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Research Article: Bullying in Elementary Schools: Differences across Countries in the Persian Gulf

Date Published: 2023-06-25

Abstract:
The current research aimed to examine the similarities and differences in bullying prevalence across the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Level tests require measurement invariance to be met before they can be performed. In 2019, 45k people participated and provided data for the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS). When the exact measurement invariance (MI) protocols failed, the alignment methodology was used to analyze the data. After ensuring measurement invariance via the free alignment method, findings revealed statistically significant differences in bullying prevalence; specifically, bullying levels were significantly lower in Saudi Arabia compared to all other countries. The United Arab Emirates ranked second, with the second-lowest bullying rates, which were also significantly lower compared to the rates in all the other countries. As a whole, Saudi Arabia had the lowest levels, followed by the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar. Although the absolute difference between Saudi Arabia and the other countries was only modest, further research into the causes, consequences, and preventative measures of bullying is warranted.

Introduction:
Positive interactions with one’s peers are crucial to one’s psychological and social growth [1]. Rejection and acceptance by peers have profound effects on a person’s sense of belonging and self-worth. Statistics show that bullying and victimization occur at alarmingly high rates across all demographics (age, gender, culture, and country) [2,3,4,5].

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