The research followed a mixed, qualitative, and quantitative methodology, making use of in-depth interviews with the teaching staff, participant observation and a quantitative analysis of 1501 incidents that were reported throughout the academic year. The results show us differences by sex: 84% of the incidents are produced by male students and 16% by female students. Incident distribution is very uneven among the different courses. Of the center’s problems, 88.14% are concentrated in the first two years of Compulsory Secondary Education. It is remarkable that 51% of the problems are generated by only 3% of the students, mostly men and with a significant academic disinterest; therefore, it is a very small number of students, but with a great impact on coexistence. Full article
17 pages, 311 KiB  
Article
Sustainable School Environment as a Landscape for Secondary School Students’ Engagement in Learning
by Agne Brandisauskiene, Loreta Buksnyte-Marmiene, Jurate Cesnaviciene, Ausra Daugirdiene, Egle Kemeryte-Ivanauskiene and Rasa Nedzinskaite-Maciuniene
Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 11714; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132111714 - 23 Oct 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3293
Abstract
The sustainable school is important in today’s education system to ensure the well-being of younger generations. This research work attempted to empirically test the different predictions of a sustainable school environment for secondary school students’ engagement in learning. The following objectives were formulated: [...] Read more.
The sustainable school is important in today’s education system to ensure the well-being of younger generations. This research work attempted to empirically test the different predictions of a sustainable school environment for secondary school students’ engagement in learning. The following objectives were formulated: to analyse the differences of sustainable school environment and engagement in learning based on gender and SES background; to analyse the relationship between sustainable school environment variables and engagement in learning; and to examine how sustainable school environment variables could predict students’ emotional and behavioural engagement. The research sample consisted of students from three districts of Lithuania with a disadvantaged SES context. We assessed the sustainable school environment variables and students’ emotional and behavioural engagement in learning with the What Is Happening in this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire, a short form of the Learning Climate Questionnaire (LCQ), and the Student Engagement Scale. The results showed a statistically significant difference in behavioural engagement between boys and girls. There are no differences in sustainable school environment variables and engagement in relation to SES. Teachers’ autonomy supportive behaviour perceived by students has the strongest correlation with emotional and behavioural engagement in learning. Thus, in the Lithuanian schools surveyed, a sustainable school environment is developing. Full article
11 pages, 469 KiB  
Article
Bullying, Cyberbullying and the Overlap: What Does Age Have to Do with It?
by Rafael Pichel, Mairéad Foody, James O’Higgins Norman, Sandra Feijóo, Jesús Varela and Antonio Rial
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8527; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13158527 - 30 Jul 2021
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 7276
Abstract
School bullying and cyberbullying represent the most common forms of victimization during childhood and adolescence in many countries across the globe. Although they can be studied as distinct phenomena with their own defining characteristics, there is evidence to suggest that they are related [...] Read more.
School bullying and cyberbullying represent the most common forms of victimization during childhood and adolescence in many countries across the globe. Although they can be studied as distinct phenomena with their own defining characteristics, there is evidence to suggest that they are related and often co-occur. The present research aimed to estimate the rates of school bullying and cyberbullying, studied their evolution by age, and analyzed any possible overlap between the two. An empirical study was carried out with a large sample of children and adolescents in Galicia, Spain (N = 2083), where 10–17 year olds were presented with The European Bullying Intervention Project Questionnaire and European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire. School bullying was found to be more prevalent than cyberbullying, with 25.1% involved as victims and 14.3% as bully-victims, while the cyberbullying rates were 9.4% for victims and 5.8% for bully-victims. Perpetration rates were similar for school and cyberbullying (4.4% and 4.3% respectively). The overlap between both phenomena adds to the evidence for a whole-community approach to tackling all types of bullying and victimization experiences, as opposed to each in silo. The clear age differences in bullying behaviours also suggest the appropriateness of tailoring anti-bullying programs to target specific age groups. Full article
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15 pages, 331 KiB  
Article
Bullying and Cyberbullying in Primary School: The Impact of Gender and Student Academic Performance
by Ascensión Palomares-Ruiz, Ramón García-Perales, Antonio Cebrián-Martínez and María Inés Martín-García
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7316; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13137316 - 30 Jun 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4961
Abstract
(1) Background: This study examines school bullying and cyberbullying, which are unfortunate realities in our schools that require interdisciplinary, multidimensional educational interventions in order to enhance the quality of the educational process. (2) Methods: The study analyzes the results of the application of [...] Read more.
(1) Background: This study examines school bullying and cyberbullying, which are unfortunate realities in our schools that require interdisciplinary, multidimensional educational interventions in order to enhance the quality of the educational process. (2) Methods: The study analyzes the results of the application of the School Harassment Questionnaire (CAES) to 494 students in the sixth year of primary school, aged between 11 and 13, in the Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha. The results are presented for each dimension and item in the instrument, then analyzed by gender and student academic performance. (3) Results: The results indicated statistically significant differences in the variables examined, particularly in the variable Skills for Conflict Resolution. (4) Conclusions: The use of this instrument and results such as those in this study could enhance teachers’ awareness of the reality of their classrooms, from the school climate to the relational conflicts that may be present. This allows teachers to look into preventive action to encourage the comprehensive development of all students, with tutorial action being essential. Full article
19 pages, 826 KiB  
Article
From Conflict to Socio-Emotional Well-Being. Application of the GIAM Model through Traditional Sporting Games
by Aaron Rillo-Albert, Unai Sáez de Ocáriz, Antoni Costes and Pere Lavega-Burgués
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7263; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13137263 - 29 Jun 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2804
Abstract
The education of pleasant interpersonal relationships is one of the great challenges of modern physical education. Learning to live together sustainably is also learning to transform conflicts and the negative emotions elicited by them. The aim of this study was to determine the [...] Read more.
The education of pleasant interpersonal relationships is one of the great challenges of modern physical education. Learning to live together sustainably is also learning to transform conflicts and the negative emotions elicited by them. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the GIAM pedagogical model (of the Motor Action Research Group) through cooperation-opposition traditional sporting games with competition in the presence of motor conflicts (conflict transformation; relational well-being) and on emotional regulation (management of negative emotions; emotional well-being). Empirical research was carried out using an associative strategy (explanatory study) involving 222 secondary school students (Mage = 14.86; SD = 0.65). A seven-session pedagogical intervention was carried out based on a championship using the Marro (Prisoner’s Bar) game. The students answered two validated questionnaires of socio-emotional well-being, the Games and Emotions Scale (GES-II) and the Motor Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ), at three phases during the experience (beginning, middle, and end). The findings showed that, through the GIAM model, motor conflicts and the intensity of negative emotions were reduced. It was found that conflicts and negative emotions are part of the same phenomenon and that through an appropriate pedagogical program it is possible to turn them into experiences of socio-emotional well-being. Full article
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Review

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18 pages, 1172 KiB  
Review
What Do We Know about Bullying in Schoolchildren with Disabilities? A Systematic Review of Recent Work
by Daniel Falla, Sergio Sánchez and José A. Casas
Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 416; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13010416 - 05 Jan 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5285
Abstract
Bullying is a serious problem that particularly affects schoolchildren with disabilities. However, studies in this group have been carried out on smaller cohorts and the results obtained are, therefore, less representative and sometimes inconclusive. The purpose of this paper is to perform a [...] Read more.
Bullying is a serious problem that particularly affects schoolchildren with disabilities. However, studies in this group have been carried out on smaller cohorts and the results obtained are, therefore, less representative and sometimes inconclusive. The purpose of this paper is to perform a systematic review of the work carried out in recent years, including the analysis of several variables related to the sample, the methodology applied and the type of bullying. The guidelines set down by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement were followed in three phases. The total sample consisted of 55 children who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The results reveal that half the studies were conducted in cohorts of less than 250 schoolchildren and drew no distinctions between the different types of disabilities. Furthermore, there is no consensus regarding the methodology used, and no specialized instruments were used. Hardly any specific interventions have been performed into the type of bullying investigated, in which victimization is the predominant mode. We concluded that there is an urgent need to increase the number of studies, including a larger number of individuals and using specialized instruments, in order to obtain more solid results. Such studies will allow us to create specific prevention and intervention programs to address the bullying of schoolchildren with disabilities. Full article
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