The effect of primary school pupils’ help-seeking toward teachers and friends on their perception of being victim to bullying

Abstract

The effect of primary school pupils’ help-seeking toward teachers and friends on their perception of being victim to bullying was examined. Fourth to sixth-grade pupils were asked to complete a set of questionnaires consisting of the Perceived Bullying Victimization Scale, School Morale Scale, Social Skills Scale, and Help-Seeking Preferences Scale Toward Teachers and Friends. Responses were collected from 716 students. Structural equation modeling suggested that: (1) social skills positively affected school morale regarding peer relationship, academic work, and classroom participation; (2) school morale was positively related to help-seeking preferences towards friends and teachers; (3) help-seeking preference toward friends was negatively related to perceived bullying victimization in both boys and girls; (4) boys’ help-seeking from teachers was not significantly related to perceived bullying victimization, whereas girls’ help-seeking from teachers had a weak, but significant relationship with perceived bullying victimization. These results suggest that efforts toward changing pupils’ attitudes about asking friends for help might be effective in reducing perceived bullying victimization of primary school pupils.