The Mediating Role of Social Isolation in the Relationship Between School Bullying and Academic Commitment Among Lower Secondary Students in Babylon, Iraq
Keywords:
school bullying, social isolation, academic commitment, studentsAbstract
Purpose: This study aimed to determine the mediating role of social isolation in the relationship between school bullying and academic commitment among lower secondary students in the city of Babylon, Iraq.
Methods and Materials: The research method was correlational, and the statistical population consisted of lower secondary school students in Babylon, Iraq, during the spring of 2024. From this population, 368 students were selected through convenience sampling and responded to three instruments: the Academic Commitment Questionnaire (Huenemann-Vogel & Roby, 2015), the School Bullying Questionnaire (Álvarez Marín et al., 2022), and the Social Isolation Questionnaire (Chelabi & Amirkafi, 2004). The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling (SEM) through SPSS version 26 and AMOS version 26.
Findings: The results indicated that school bullying was significantly associated with both social isolation and academic commitment, and that social isolation was significantly related to academic commitment (p < .05). The structural equation modeling results showed that social isolation served as a full mediating variable in the relationship between school bullying and academic commitment.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it is essential to consider the role of school bullying and social isolation in academic commitment and to implement measures aimed at enhancing students’ level of academic commitment.
Downloads
References
Ahmad Aboud, A. (2023). The multiple relationship of bullying behaviors with academic vitality, academic self-efficacy, and academic procrastination among middle school students in Kirkuk Master's thesis in Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch].
Ahmadi, S., & Basharpour, S. (2023). Predicting cyberbullying based on online disinhibition and perceived maternal acceptance with the mediating role of emotional stability: A descriptive study. Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, 22(4), 319-332. https://doi.org/10.61186/jrums.22.4.319
Al-Raqqad, H., Al-Bourini, E., Al Talahin, F., Michael, R., & Aranki, E. (2017). The impact of school bullying on students' academic achievement from teachers point of view. International Education Studies, 10(6), 44-50. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v10n6p44
Alinejad, V., Parizad, N., Yarmohammadi, M., & Radfar, M. (2022). Loneliness and academic performance mediates the relationship between fear of missing out and smartphone addiction among Iranian university students. BMC psychiatry, 22(1), 550. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04186-6
Álvarez-Marín, I., Pérez-Albéniz, A., Lucas-Molina, B., Martínez-Valderrey, V., & Fonseca-Pedrero, E. (2022). Development and validation of a brief version of the European bullying and cyberbullying intervention project questionnaires (EBIP-Q and ECIP-Q). Psicothema, 34(4), 571-581. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2022.156
Behboudi, R., Pourakbar, S., & Azimi, H. (2023). Investigating the relationship between bullying behaviors and academic performance in elementary school students in Hachirood in 2023.
Borja-Gil, J., Castellanos Verdugo, M., & Oviedo-García, M. (2024). Engagement and commitment in higher education: Looking at the role of identification and perception of performance. European Journal of Education, 59(2), e12642. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12642
Chalabi, M., & Amir Kafi, M. (2004). Multi-level analysis of social isolation. Iranian Journal of Sociology, 5(2), 3-31. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.sid.ir/paper/67441/fa&ved=2ahUKEwi7_dmpppmOAxUuSfEDHVklCJQQFnoECBoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0Ra2kGRiypURc3Dpz-jFqs
Ghardallou, M., Mtiraoui, A., Ennamouchi, D., Amara, A., Gara, A., Dardouri, M., Zedini, C., & Mtiraoui, A. (2024). Bullying victimization among adolescents: Prevalence, associated factors and correlation with mental health outcomes. PLoS One, 19(3), e0299161. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299161
Griep, Y. (2021). Capturing the process of academic commitment: a taxonomy and test of post-secondary student academic commitment trajectories. Higher Education Research & Development, 41, 1900-1915. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.1967886
Human-Vogel, S., & Rabe, P. (2015). Measuring self-differentiation and academic commitment in university students: A case study of education and engineering students. South African Journal of Psychology, 45(1), 60-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/0081246314548808
Ibrahim, F. M., Rashad Dabou, E. A., AbdelSamad, S., & Abuijlan, I. A. M. (2024). Prevalence of bullying and its impact on self-esteem, anxiety and depression among medical and health sciences university students in RAS Al Khaimah, UAE. Heliyon, 10(3), e25063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25063
Jefferson, R., Barreto, M., Verity, L., & Qualter, P. (2023). Loneliness during the school years: How it affects learning and how schools can help. The Journal of School Health, 93(5), 428-435. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13306
León Oropeza, M. A., Aguilar Morales, D. N., & Surdez Pérez, D. E. G. (2024). Instrument to measure academic commitment of secondary school students in science and mathematics subjects: Adaptation and validation. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30(6), 3367-3381. https://doi.org/10.53555/kuey.v30i6.6106
Li, T., Chen, B., Li, Q., Wu, X., Li, Y., & Zhen, R. (2023). Association between bullying victimization and post-traumatic stress disorders among Chinese adolescents: a multiple mediation model. BMC psychiatry, 23(1), 758. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05212-x
Modarresi Yazdi, F. S., Farahmand, M., & Afshani, A. (2017). Examining social isolation among single women and the socio-cultural factors influencing it (a study of single women over 30 years old in Yazd). Social Issues in Iran, 8(1), 121-144. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://sid.ir/paper/173536/fa&ved=2ahUKEwi5l5O0ppmOAxW1cPEDHQoPBigQFnoECBkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0r26HFNdOeF-eJvEnNw5i7
Modecki, K. L., Minchin, J., Harbaugh, A. G., Guerra, N. G., & Runions, K. C. (2014). Bullying prevalence across contexts: a meta-analysis measuring cyber and traditional bullying. The Journal of Adolescent Health: Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 55(5), 602-611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.06.007
Murphy, D., Leonard, S. J., Taylor, L. K., & Santos, F. H. (2022). Educational achievement and bullying: The mediating role of psychological difficulties. The British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(4), 1487-1501. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12511
Olatayo Awoyemi, A., Akinduyo, T., Ajokpaniovo, M. I., & Mabaso, N. (2024). Influence of stress on academic performance of in-school adolescents in Ilorin Metropolis. Journal for Educators, Teachers and Trainers (JETT), 15(3), 44-55. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=9895446
Pangani, J., & Munyenyembe, B. (2024). The impact of stress and loneliness on cyberloafing of health workers in Malawi: The moderating role of age. African Journal of Empirical Research, 5(3), 640-648. https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.5.3.55
Rezaei-Gazki, P., Delavar, A., & Samavi, A. (2019). Standardization of the Persian version of the academic commitment scale. Strides in Development of Medical Education, 16(1), e90940. https://doi.org/10.5812/sdme.90940
Samara, M., Da Silva Nascimento, B., El-Asam, A., Hammuda, S., & Khattab, N. (2021). How can bullying victimization lead to lower academic achievement? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the mediating role of cognitive-motivational factors. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(5), 2209. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052209
Shahbazian Khoniq, A., Ali Pour, F., Anahid, I., Mohammadian Gharibe, A. A., & Sheikh Ali Zadeh, S. (2020). The diagnostic role of social intelligence, bullying, and academic well-being in the social isolation of students. New Educational Ideas, 16(4), 135-151. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://ensani.ir/fa/article/460492/
Shurygin, V., Abdullayev, I., Hajiyev, H., Yakutina, M., Kozachek, A., & Zakieva, R. (2024). Blended learning: The effect on students' self-regulation and academic achievements. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 18(1), 137-154. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1422421
Wang, J., & Wang, X. (2012). Structural equation modeling: Applications using Mplus. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118356258
Worku, B., & Urgessa, D. (2024). Students' academic culture: the mediating role of academic commitment in the relationship between academic resilience and academic performance of university students. Cogent Education, 11, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2377004
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Safa Nsaif Jasem Almahmodi (Author); Mohsen Golparvar; Safaa Abdel Rasoul Abdel-Amir Jassim Al-Ibrahimi, Ali Mehdad (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
