Relational Aggression Girls’ Relational Aggression in New Zealand Secondary School Classrooms
Jun 23, 2015
Relational Aggression
Girls’ Relational Aggression in New Zealand Secondary School Classrooms
Relational Aggression
Intent
Crick and Grotpeter (1995)
Relational Aggression
Relational Aggression
Spreading rumours
Bumping into someone on
purpose
Alliance-building
Socially isolating
Hostile body language (rolling eyes, smirking)
Ignoring, excluding
Making fun of another's
appearance
Cyber bullying
Secret-divulging
Attacks on sexual reputation
The Silent Treatment
Relational Aggression
Why?
Teachers have a direct impact on their classes
Kuppens, Grietens, Onghena, Michiels, & Subramanian (2008)Jennings and Greenberg (2009)
Relational Aggression
What is going on?
Relational Aggression
Aggressor/ Leader
Bystander/s
Bystander/s/Followers
Victim/wannabe
Victim
Adler and Adler (1995)Crick and Grotpeter (1995)
Wiseman(2002)
Relational Aggression
THREE KEY THEORIES OF THE CURRENT THESIS
1. Socio-cultural theory/Social Dominance
Theory
Adler and Adler (1995)Wiseman (2002)
Pronk and Zimmer-Gembeck (2010)
Relational Aggression
“Sugar and Spice
But Not Always Nice”
Letendre (2007)
1. Socio-cultural theory/Social Dominance Theory
2. Developmental TheoryCrothers (2007)
Yoon (2004)Crick and Grotpeter (1995)
3. Social Cognitive Theory
Bandura (2002)Goldstein and Tisak, 2004)
Relational Aggression
And who is this girl?
Relational Aggressor Scale
CovertPopularHigh statusQueen BeeHighly feminine
Gang GirlMore overtLess “feminine”Outside of mainstream culture
Socially competentNo empathy
Status in group
Relational Aggression
Queen Bee
Low self-esteem/Low confidence
Relational Aggression
What are the differences in teacher perceptions of relational
aggression in the classroom compared to student
perceptions?
Girls will be girls...
No point in telling anyone...
Is she going to do anything?
Not in my classroom...
Relational Aggression
What actions taken by teachers effectively address
relational aggression in the classroom?
?
Relational Aggression
What actions taken by teachers effectively address
relational aggression in the classroom?
And students agree with?
Relational Aggression
Method
Survey Interview Analyse data
Relational Aggression
Method
Te Aroha and Joanne were good friends and had been in the same netball team for two years at school. On her way into class, Te Aroha bumped into Joanne who was...................Te Aroha spread a rumour that Joanne had cheated on her......
How ok?How aggressive?How hurtful?How upset?How distressed?
Basow, Cahill, Phelan, Longshore, & McGillicuddy-DeLisi (2007)
Relational Aggression
Results: Vignettes
Relational aggression was more “distressing” than physical aggression.
Relational aggression was more “ok” than physical aggression
Results: Vignettes
Year 9 students were more tolerant of the physical aggression vignettesthan the Year 10 students
Physical aggression vignettes were perceived by Year 9’s to be less “aggressive” and less “hurtful” than Year 10’s perceive.
Relational Aggression
Results: Self and Others
Questionnaire
There were significant differences between students attributing acts of relational aggression to others, in comparison to themselves.
Relational Aggression
Results: Self and Others
Questionnaire
96.5% Self Over 99% Others
How many girls are affected overall?
Results: Interviews
In class: texting, passing messages, calling out, whispering, spreading rumours (mostly attacks on sexual reputation), blocking others out of group-work, pushing, throwing things, giving looks, laughing with friend at another.
Text bullying perceived differently by students and teachers.
Girls felt safe against cyber bullying at school.
Results: Interviews
Students don’t think teachers see much of it, but when they do, want teachers to do something about it, Teachers agree!
Restorative Justice/Chat beneficial
Good relationships a key, teachers sometimes need to recognise that they are stand-in parents
Extra vigilance required to support victim and halt behaviours of aggressor can help to break down cycle.
Relational Aggression
The Last Word
"The two women exchanged the kind of
glance women use when no knife is handy." Ellery
Queen
Boys will be boys. And even that wouldn't matter if only we could prevent girls from being girls.
Anne Frank