Effects of “Ibasho” (Sense of Belonging) on Relational Aggression Among Fourth and Fifth Grade Students

Abstract

Present study investigated the effects of “Ibasho†on relational aggression such as bullying among schoolchildren. The purpose of this study was to prove that children with “Ibasho†would not be aggressive against others even if they had been under some stress. What is “Ibasho†in Japanese? According to the definition, it contains two keywords; sense of belonging and sense of authenticity. My first concern is to determine whether “Ibasho†is a mediator of the relation between stressors and relational aggression. My second concern is to determine whether there is a difference among schoolchildren who belong to two schools; one school (School A) which has many opportunities to interact with adults living in its local area and the other (School B) which has few opportunities to do so. The participants were 604 fourth and fifth grade students; 258 in School A, 346 in School B. The results indicate that children in School A have less achievement stressor, more “Ibasho†and better cooperation, and that the interaction with adults in the community may be a unique predictor to reduce problem behaviors among schoolchildren. Implications of these findings are discussed.