Bullying and sociometric positions among boys

Abstract

Peer acceptance or rejection is one of the most widely recognized determinants of bullying in school. This determinant is related to psychosocial adjustment and popularity in children and adolescents. The study aims to understand the relationships between sociometric status and bullying practice at school among boys. To do so, a qualitative research will be carried out in a school in the countryside of the state of São Paulo. All students enrolled in high school will be invited to join the research. Data will be collected using the Socio-Metric Scale proposed by Levandoski (2009). In the data collection instrument, students indicate how they see themselves and their classmates. It is noteworthy that the scientific literature indicates that this method of data collection is the most effective for mapping cases of bullying in schools. The project has already been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of PUC-Campinas. In this study the data related to boys will be particularized. Although qualitative in nature, descriptive methods and comparison between groups will be applied to achieve the research objective. The results will be discussed within the framework of positive psychology. Sociometric data can provide useful information about the dynamics of bullying in school and guide intervention strategies in the school context.