A Study of the Consequences of Sixth Grade Proximity to First-Grade with respect to Bullying and Aggressive Behaviors (Text in Persian)

Abstract

There seem to be no doubt that separated school buildings with regard to students’ school year is absolutely necessary; mainly because not only the law says so but also due to psychological environment of the school. Studying in safe and sound educational environments is one of the primary rights of each and every student. As a result, it is absolutely essential to examine systematic influences of today’s educational environments on students from various perspectives.
The phrase “righteous school,” which is mentioned in The Declaration of Fundamental Reform in Education in Iran, refers to a school which is safe (free from danger) both physically and psychologically. Not very long ago, a structural change was made in the educational system of Iran, that is junior high school was eliminated and the first grade of junior high school changed into the last grade of elementary school. This resulted in several problems form different perspectives in education system and in primary schools. One of the main problems with which the teachers encountered was the age of the sixth grade students. One of the authors of the current study is the principal of school with more than fifteen years of managing experience in Iran education system. He observed that after the structural change in the education system and the incorporation of the sixth grade into the elementary school, the educational environment of the school went through some changes; some students form the first and the second grade went to the principals’ office and complained about being bullied by the sixth grade students. Field observations and experiences in two years, resulted in the formation of this hypothesis that the proximity of the sixth grade students with younger students, at least with regard to bullying and aggressive behaviors, leads to negative consequences for younger students. That was the reason why the researchers decided to investigate the consequences of the incorporation of the sixth grade. For the most part, the main question of the research was this: Has the existence of sixth grade students in elementary schools in the context of the education system in Iran led to higher number of bullying and aggressive behaviors? The answer to this question is “Yes.”
The analysis of the first grade students reports indicated that they (the first graders) were more bullied by the sixth grade students rather than the fifth grade ones. Moreover, several bullying and aggressive behaviors are seen from the sixth grade students in one to sixth grade schools. By the way, the frequency of aggressive behaviors is significantly higher in boys’ schools.
The analysis also revealed that the first grade boys and girls along with the sixth grade boys in level one schools had better academic achievement in comparison to their peers in two level schools. The academic achievement of the sixth grade girls in two level schools, however, is significantly higher than their peers in one level schools.
The main purpose of this study was to examine the consequences of physical proximity of sixth graders and first graders in the new structure of Iran primary education system, with respect to bullying and aggressive behaviors of Students.  This research is a practical study in its purpose, and a survey one, in the manner by which it is carried out. Statistical population of this study includes all first- and sixth-grade students studying in elementary schools of Kashan in the 2016-2017 academic year. The size of the selected samples included 389 of first-grade students and 464 of sixth-grade students who were selected by using multi-stage cluster sampling procedure. To collect data, two questionnaires called “Bully & Victim” (Chan, Myron & Crawshaw, 2005) and “Student School Survey” (Hamburger, Basile & Vivolo, 2011) were employed. Reliabilities of the questionnaires for first-grade students and sixth-grade students were estimated to be 0.84 and 0.73 respectively. Holistic analysis of data showed that the existence of sixth graders has boosted bullying and violence in primary schools in the in the new structure of Iran primary education system. Of course, it’s very important to consider gender as an underlying variable in our explanations. The boys studying in four to sixth grade schools scored significantly lower in the components of observation, action and complicity in violent behaviors than their peers in first to sixth grade schools. It seems that the proximity of sixth graders to first graders affects boy’s schools and girl’s schools differently with respect to bullying and violent behaviors. Male six-graders were found to perpetrate more physical and psychological harassments on first graders compared to the female ones. In spite of the fact that the amount of bullying among fourth and fifth graders are the same in different schools, the number of aggressive behaviors are significantly higher in sixth graders than the other two groups. The present study clearly shows that the first graders are bullied by the sixth graders. The analysis of the data indicated that first graders (both girls and boys) in first to sixth grade schools were reported to commit bullying more than their peers in four to sixth grade schools. A possible explanation for this might be that the presence of higher grade students in fourth to sixth grade schools acts as a deterrent and reduces the number of bullying behaviors among first graders in school yards and corridors. For the same reason, more aggressive behaviors were reported among first graders in first to sixth grade schools. An implication of this finding is that the atmosphere of fourth to sixth grade schools is suitable for the older students themselves, in a way that they commit or observe less aggressive behaviors. On the other hand, in fourth to sixth grade schools in which all sixth grades study in the same building, first graders observed more bullying behaviors and were bullied more. As a result, the atmosphere in fourth to sixth grade schools is more susceptible of bullying and aggression than the one in first to sixth grade schools.