Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The relationship between teacher support and bullying in schools: the mediating role of emotional self-efficacy

  • Published:
Current Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

A Correction to this article was published on 25 April 2023

This article has been updated

Abstract

Based on micro-ecology theory,teachers’ support or caregiving which provides students with optimal strategies is the most important factor in decreasing instances of bullying. To address the effect of teacher support on the reduction of campus bullying, this study considered the emotional self-efficacy (ESE) of students as a mediator in relation to teachers’ support and being bullied from students’ perspectives. Data were collected from 447 elementary school students located in Northern Fujian, China. Confirmatory factor analysis was first applied, and then structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed in order to verify the research hypotheses. The SEM results confirmed the mediational model in which ESE acted as a mediator in the relationships between teacher support (instrumental and emotional support) and three types of perceived bullying (physical, verbal, and relational bullying).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to [REASON(S) WHY DATA ARE NOT PUBLIC] but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Change history

References

  • Ahmed, W., Minnaert, A., van der Werf, G., & Kuyper, H. (2010). Perceived social support and early adolescents’ achievement: The mediational roles of motivational beliefs and emotions. Journal of Youth Adolescents, 39, 36–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9367-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arslan, G., Allen, K, A., & Tanhan, A. (2021). School bullying, mental health, and wellbeing in adolescents: Mediating impact of positive psychological orientations. Child Indicators Research, 14, 1007–1026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-020-09780-2

  • Awang, P. (2015). SEM made simple: A gentle approach to learning Structural Equation Modeling. MPWS Rich Publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Freeman.

  • Bauman, S. A., Suljowski, M. L., & Yoon, J. (2016). Teachers’ responses to bullying incidents: Effects of teacher characteristics and contexts. Journal of School Violence, 15, 91–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2014.963592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brenick, A. B., & Halgunseth, L. C. (2017). Brief note: Applying developmental intergroup perspectives to the social ecologies of bullying: Lessons from developmental social psychology. Journal of Adolescence, 59, 90–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.05.018

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 22(6), 723–742. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.22.6.723

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1992). Contexts of child rearing: Problems and prospects. Child and Youth Care Administrator, 5(1), 59–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bussey, K., Luo, A., Fitzpatrick, S., & Allison, K. (2020). Defending victims of cyberbullying: The role of self-efficacy and moral disengagement. Journal of School Psychology, 78, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2019.11.006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cairns, B. D., Farmer, T. W., & Xie, H. (2003). Different forms of aggression among inner-city African – American children: Gender, configurations, and school social networks. Journal of School Psychology, 41, 355–375. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4405(03)00086-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caprara, G. V., Di Giunta, L., Eisenberg, N., Gerbino, M., Pastorelli, C., & Tramontano, C. (2008). Assessing regulatory emotional self-efficacy in three countries. Psychological Assessment, 20, 227–237. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.20.3.227

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cleary, M., Visentin, D., West, S., Lopez, V., & Kornhaber, R. (2018). Promoting emotional intelligence and resilience in undergraduate nursing students: An integrative review. Nurse Education Today, 68, 112–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.05.018

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed). Erlbaum.

  • Czerkawski, B. C., & Lyman, E. W. (2016). An instructional design framework for fostering student engagement in online learning environments. TechTrends, 60(6), 532–539. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-016-0110-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Droppert, K., Downey, L., Lomas, J., Bunnett, E. R., Simmons, N., Wheaton, A., Nield, C., & Stough, C. (2019). Differentiating the contributions of emotional intelligence and resilience on adolescent male scholastic performance. Personality and Individual Differences, 145, 75–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.03.023

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksen, T. L. M., Nielsen, H. S., & Simonsen, M. (2014). Bullying in elementary school. Journal of Human Resources, 49, 839–871. https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.49.4.839

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Espejo-Siles, R., Zych, I., & Llorent, V. J. (2020). Empathy, social and emotional competencies, bullying perpetration and victimization as longitudinal predictors of somatic symptoms in adolescence. Journal of Affective Disorders, 271, 145–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.071

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, A. H., & Volk, A. A. (2017). Social ecology and adolescent bullying: Filtering risky through antisocial personality. Children and Youth Services Review, 83, 85–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.10.033

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Federici, R. A., & Skaalvik, E. M. (2014). Students’ perceptions of emotional and instrumental teacher support: Relations with motivational and emotional responses. International Education Studies, 7, 21–36. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v7n1p21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodyear, V. A., & Armour, K. M. (2021). Young People’s health-related learning through social media: What do teachers need to know?Teaching and Teacher Education, 102, Article103340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103340

  • Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage.

  • Hendrickx, M. M., Mainhard, M. T., Boor-Klip, H. J., Cillessen, A. H., & Brekelmans, M. (2016). Social dynamics in the classroom: Teacher support and conflict and the peer ecology. Teaching and Teacher Education, 53, 30–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.10.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu,Y. Q.,Fang, X. Y., Liu,S.J., Lai, Z. H., Zhu, C. Y., Sun, H. L.,Fan. X. H. (2018). 农村留守儿童焦虑情绪的异质性:基于潜在剖面分析 [Heterogeneity of anxiety in rural left-behind children: Based on latent profile analysis]. Psychological Development and Education, 34(3), 93–99.

  • Huang, L. (2021). Bullying victimization, self-efficacy, fear of failure, and adolescents’ subjective well-being in China. Children and Youth Services Review, 127, Article 106084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106084

  • Islam, M. I., Khanam, R., & Kabir, E. (2020). Bullying victimization, mental disorders, suicidality and self-harm among Australian high schoolchildren: Evidence from nationwide data. Psychiatry Research, 292, 113364. https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.49.4.839

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, D. L., Gillaspy, J. A., Jr., & Purc-Stephenson, R. (2009). Reporting practices in confirmatory factor analysis: An overview and some recommendations. Psychological Methods, 14(1), 6–23. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014694

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kerber, K., & Yoon, J. S. (2003). Bullying: Elementary teachers’ attitudes and intervention strategies. Research in Education, 69, 27–35. https://doi.org/10.7227/RIE.69.3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, R. B., McInerney, D. M., & Watkins, D. A. (2012). How you think about your intelligence determines how you feel in school: The role of theories of intelligence on academic emotions. Learning and Individual Difference, 22, 814–819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2012.04.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirk, B. A., Schutte, N. S., & Hineet, D. W. (2008). Development and preliminary validation of an emotional self-efficacy scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 45, 432–436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2008.06.010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kokkinos, C. M., Antoniadou, N., & Markos, A. (2014). Cyber-bullying: An investigation of the psychological profile of university student participants. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 35, 204–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.101060

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C. H. (2011). An ecological systems approach to bullying behaviors among middle school students in the United States. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(8), 1664–1693. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260510370591

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li, L., Chen, X., & Li, H. (2020). Bullying victimization, school belonging, academic engagement and achievement in adolescents in rural China: A serial mediation model. Children and Youth Services Review, 113, Article104946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104946

  • Longobardi, C., Borello, L., Thornberg, R., & Settanni, M. (2020). Empathy and defending behaviours in school bullying: The mediating role of motivation to defend victims. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(2), 473–486. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12289

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, L., Luo, H., & Xiao, L. (2021). Perceived teacher support, self-concept, enjoyment and achievement in reading: A multilevel mediation model based on PISA 2018. Learning and Individual Differences, 85, Article101947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2020.101947

  • Mandira, M. R., & Stoltz, T. (2021). Bullying risk and protective factors among elementary school students over time: A systematic review. International Journal of Educational Research, 109, 101838. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101838

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, S. E., Norman, R. E., Suetani, S., Thomas, H. J., Sly, P. D., & Scott, J. G. (2017). Consequences of bullying victimization in childhood and adolescence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World Journal of Psychiatry, 1, 60–76. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v7.i1.60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman, A., Donohue, R., & Eva, N. (2017). Psychological safety: A systematic review of the literature. Human Resource Management Review, 27(3), 521–535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2017.01.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2019). PISA 2018 results (Volume III): What school life means for students’ lives. OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/acd78851-en

  • Samper-García, P., Malonda-Vidal, E., Llorca-Mestre, A., Muñoz-Navarro, R., & Mestre-Escrivá, V. (2021). Victimization and peer and parents attachment: The mediating effect of regulatory emotional self-efficacy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 2062. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042062

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Schunk, F., Zeh, F., & Trommsdorff, G. (2022). Cybervictimization and well-being among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating roles of emotional self-efficacy and emotion regulation. Computers in Human Behavior, 126, 107035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.107035

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Suldo, S. M., Friedrich, A. A., White, T., Farmer, J., Minch, D., & Michalowski, J. (2009). Teacher support and adolescents’ subjective well-being: A mixed-methods investigation. School Psychology Review, 38(1), 67–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2009.12087850

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swearer, S. M., Espelage, D. L., Koenig, B., Berry, B., Collins, A., & Lembeck, P. (2012). A socio-ecological model for bullying prevention and intervention in early adolescence. In S. Jimerson, A. Nickerson, M. J. Mayer, & M. J. Furlong (Eds.), Handbook of school violence and school safety: International research and practice (pp. 338–360). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tennant, J. E., Demaray, M. K., Malecki, C. K., Terry, M. N., Clary, M., & Elzinga, N. (2015). Students’ ratings of teacher support and academic and social–emotional well-being. School Psychology Quarterly, 30(4), 494–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000106

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tremblay, K., Guimond, F.-A., & Beaulieu, A. (2020). French adaptation and validation of the bullying attitude questionnaire in a sample of primary school teachers. European Review of Applied Psychology, 70, Article100604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erap.2020.100604

  • Ttofi, M. M., & Farrington, D. P. (2011). Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: A systematic and meta-analytic review. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 7, 27–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-010-9109-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO (2019). Behind the numbers: Ending school violence and bullying. UNESCO.

  • Valois, R. F., Zullig, K. J., & Revels, A. A. (2017). Aggressive and violent behavior and emotional self-efficacy: Is there a relationship for adolescents? Journal of School Health, 87, 269–277. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12493

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Verschueren, K., & Koomen, H. (2020). Dependency in teacher–child relationships: Deepening our understanding of the construct. Attachment & Human Development, 23(5), 481–489. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2020.1751986

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Volk, A. A., Camilleri, J. A., Dane, A. V., & Marini, Z. (2012). Is adolescent bullying an evolutionary adaptation? Aggressive Behavior, 38(3), 222–238. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21418

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Zhang, Y., Hui, Z., Bai, W., Terry, P. D., Ma, M., et al. (2018). The mediating effect of regulatory emotional self-efficacy on the association between self-esteem and school bullying in middle school students: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15050991

  • Wong, N., & McBride, C. (2018). Fun over conscience: Fun-seeking tendencies in cyberbullying perpetration. Computers in Human Behavior, 86, 319–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.05.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie, J.-S., Wei, Y.-M. (2018). 特拉华欺凌受害量表(学生卷)中文版再修订及初步应用 [Revision and preliminary application of the Chinese version of the Delaware Bullying Victimization Scale (Student Volume)]. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2, 259-263.

  • Yang, F., & Zhang, L. (2018). Problem behavior patterns of victims of school bullying in rural China: The role of intrapersonal and interpersonal resources. Children and Youth Services Review, 93, 315–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.08.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ying, J., You, J., & Guo, J. (2020). The protective effects of youth assets on the associations among academic stress, regulatory emotional self-efficacy, and suicidal risk: A moderated mediation model. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, Article105660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105660

  • Yoon, D., Shipe, S. L., Park, J., & Yoon, M. (2021). Bullying patterns and their associations with child maltreatment and adolescent psychosocial problems. Children and Youth Services Review, 129, Article106178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106178

  • Zhao L.L., Jiang B.J., Li K. (2020). 教师支持如何影响农村留守儿童学习适应—基于县域视角的调查研究[How teacher support affects the learning adjustment of rural left-behind children: A study based on a county perspective]. Teacher Education Research, 2, 102–109.

  • Zych, I., Ortega-Ruiz, R., & Del Rey, R. (2015). Scientific research on bullying and cyberbullying: Where have we been and where are we going. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 24, 188–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2015.05.015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zych, I., Farrington, D.P., Llorent, V.J., & Ttofi, M.M. (2017). Protecting children against bullying and its consequences. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53028-4

Download references

Funding

This research was supported by the Social Science Foundation of Fujian Province, China (FJ2021B209).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Humanities and Teacher Education, Wuyi University, Nanping, China

    Li-Hong Zeng

  2. Department of Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City, Taiwan

    Li-Hong Zeng & Yungwei Hao

  3. Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City, Taiwan

    Jon-Chao Hong

  4. The Graduate Institute of Technological & Vocational Education, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei City, Taiwan

    Jhen-Ni Ye

Authors
  1. Li-Hong Zeng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yungwei Hao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jon-Chao Hong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jhen-Ni Ye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yungwei Hao.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval

Permission to implement the study was granted by the Academic Committee of Wuyi University.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The original online version of this article was revised, Funding note has been added.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zeng, LH., Hao, Y., Hong, JC. et al. The relationship between teacher support and bullying in schools: the mediating role of emotional self-efficacy. Curr Psychol 42, 31853–31862 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-04052-4

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-04052-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation