Measuring students’ attitudes toward bullying

Graduation Date

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, Psychology: Academic Research, 2014

Committee Chair Name

William Reynolds

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Contrasted-groups, Scale development, Bullying, Middle school students, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Psychology

Abstract

Bullying has received considerable attention in the literature. Research suggests that factors related to bullying are complex. One area that researchers have investigated is that of attitudes toward bullying; of interest is the extent to which attitudes may influence or relate to actual bullying behavior. While there is an abundance of research on attitudes toward bullying as being linked to bullying behavior, the research reveals a need for a scale that, through comprehensive psychometric evaluation, demonstrates evidence of both reliability and validity. This study describes the development and psychometric examination of the Bully Attitude Scale, a measure that assesses the attitudes of middle school students toward bullying. This research was carried out with 418 middle school-age students in Northern California. The scale was developed based on a specific definition of attitudes toward bullying; the definition originates from attitude-based research and relates to children's evaluations of bullying behavior. Results reveal a 19-item scale with evidence of internal consistency reliability (α = .80). Results also demonstrate evidence of both discriminant validity, based on the low correlation between scores on the Bully Attitude Scale and scores on a scale used to measure attitudes toward physical education, as well as contrasted-groups validity, based on the difference in scores between individuals identified as bullies and those identified as victims. The lack of evidence for other forms of validity, such as criterion-related and convergent validity, illustrates the challenges in measuring this and similar constructs. Because the effects of bullying can be harmful to those involved, the use of psychometrically sound instruments in this area of research is crucial. With further refinement and analysis, this scale may be of use to others interested in this area of bullying research.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/gq67jt538

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