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Who Stands Up? Analyzing Students' Drawings of the Ideal Bullying Defender

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Title: Who Stands Up? Analyzing Students' Drawings of the Ideal Bullying Defender
Language: English
Authors: Laura Menabò (ORCID 0000-0003-0741-1163), Consuelo Mameli (ORCID 0000-0001-5701-0902), Felicia Roga, Eleonora Renda, Annalisa Guarini (ORCID 0000-0002-3739-2162)
Source: School Psychology International. 2026 47(1):53-82.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 30
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Elementary Education
Grade 7
Junior High Schools
Middle Schools
Descriptors: Bullying, Student Behavior, Student Attitudes, Secondary School Students, Gender Differences, Individual Characteristics, Behavior, Interpersonal Relationship, Social Support Groups, Victims, Foreign Countries, Freehand Drawing, Early Adolescents, Grade 7
Geographic Terms: Italy
DOI: 10.1177/01430343251389576
ISSN: 0143-0343
1461-7374
Abstract: While prior studies investigated predictors of defending behaviors, less is known about how students themselves view defenders. This study aimed to examine how students portray defenders through an ecological drawing task. We invited 122 Italian low secondary school students to draw themselves and their "ideal defender." Drawings were analyzed for aspects such as defender gender, character type (peer, adult, or fantastical), behavior (oriented towards the victim or the bully), and relational dimensions with the drawing's creator (cohesion, distancing, similarity, and value), and examined for gender disparities. Chi-square tests and one-way Student's t-tests were conducted using R software. Most students illustrated defenders as peers and represented victim-supportive behaviors (e.g., embracing the protagonist). Female students depicted defenders mostly as same-gender peers, whereas male students often chose powerful or fantastical figures (p = 0.006). Relational analysis showed that female participants displayed higher cohesion (p = 0.045), more joint activities with the ideal defender (p = 0.035), and similarity in height (p = 0.012), whereas male students exhibited more distancing (p = 0.020). These results underscore the pivotal role of peer support in anti-bullying initiatives, suggesting that enhancing relational skills and cohesion among students can strengthen their collective responsibility toward each other.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1497683
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Who Stands Up? Analyzing Students' Drawings of the Ideal Bullying Defender
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Laura+Menabò%22">Laura Menabò</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0741-1163">0000-0003-0741-1163</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Consuelo+Mameli%22">Consuelo Mameli</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5701-0902">0000-0001-5701-0902</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Felicia+Roga%22">Felicia Roga</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Eleonora+Renda%22">Eleonora Renda</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Annalisa+Guarini%22">Annalisa Guarini</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3739-2162">0000-0002-3739-2162</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22School+Psychology+International%22"><i>School Psychology International</i></searchLink>. 2026 47(1):53-82.
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  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
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  Data: Y
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  Data: 30
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bullying%22">Bullying</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Behavior%22">Student Behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Attitudes%22">Student Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secondary+School+Students%22">Secondary School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gender+Differences%22">Gender Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Individual+Characteristics%22">Individual Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Behavior%22">Behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interpersonal+Relationship%22">Interpersonal Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Support+Groups%22">Social Support Groups</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Victims%22">Victims</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Freehand+Drawing%22">Freehand Drawing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+Adolescents%22">Early Adolescents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Grade+7%22">Grade 7</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Italy%22">Italy</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1177/01430343251389576
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  Data: 0143-0343<br />1461-7374
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  Data: While prior studies investigated predictors of defending behaviors, less is known about how students themselves view defenders. This study aimed to examine how students portray defenders through an ecological drawing task. We invited 122 Italian low secondary school students to draw themselves and their "ideal defender." Drawings were analyzed for aspects such as defender gender, character type (peer, adult, or fantastical), behavior (oriented towards the victim or the bully), and relational dimensions with the drawing's creator (cohesion, distancing, similarity, and value), and examined for gender disparities. Chi-square tests and one-way Student's t-tests were conducted using R software. Most students illustrated defenders as peers and represented victim-supportive behaviors (e.g., embracing the protagonist). Female students depicted defenders mostly as same-gender peers, whereas male students often chose powerful or fantastical figures (p = 0.006). Relational analysis showed that female participants displayed higher cohesion (p = 0.045), more joint activities with the ideal defender (p = 0.035), and similarity in height (p = 0.012), whereas male students exhibited more distancing (p = 0.020). These results underscore the pivotal role of peer support in anti-bullying initiatives, suggesting that enhancing relational skills and cohesion among students can strengthen their collective responsibility toward each other.
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: EJ1497683
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        Value: 10.1177/01430343251389576
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 30
        StartPage: 53
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Bullying
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Behavior
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      – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes
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      – SubjectFull: Secondary School Students
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      – SubjectFull: Gender Differences
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      – SubjectFull: Italy
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