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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Educational Psychology
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1390271

A Systematic Literature Review on the Link Between Peer Victimization and Literacy during Adolescence

Provisionally accepted
Ariel L. Chavers Ariel L. Chavers *Stephanie N. Del Tufo Stephanie N. Del Tufo
  • University of Delaware, Newark, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Peer victimization and literacy failure are on the rise. Yet, there is little understanding of their interplay, particularly during adolescence–a period of heightened sensitivity to social-emotional and academic maladjustment. Guided by the Developmental Cascades Framework, this systematic literature review elucidated how peer victimization and literacy are directly and indirectly linked via negative behaviors, sex, and grade. A total of 21 studies were published between 1993 and 2022 that focused on typically developing 5th- to 8th-graders. Sample sizes ranged from 140 to 86,372 participants. Results indicated a bidirectional connection between increased peer victimization and poorer literacy. Preliminary evidence was found in support of an indirect link via internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, and school engagement, but ambiguous support for the effect of sex. Taken together, adolescents who experience peer victimization are likely to struggle in literacy, as well as exhibit negative behaviors that may only serve to exacerbate this connection.

    Keywords: peer victimization1, bullying2, Literacy3, behavioral problems4, school engagement5

    Received: 23 Feb 2024; Accepted: 17 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chavers and Del Tufo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ariel L. Chavers, University of Delaware, Newark, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.