| Summary: | The research explores the role of gender and temperament in explaining direct
and indirect aggression in first-grade primary school pupils. It is precisely
at this age that some forms of aggression - which have been tolerated
previously - become unsuitable in the school context and in peer relations.
Due to the complexity of the topic, direct and indirect aggression were taken
as relevant forms of aggression. Research participants were 146 first-grade
primary school pupils and four class teachers. In order to assess pupils’
direct and indirect aggression we constructed the Scale for assessing
aggression by the class teacher, and to assess pupils’ temperament we used a
modified Scale for assessing temperament by the class teacher. Research
results have revealed that at this age boys exhibit a higher level of both
direct and indirect aggression. In order to determine the predictive value of
temperament for pupils’ aggression, in addition to gender, the predictive
model also included two types of temperament obtained based on factor
analysis: active-inconsistent and passive-focused temperament. Direct
aggression is best predicted by gender and both types of temperament, with
the following dimensions as the most prominent: low adaptability, high level
of activity and high distractibility. In the case of indirect aggression,
both types of temperament proved to be significant predictors, with the
following dimensions as the most prominent: high intensity of reaction and
high level of activity. The results of moderation analysis have suggested
that only the interaction of gender and active-inconsistent temperament is
significant for explaining both types of aggression. The practical and
theoretical implications of these findings are discussed further in the text.
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