Document Type : Original Article
Researcher
Master’s student of Educational Psychology at Allameh Tabataba'i University
Ministerial Ethics Committee
Bullying is one of the most common forms of violence in schools and has serious negative consequences for students’ mental health and academic performance. According to the 2024 UNESCO report, nearly one-third of adolescents experience bullying at least once during the school year, which increases the likelihood of loneliness, sleep disturbances, and suicidal thoughts. Research indicates that bullying behaviors are influenced by individual characteristics and behavioral regulation skills. Impulsivity—defined as acting quickly without sufficient reflection—is positively associated with aggressive and bullying behaviors, whereas self-control functions as a protective factor that helps reduce harmful actions. Academic engagement, which reflects students’ cognitive, emotional, and behavioral involvement in learning, is also recognized as a protective factor that decreases risky behaviors.
Given the developmental sensitivity of early adolescence and the limited number of studies focusing on female students, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between impulsivity, self-control, and academic engagement with the tendency toward bullying among middle-school girls in Mashhad. The study also seeks to analyze the mediating role of self-control and the moderating role of academic engagement in these relationships, as well as to identify the main predictors of bullying. This research employs a descriptive-correlational design, and a sample of 300 students will be selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. The instruments include the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Tangney Self-Control Scale, Reio Academic Engagement Scale, and the Illinois Bullying Scale, all of which demonstrate acceptable reliability and validity. Data will be analyzed using Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and structural equation modeling when necessary. The findings are expected to contribute to designing effective school-based interventions aimed at reducing bullying and enhancing students’ academic and psychological well-being