The work done here involved estimating the extent of bullying in Latin American schools and its impact on the academic achievement of primary school students. Pupils’ socio-demographic characteristics were analysed and linked with bullying. Three- and four-multilevel models were applied to data from the Second Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (serce) conducted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (unesco), analysing 2,969 schools, 3,903 classrooms and 91,223 sixth-grade students in 16 Latin American countries (not including Mexico for the association between school bullying and academic performance). The study found that bullying is a serious problem throughout the region; students who suffer peer aggression yield a significantly lower performance in reading and math than those who do not; and those in classrooms with more episodes of physical or verbal violence perform worse than those in less violent classroom settings.
Se estimó la magnitud de la violencia escolar en las escuelas latinoamericanas y su incidencia en el desempeño de los estudiantes de primaria. Se analizaron características sociodemográficas del estudiante vinculadas al maltrato entre pares. Se utilizaron modelos multinivel de cuatro y tres niveles con los datos del Segundo Estudio Regional Comparativo y Explicativo (serce) de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (unesco), analizándose 2.969 escuelas, 3.903 aulas y 91.223 estudiantes de 6º grado de 16 países latinoamericanos (excluido México al relacionar violencia escolar y desempeño académico). Conclusiones: la violencia interpares es un grave problema en toda la región; los estudiantes que sufrieron violencia de sus iguales alcanzaron un desempeño en lectura y matemáticas significativamente inferior al de quienes no la experimentaron; en aulas con mayores episodios de violencia física o verbal los educandos muestran peores desempeños que en aulas con menor violencia.