The Interaction between Belongingness and Bullying in Relation to the Mathematics Achievement of Fourth and Eighth-Grade Students on the 2011 TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study)

The objective of this paper is to investigate differences in the academic achievement of students who report experiencing both bullying and a lack of belonging within their school settings as compared to their peers who report neither of these experiences. This study will expand upon existing research by using a cross-national sample of students from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 to analyze two peer relational factors as they relate to mathematics achievement: (1) belongingness and (2) bullying. The purpose of the study will be to identify an international trend and examine education systems in which academic achievement increases or decreases with these two factors interacted, with each factor taken separately, and investigate the patterns amongst them.