Gender-specific or Common Classroom Norms? Examining the Contextual Moderators of the Risk for Victimization

We tested whether gender-specific vs. common classroom norms were more powerful moderators of the association between a risk factor (rejection) and peer victimization among girls and boys. The participants were 1220 elementary schoolchildren from grades 4-6 (with 10-13 years of age). We compared different multilevel models including combined vs. separate regressions for boys and girls, as well as the effects of norms of the whole class, same-sex classmates, and cross-sex classmates. Among girls, the association between rejection and victimization was strongest in classes where bullying behavior was common, and anti-bullying attitudes were rare among girls. Among boys, the strength of the slope of victimization on rejection could not be explained by either common or gender-specific classroom norms, but boys' level of bullying behavior was related to overall classroom level of victimization. The findings suggest that contextual factors may contribute to victimization especially among high-risk girls. The importance of exploring multiple levels of influence on children's social development is discussed.