Investigation of Peer Bullying in Early Years on The Basis of Emotional Intelligence and Family Variables

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed at investigating peer bullying seen in preschool period on the basis of emotional intelligence and family variables. A total of 286 children aged between 5 and 6 participated in the study. “Storied Hypothetical Situations Form”, “Sullivan Emotional Intelligence Scale for Children”, “Sullivan Brief Empathy Scale for Children”, “Sullivan Teacher Rating Scale of Emotional Intelligence in Children”, “Parents Attitude Scale” and Demographical Information Form have been used as data collection tools. The findings indicated that variables such as emotional intelligence, gender, maternal education level, socio-economic level, father's profession, child's level of interest in violent games and television programs, and democratic and authoritarian parent attitudes were directly related to peer bullying. In addition, the results showed that peer bullying seen in preschool period could be a worth-stressing problem. The findings were discussed in the context of the related literature.