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Background: Bullying occurs largely at school. Given that the primary purpose of schools is to enhance student learning, it is important to examine the relationship between bullying and academic achievement. Purpose: A model of childhood bullying and school achievement using several family and school characteristics was developed. Sample: The sample consisted of children age 10-11 years (n = 2084) drawn from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, which is a stratified random sample of 22,831 households in Canada. Design and methods: From scale and factor analyses, several factors were created and included in a latent variable path model. Results: The model fit the data well (Comparative Fit Index = 0.96), and the model converged in six iterations, χ2(32) = 300.00, p < 0.001 with a standardised residual error of 0.05. These results indicate that children who are bullied at school are likely to obtain low levels of achievement, particularly if they show little conscientiousness and enjoyment of school, and if their parents provide little support for their children's education. Conclusions: The results are discussed according to Eccles's Expectancy-Value Theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No longitudinal information about bullying and peer harassment among Canadian children currently exists. In the present study, the author examined the stability of bullying and harassment. The sample consisted of two cohorts of children aged 10-11 years (n = 2,798) and 12-13 years (n = 1,946) drawn from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, which is a stratified random sample of households in Canada. The author analyzed children's reports of bullying and harassment from 1994 to 2001 using cross-sectional time-series analyses. The results show that children who were not bullied or harassed in one cycle were unlikely to report being bullied or harassed at a subsequent cycle. About half of children who reported being bullied or harassed in a previous cycle also reported being bullied or harassed in a subsequent cycle. The author concludes that some children may be resilient, whereas others are vulnerable to ongoing bullying and harassment from their peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to examine the pathways by which children’s physical health status, environmental, family, and child factors affect children’s academic performance and prosocial behaviour, using a theoretically‐based and empirically‐based model of competence development. The model proposes that 3 types of relational processes, dealing with opportunity, support, and skill development through participation, lead to competence. Structural equation modelling was performed on cross‐sectional, parent‐report data for approximately 10,000 Canadian children aged 6–11 years from the 1994–95 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. The analyses controlled for family socioeconomic status and child’s age and sex, and included 3 groups of children (those with activity‐limiting conditions, non‐activity‐limiting conditions, or no health problems). There was little evidence that children with chronic conditions were at direct risk for poorer outcomes. Children with activity‐limiting conditions were at increased indirect risk for academic difficulties through the role played by cognitive functioning. Cognitive functioning and hyperactivity/inattention difficulties were the major predictors of academic performance. Recreational participation and behavioural functioning were the main predictors of prosocial behaviour. The pathways in the model also indicated the importance of family functioning, social support to parents, and neighbourhood cohesion. In conclusion, the findings indicate the utility of the model of competence development in understanding the pathways and processes by which various factors affect children’s academic and social outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]