Abstract:

Bullying is a much more widespread phenomenon in our classrooms than the public opinion perceives. One in four students is a victim of aggression (on one or more occasions) during their school life and 12% are victims of cyberbullying in Europe, according to UNESCO. Likewise, in Spain, during 2021, the ANAR Foundation reported that 15.4% of students reported cases of bullying among their peers and 24% of students claimed to have witnessed bullying of their peers on social networks.

One of the most frequently mentioned effects, although little explored, is the impact of bullying on educational performance. Its study is very relevant, given the direct relationship between low academic performance and phenomena such as truancy, school failure and early school leaving, among others. The document presented here analyses the prevalence of this phenomenon in Spanish secondary school classrooms and its effects on students’ educational performance. Through the analysis of PISA test data, it is estimated that bullying has a negative impact on all the skills assessed (Mathematics, Science and Reading Comprehension) and that this negative effect would be equivalent to the loss of 3-5 months of formal education for victimised students compared to their non-victimised peers. This represents between 30% and 50% less education in the school year compared to their peers.

Reference:

Rusteholz, G.; Mediavilla, M. (2022): “El impacto del acoso escolar en el rendimiento académico en España”. Fundación Alternativas.