Abstract
Previous studies have primarily used an individual differences approach to identify dispositional factors associated with bullying behavior, which often neglect the broader school context in which bullying occurs. The present study used a multilevel research design to examine the contextual influence of school normative climate on allyship, bullying, and internalized homonegativity. The study included 3020 students (M = 15.83 years, SD = 1.50) from ten secondary schools in China. The results showed that school-level gender role attitudes were positively associated with bullying perpetration among heterosexual students as well as bullying victimization and internalized homonegativity among LGBQA+ students. In addition, there was a negative association between school-level sexual prejudice and allyship among heterosexual students. The findings demonstrate the contextual influence of school normative climate and highlight the need for regular school climate assessments, so that appropriate instructions, policies, and practices can be implemented to address gender biases and homophobia and the resulting bullying behavior.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Gender Friendly Campus Association for supporting data collection.
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The research was supported by the General Research Fund of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (Project Number: 18605420).
Data Sharing and DeclarationThe datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to concerns regarding confidentiality and data protection.
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R.C.H.C. conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, participated in the interpretation of the results, and drafted the manuscript; M.S.L. performed the statistical analyses and drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Chan, R.C.H., Lam, M.S. Contextual Influence of School-Level Gender Role Attitudes and Sexual Prejudice on Allyship, Bullying, and Internalized Homonegativity. J Youth Adolescence 52, 980–995 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01731-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01731-0