Name-calling and Peer Beliefs among Primary School Children in Turkey

Name-calling is a common problem among primary school children in Turkey as in other countries. The Name-Calling Survey and Peer Beliefs Inventory were used to determine the relationships between name-calling and peer beliefs amongst a group of 319 primary school children in Turkey. Name-calling was found to be more common amongst boys than girls. A negative relationship was found between name-calling and peer beliefs, so that the greater experience of name-calling, the more children disliked their peers. Gender and grade level were found to have a significant negative relationship. The name-calling experiences of students affected their friendship relationships negatively, which contributed to violence in schools. School counsellors must be aware of name-calling victims and perpetrators, as well as organizing educational programmes aimed at helping students to cope with these problems.