Bullying Victimization and School Outcomes of U.S. Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Extracurricular Activities

Background

Bullying is a concern for students and school officials, as it has been found that schools are not always safe havens for learning but institutions where many students are worried about being harassed or victimized by their peers. As empirical evidence suggests, persistently victimized students are inclined to do poorly in school relative to those who are not bullied. Also, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey estimates show that 18.5%-20% of bullied students reported skipping classes. Furthermore, a strong association between bullying victimization and subsequent violent behavior, such as fighting, has been reported in research.

Studies investigating the role of extracurricular activities in child and adolescent development have grown, and studies consistently reported the positive outcomes of participating in extracurricular activities. However, research on the relationship between participating in extracurricular activities and bullying continues to be limited. The current study explores the moderating role of extracurricular activities in the association between bullying victimization and negative school behaviors, including skipping classes, receiving lower grades, and fighting at school. The study hypothesizes that bullying victimization will be positively associated with these negative behaviors. The study also hypothesizes that participating in extracurricular activities will be a protective buffer in the positive association between bullying victimization and these negative behaviors.

Method

Data were derived from the 2017 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. The study participants consisted of 6,199 adolescents (ages 12-18) of which 50.60% were male, 77% were White, and 31.47% had an income of $50,000-$99,000. Variables include bullying victimization, skipping classes, grades, fighting at school, participating in extracurricular activities, age, gender, race, and household income. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, linear and binary logistic regression analyses for different types of dependent variables, and simple slope analyses. Regression analyses were conducted after controlling for age, gender, race, and household income.

Results

The study found that bullying victimization was positively associated with lower grades. Bullying victimization was also positively associated with participation in extracurricular activities. Bullying victimization and participating in extracurricular activities had main effects on grades. Bullying victimization was positively related to skipping classes. Bullying victimization was not significantly associated with fighting in school. Youth who participate in extracurricular activities are less likely to receive lower grades.

Conclusions/Implications

The findings from the current study point to the potentiality of a buffering role of participating in extracurricular activities in the association between bullying victimization and lower grades. The findings have implications for future research, which suggests a longitudinal research design with multi-informants (e.g., parents, peers, and teachers). The findings also have implications for school-based practice. School officials are advised to work closely with teachers to refine the existing extracurricular activities so that they are carefully monitored and more inclusive. School practitioners (e.g., social workers and counselors) might also consider involving victims of bullying in extracurricular activities that could help them in developing social skills.