The Mediating Role of Anti-Bullying Administrative Measures in the Relationship between Bullying and Students’ Core Competencies

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man

Research evaluates how school administrative measures, including strengthening school belonging and monitoring students’ attendance, influence students’ core competencies through students’ experience with school bullying. A multi-level mediation model analyzes middle-school data from 9,060 students and 260 administrative staff across four Chinese provinces using the 2015 PISA programme. Results show relational bullying negatively links to three competencies, while attendance focus raises competency scores and shared belonging improves math and science performance via reduced relational bullying.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

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Abstract

Introduction

The Mediating Role of Anti-Bullying Administrative Measures in the Relationship between Bullying and Students’Core Competencies I-Hua Chen, 1 Ni Xie,2 Zhi-Yuan Meng 1 1. Qufu Normal University, Qufu 273165, Shandong, China 2. Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, Guizhou, China Abstract. This research evaluates the role of school administrative measures (including creating a greater school belonging and paying attention to student attendance) as independent variables and their resulting core competencies through the mediator of students’ experience with school bullying. This study adopted a multi-level mediation model to empirically analyze data from middle school students and school administration in four Chinese provinces based on the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Data were collected from a total of 9,060 students and 260 administrative staff. The results were: (i) Relational bullying was significantly and negatively correlated with the three core competencies, although no significant impact was found for either verbal or physical bullying; (ii) Schools which were successful in creating a more positive environment, including greater school belonging and greater attention to students’ attendance, demonstrated lower levels of relational bullying; (iii) In terms of school-level variables, a greater sense of shared belonging had a direct effect on improving student performance on math and science competencies, while greater attention to students’ attendance was associated with higher student scores on all three core competencies; (iv) Furthermore, school-level variables, including the sense of shared belonging and greater attention to students’ attendance demonstrated a positive indirect effect on students’ core competencies through the mediating effect of reduced relational bullying. Best Evid Chin Edu 2020; 5(2):681-701. Doi: [10.15354/bece.20.ar050](10.15354/bece.20.ar050). How to Cite: Chen, I.H., Xie, N., Meng, Z. Y. (2020) The Mediating Role of AntiBullying Administrative Measures on the Relationship between Bullying and Students’ Core Competencies. Best Evid Chin Edu, 5(2):681-701. Keywords: Core Competencies; School Bullying; School Administration; Attendance; Sense of Belonging; Multi-Level Mediation Modeling; 2015 PISA. About the Authors: NiXie, D.Ed., School of Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, Guizhou, China. Email: [364236069@qq.com](364236069@qq.com). Zhi-Yuan Meng, Doctorate Candidate, School of Statistics, Qufu Normal University, Qufu 273165, Shandong, China. Email: 1360881683＠[qq.com](qq.com). Correspondence to: I-Hua Chen, D.Ed., Professor, Chinese Academy of Education Big Data, Qufu Normal Uni versity, Qufu 273165, Shandong, [China. Email: aholechen@gmail.com](China. Email: aholechen@gmail.com). Funding: The 2016 General Education Project of the China Social Science Fund, “College Entrance Examination and Research on Transformation and Development of General High Schools" (BHA169000). Conflict of Interests: None. Introduction GLOBALLY, educational administrators ized scores reported by the Programme (PISA) in high regard, placing a strong and policymakers hold the standardfor International Student Assessment emphasis on PISA’s measurement of core competencies, holding these scores as indicators of school success (Wu, 2013) . The emphasis of student performance on PISA, thus, reflects the role that school administrators must play in the cultivation of students’ core competencies. However, PISA not only evaluates the core competencies of 15-year-old middle school students across the globe (in terms of mathematics, reading, and science), but also collects a wide range of relevant background information, including student-and school-level factors which may influence student performance. As such, PISA data serves as a valuable source for educational researchers in empirically investigating the potential relationships betw

FAQs

What are the study’s main variables and mechanism?

School administrative measures (school belonging and attendance attention) are modeled as independent variables, influencing students’ core competencies through the mediation of students’ experience with school bullying.

Which type of bullying shows significant relationships with core competencies?

Relational bullying is significantly and negatively correlated with the three core competencies, while verbal or physical bullying shows no significant impact.

How do school-level measures affect students’ core competencies?

A stronger sense of shared belonging improves math and science competencies, greater attention to students’ attendance is associated with higher scores on all three competencies, and both also indirectly raise competencies by reducing relational bullying.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man