Ada Fonzi

Cross-national comparison of children's attitudes towards bully/victim problems in school

Using large-scale survey data from Italy, and England, findings are reported for attitudes to school bullying; specifically the extent to which children expect their teachers, or other children, to intervene in bullying; and the extent to,which children either empathise with victims of bullying, or state that they themselves would do something about it. Findings mere broadly similar in most respects, in the two countries. Teachers were thought to intervene fairly often, other children more rarely. Most children had sympathetic attitudes and behaviour toward victims of bullying, but a significant minority, including many self-reported bullies, did not. Girls were more empathic to victims than boys, but were not more likely to intervene. The main cultural difference was that older Italian children were more empathic than younger children, with the reverse difference in England. However in both countries, the likelihood of reported intervention was less with older children. The results are discussed in relation to theoretical viewpoints, and practical implications for schools.

Bullies and victims in schools in central and southern Italy

Anonymous questionnaires assessing the amount and nature of bullying/victimization were given to 1379 primary and middle school pupils (8–11; 11–14yrs) in two towns of Central and Southern Italy, Florence and Cosenza. The questionnaire closely followed the design of Olweus (1991) and Whitney and Smith (1993). Results were analysed in terms of percentages of bullying others and being bullied, types of bullying behaviour, where it occurred and who were the perpretators. Bullying was reported in both Italian areas at a more substantial level than found in other countries, including Norway, England, Spain and Japan, although it presented similar structural features to those reported elsewhere: being bullied decreased in older pupils, bullying others was most likely to be admitted by boys, the perpetretators were in the same class as the victims. Considering direct and indirect forms of bullying, year and gender differences are discussed for the two Italian areas and in cross-national perspective.

A Cross-National Comparison of Children’s Behavior with their Friends in Situations of Potential Conflict

Dyads of 8- and 9-year-old friends and nonfriends in Central Italy and English Canada were observed while participating in two structured tasks designed to simulate everyday situations of potential conflict. In discussing how they might share a single chocolate egg with a toy inside, Italian youngsters made fewer proposals in all, but nonetheless were able to achieve a greater discrepancy between initial and final negotiating positions. Friends spent almost twice as much time as nonfriends in these discussions; friends also displayed greater novelty and compromise in their counterproposals. Italian girls made significantly fewer proposals and counterproposals than other participants in the study. When participating in a fast-paced car race, Canadian children committed significantly more infractions of the rules. Italian friends were more involved in the race and maintained respect for the rules better than Italian nonfriends, but there were no significant differences between friends and nonfriends in Canada. These results are interpreted in light of known differences between the cultures.

Verbal and Nonverbal Interactions of Four- and Five-Year-Old Friends in Potential Conflict Situations

Abstract Dyads of 4- and 5-year-old friends and nonfriends attending preschools in central Italy were identified by friendship nominations. The 217 dyads of friends and non-friends participated in 2 closed-field tasks designed to simulate real-life situations of potential conflict. In the 4-year-old cohort, there were no significant differences in the behavior of the partners in either of the situations. However, at age 5 years, friends respected the rules of a fast-paced competitive game significantly more than did nonfriends. In discussing how to share a single object (a chocolate egg with a toy inside), 5-year-old friends were more likely to reach agreement than were nonfriends. The results suggest important developmental changes in the processes of negotiation and sharing within the preschool years.

Prosocial Behavior in Competitive Games: A Study Of Gender-Differences at Primary School Age

An increased interest in children’s interaction strategies can be observed in recent developmental research. In particular, behavioral patterns employed by children while interacting with peers in competitive contexts have received a great deal of attention. The purposes of this study are to investigate the ability of primary school-age children to maintain their relationships with peers and to respect the rules in a competitive context, to examine gender-differences in this ability, and to verify whether this ability relates to their ability to produce realistic estimations of their own skills. The study was conducted with 98 children between the ages of 7 to 8 years (i.e., 48 girls and 50 boys). To assess the children’s ability to maintain their relationships with others and to respect the rules in a competitive context, a pair competition test was devised. For the evaluation of the children’s ability to offer realistic estimation of their own abilities, the children were required to perform a task involving motor skills. Before each performance the children were asked to predict their own efficacy. The results show that boys and girls do not so much differ in their predisposition for competitive or prosocial behavior, but rather in the range of use of these types of behavior. While girls seem to succeed in reconciling behaviors directed at realizing personal success with consideration for the needs of their companion-suggesting a more social interactive approach, boys show a larger individual, behavioral variability in their approach to situations such as competitive play.