The role of teachers in the prevention, recognition and intervention of bullying
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Abstract
Peer bullying in schools has negative short- and long-term consequences for the students involved (Grinshteyn & Yang, 2017; Ladd, Ettekal & Kochenderfer-Ladd, 2017), and its prevention and treatment are of widespread interest to both researchers and practitioners. The systems approach to bullying (Twemlow et al., 2001) suggests that both teachers and parents have a role to play in providing models (Bandura, 1977) and that adults’ recognition and response to bullying as norm-breaking behaviour plays a vital role in the escalation of aggression. The aim of the present research was to assess the experiences and attitudes towards bullying of staff working in public education, especially pre- and in-service teachers, and to explore the practical implementation and perceptions of intervention and prevention options. The first sample of the mixed-methods study consisted of 402 pre- and in-service teachers, while the second sample included responses from heads of institutions, school psychologists, school social workers, developmental teachers, and other staff members (N = 844). Our results show that preservice teachers report higher exposure to bullying than teachers, but equally show antibullying attitudes. An important finding for teacher training is that among participants with a background of bullying perpetration, we found more participants with attitudes that were pro-bullying. When reviewing the current practices, we found that only 16.9% of respondents indicated that their institution currently had proactive-preventive practices in place. And when it comes to formulating the necessary steps, 38% of respondents, in contrast to professional recommendations, would seek primarily retributive solutions. The results are discussed considering their practical relevance.
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Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal
Grant numbers ÚNKP- 20-3-II-PTE-558;Új Nemzeti Kiválóság Program
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