Utilizing the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Examine the Cognitive and Social Determinants of Behavioural Responses to Bully/Victim Problems in Middle and Secondary School Students

Abstract

Researchers have found that youths react in a variety of ways when faced with a bullying incident in their schools (Kochenderfer-Ladd, 2004). Despite being aware of the negative consequences of being victimized and holding generally negative attitudes towards bullying, youths tend to show reluctance to seek help from an adult or to intervene in defense of their victimized peer (Hawkins, Pepler, & Craig, 2001; Newman, Murray, & Lussier, 2001). Given the importance of the aforementioned behaviours in reducing bullying in schools, two studies were designed to examine the determinants of victim help seeking and bystander intervening behaviours in young people using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB: Ajzen, 1991). In Study 1, I examined the full TPB model using short-term longitudinal data collected from a sample of 609 secondary school students. To further examine the utility of the TPB model and to determine the impact of school climate on the model, in Study 2 I examined cross-sectional data collected from 113 middle school students. In Study 1, multiple regression analyses and path analyses indicated that the TPB model significantly predicted student’s intentions to intervene on behalf a bullied peer and their actual self-reported intervention behaviour. The results for help seeking intentions and behaviours were mixed, with the TPB variables significantly predicting victim help seeking intentions but not self-reported behaviour. In Study 2, the TPB model significantly predicted both help seeking and intervention intentions. Additionally, the TPB variables of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control significantly mediated the relationship between school climate and victim help seeking and bystander intervention intentions. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for methodology, theory, and policy.