The relationships between peer teasing, self‐esteem, and affect for school

Abstract

This study focused on teasing as a form of verbal aggression in the educational environment. Specifically, this study examined the relationships between students’ recollections of receiving peer teasing during their junior and senior high school years with two variables that have been show to influence learning— self‐esteem and affect for school. Two hundred and eighty‐eight undergraduate students were asked to complete a survey containing measures of peer teasing, self‐esteem, and affect for school. Correleational analyses yielded limited but significant correlations between peer teasing and self‐esteem and between peer teasing and affect for school. Additionally, the results from the study revealed that the most often cited loci of attack were grades, study habits, weight, friends, clothing, and height.