At risk: Age, gender, and socio-economic status in bullying victimisation among South African primary school students

Abstract

While there is public and political consensus on the need to safeguard the physical and psychological welfare of students while at school, little is known about which South African students are at risk of exposure to bullying, or the nature and extent of bullying in primary schools. Such data is crucial in informing the development of appropriate school safety programmes. This paper uses self-reported nationally representative data from 11 891 Grade 5 students who participated in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), to first examine the extent and nature of bullying in South African primary schools nationally and by school socioeconomic status, and then to look at the risk factors associated with being a victim of bullying. The results point to significant age and gender differences, where boys and older students are more likely to be victims of bullying. The paper concludes that policymakers, teachers, and principals must take these factors into consideration when designing interventions to support safe learning environments for students in South African primary schools.