Special Topic: Bullying Research From a Social-Ecological Perspective
Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Dr. Chad A. Rose, 311 Townsend Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211; e-mail:
Chad A. Rose PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Missouri. His research focuses on the intersection of disability labels and special education services within the bullying dynamic, unique predictive and protective factors associated with bullying involvement among students with disabilities, and bully-prevention efforts within a positive behavioral interventions and supports framework.
Melissa Stormont, PhD, is a professor in special education at the University of Missouri. Her research interests include investigating contextual factors that support risk and protective factors associated with negative and positive student outcomes. Her recent research has included multiple factors for supporting teacher intervention fidelity in schools and assessing and supporting kindergarten readiness.
Ze Wang PhD, is an associate professor of statistics and measurement in the Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri. Her research interests include statistical modeling, psychometrics, and program evaluation. Her research integrates substantive educational and social psychology theories and state-of-the-art quantitative methods.
Cynthia G. Simpson, PhD, is Interim Provost and Professor of Special Education at Houston Baptist University. Her research interests include individual factors and predictors for involvement of female students within the bullying dynamic, gender discrepancies within the bullying dynamic, and bullying of students with low-incidence disabilities.
June L. Preast MA/CAS, NCSP, is a graduate research assistant with Dr. Chad A. Rose and a doctoral student in the School Psychology Program within the Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri. Her research interests include problem-solving teams, data-based decision making, and consultation.
Ambra L. Green, MEd, is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Special Education with an emphasis in behavior disorder and positive behavioral interventions and supports at the University of Missouri–Columbia. Her current research and policy interest focuses on the prevention of overrepresentation of ethnic minority students with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders receiving exclusionary discipline, special education referrals, and restrictive placements.
Guest Editor: Amanda B. Nickerson
Students with disabilities are disproportionately represented within the bullying dynamic. However, few studies have investigated the interaction between disability identification and special education services. The current study evaluated bullying involvement (direct victimization, relational victimization, cybervictimization, bullying, fighting, relational perpetration) among 1,055 students with specific disabilities in inclusive and restrictive settings and their demographically matched (race, gender, grade) peers without disabilities. The results suggest that students with disabilities experience higher rates of victimization and engage in more fighting than students without disabilities. However, students with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders tended to report higher rates of victimization in inclusive environments, whereas students with intellectual disabilities and emotional and behavioral disorders reported higher rates of victimization in restrictive settings. Increased fighting was primarily associated with students identified with autism spectrum disorders, emotional and behavioral disorders, and other health impairments within restrictive environments. Implications and future directions are presented.