Why do some classes experience more bullying than others? According to an American study, the most disruptive school environments slightly but durably increase the risk of violence among students.
In the United States, about one in four elementary school students report being victims of bullying at least once during the school year.
Children who are frequently bullied are more likely to experience academic difficulties, suffer from poorer physical health, and develop issues such as depression, anxiety, or addictions as they grow up. These consequences can persist into adulthood and contribute to situations of unemployment and financial insecurity.
Most research on bullying focuses on individual characteristics of children, such as showing signs of aggressiveness or experiencing physical punishment at home. Even children exposed to a strict or punitive upbringing, even without physical violence, may be more likely to adopt bullying behaviors.
But overall, bullying rates vary significantly from one class to another.
New research conducted by colleagues from the University at Albany in the United States and other institutions shows that the classroom environment plays an important role in school bullying. Children have a slightly higher risk of being bullied when they are in classrooms frequently disrupted by behavioral problems or marked by a chaotic atmosphere – even accounting for individual factors like personality or family environment.
Our results show that bullying does not only depend on the children themselves, but also on the environments they are exposed to at school.
Assessing the classroom climate
We analyzed surveys conducted with teachers and students by the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education between 2014 and 2016. These nationally collected data involved teachers and children in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.
Teachers had to assess whether their class was disruptive or not by indicating how many students had difficulty in staying focused, behaving properly, or following instructions. They also gave an overall rating of the level of disruption in their class.
On the other hand, students indicated how often they were bullied, whether it was teasing, insults, exclusion from games, or physical violence like shoving or hitting.
To ensure that these results reflected a true trend and not just a coincidence, we used a statistical method to determine if student reports of bullying varied depending on whether they were in more or less disruptive or chaotic classrooms over the school years.
In other words, we studied how changes in a child’s school environment were associated with variations in their own bullying experiences. This approach helps distinguish the effect of the classroom climate from differences related to children’s personal characteristics or their family environment.
Reducing disruption in classrooms
Traditionally, anti-bullying efforts focus on individual student behavior or family dynamics. Interventions may involve teaching social skills to children or providing more support and training to parents to help them respond to their children’s behavior.
However, programs targeting only bullies or victims are not always effective in preventing bullying.
Our results suggest that addressing disorder and disruptions in the classroom is a credible way to reduce bullying. The observed effects are modest but consistent, meaning this trend remains visible even when rigorous statistical tests are applied. We believe that a better awareness of this link could have a significant impact on an entire class.
When teachers describe a class as disruptive, it reflects both the students’ behavior and the challenges encountered in managing a classroom full of children. These challenges include maintaining students’ attention, encouraging appropriate behaviors, and ensuring they follow instructions.
In the most chaotic classes, students may talk simultaneously, get up without stopping, or have difficulty staying focused on their work. This creates an environment where it becomes harder to maintain order and can lead to a “contagion effect” of negative behaviors. Aggressiveness can then become more frequent and even reinforced within the group, increasing the risk of bullying.
Managing a disruptive class can also be emotionally demanding for teachers. They must spend more time dealing with disruptions and re-focusing students on their work. This not only reduces the time and energy they have to prevent or address bullying situations but also their ability to identify them from the start.
At the same time, it is important to remember that highly disruptive classes often reflect broader issues, such as overcrowded classrooms, underfunding of schools, or challenges faced by students outside of school – poverty, housing instability, or trauma.
Better support for teachers, especially through professional development focused on emotional support for students or the link between rules and positive or negative consequences, can help reduce disruptive behaviors in the classroom.
The impact of classroom disruption is also part of a broader context of social inequalities.
Previous research shows that students from low-income families, belonging to racial or ethnic minorities, and students with disabilities are at higher risk of being bullied. Our study helps understand why: these students are more likely to be enrolled in chaotic classrooms.
This does not mean they are intentionally placed in such environments but rather that they attend schools with limited financial resources, overcrowded classes, fewer experienced teachers, and fewer specialized support systems for students in need.
Next steps
Bullying is a serious problem, often starting in primary school, making prevention a priority. Our results shift the focus from only individual and family characteristics of students to the broader classroom environment.
Our work also suggests that reducing chaos and disruptions in the classroom could be a promising approach to combating bullying. Further research will be necessary to identify other factors related to classroom functioning and better understand how these dynamics contribute to bullying.
