Background: The assessment of bullying requires an analysis both of the main profiles involved in this phenomenon and of the social context in which it occurs. By considering both aspects, this study develops a scale that, in addition to individual information, incorporates a representation of the group structure of the classroom.
Method: A large sample composed of 11,561 students (mean age = 11.12 years, girls = 49.2%) from 108 schools completed the Sociescuela Scale by peer reports. An analysis of the internal structure and reliability of the scale was performed, as well as of the students' social networks.
Results: Factor analysis yielded five factors: Victimization, Acceptance, Prosociality, Withdrawal, and Aggressiveness. Boys showed more victimization and aggressiveness than girls. The results obtained enable us to: (a) evaluate a series of individual profiles associated with involvement in bullying and their sociometric status, and (b) position them on a social map of each classroom.
Conclusions: The data suggested that the scale is reliable and valid for use in the detection of bullying and its applied nature facilitates the design of school interventions.