Bullying Experience of Racial and Ethnic Minority Youth in South Korea

Abstract

This study compared bullying experiences between ethnic minority youth and Korean majority youth in South Korea, and examined whether the student-teacher relationship is associated with their bullying experiences. Participants comprised 148 ethnic minority students and 165 Korean majority students in Grades 4 to 11 in South Korea. Bivariate analyses revealed that ethnic minority youth were more likely to be relationally bullied, but were less likely to bully their peers than Korean majority youth. Ethnic minority youth, with Southeast Asian mothers in particular, are most likely to be victimized and least likely to perpetrate bullying. Generalized linear model analyses identified that the youth’s positive perception of teachers decreased the risk of both victimization and perpetration. Policy and practice implications were discussed.