Teachers’ Recognition of School Bullying According to Background Variables and Type of Bullying

Li-Ming Chen; Li-Chun Wang; Yu-Hsien Sung

doi:10.7358/ecps-2018-018-chen

Teachers’ Recognition of School Bullying According to Background Variables and Type of Bullying

Li-Ming Chen, Li-Chun Wang, Yu-Hsien Sung

Abstract

How teachers identify and judge school bullying may affect their willingness to intervene in bullying situations and influence their strategies for doing so. This study aimed to investigate whether there were significant differences in teachers’ identification of bullying incidents according to background variables (gender, teaching experience, and education level). The participants of this study were 150 primary school and middle school teachers in Taiwan, A 24-item Recognition of Bullying Incidents Questionnaire (RBIQ) was used in this study to explore whether teachers can identify physical, verbal, and relational scenarios as bullying or non-bullying incidents. A mixed-model two way ANOVA was used to analyze this data. Results revealed that teachers’ teaching experiences significantly interacted with behavioral types, and teachers’ education levels also significantly interacted with behavioral types. In addition, no gender differences in the identification of bullying were observed. Overall, teachers were more likely to identify physical bullying incidents than relational ones. The results of this study suggest that teachers should participate in training to help them identify bullying incidents, particularly when these involve relational bullying.

Keywords

Identification; Recognition; Scenarios; School bullying; Teachers

Full Text:

PDF

References

Batanova, M., Espelage, D. L., & Rao, M. A. (2014). Early adolescents' willingness to intervene: What roles do attributions, affect, coping, and self-reported victimization play. Journal of School Psychology, 52, 279–293. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2014.02.001

Bauman, S. & Del Rio, A. (2006). Preservice teachers’ responses to bullying scenarios: Comparing physical, verbal, and relational bullying. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 219–231.

Bauman, S., & Del Rio, A. (2005). Knowledge and beliefs about bullying in schools comparing pre-service teachers in the United States and the United Kingdom. School Psychology International, 26(4), 428–442. doi:10.1177/0143034305059019

Bellmore, A., Ma, T. L., You, J. I., & Hughes, M. (2012). A two-method investigation of early adolescents’ responses upon witnessing peer victimization in school. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 1265–1276. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.04.012

Benitez, J. L., Garcia-Berben, A. & Fernandez-Cabezas, M. (2009). The impact of a course on bullying within the pre-service teacher training curriculum. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 17(7), 191–208.

Bond, T., & Fox, C. (2007). Applying the Rasch model: Fundamental measurement in the human sciences (2nd). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Boulton, M. J. (1997). Teachers’ views on bullying: Definitions, attitudes and ability to cope. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 67, 223–233. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8279.1997.tb01239.x

Boulton, M. J., Hardcastle, K., Down, J., Fowles, J., & Simmonds, J. A. (2014). A comparison of preservice teachers’ responses to cyber versus traditional bullying scenarios: Similarities and differences and implications for practice. Journal of Teacher Education, 65(2), 145–155. doi:10.1177/0022487113511496

Burger, C., Strohmeier, D., Sprober, N., Bauman, S., & Rigby, K. (2015). How teachers respond to school bullying: An examination of self-reported intervention strategy use, moderator effects, and concurrent use of multiple strategies. Teaching and Teacher Education, 51, 191–202. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2015.07.004

Byers, D. L., Caltabiano, N. J., & Caltabiano, M. L. (2011). Teachers’ attitudes towards overt and covert bullying, and perceived efficacy to intervene. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(11), 105–119.

Carney, J. V. (2005). Factor structure of the bullying situations identification (BSI) instrument. Journal of School Violence, 4(3), 77–92, doi:10.1300/J202v04n0307

Charmaraman, L., Jones, A. E, Stein, E., & Espelage, D. L. (2013). Is it bullying or sexual harassment? Knowledge, attitudes, and professional development experiences of middle school. Journal of School Health, 83, 438–444. doi:10.1111/josh.12048

Chau, S., & Cheung, C. (2017). Bringing life to learning: A study of active learning in hospitality education. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 26, 127–136. doi:10.1007/s40299-017-0333-6

Cheng, Y. Y., Chen, L. M., Ho, H. C., & Cheng, C. L. (2011). Definitions of school bullying in Taiwan: A comparison of multiple perspectives. School Psychology International, 32, 227-243.

Chiu, J. & Chang, L. L. (2012). Identification, evaluation, and intervention of bullying behaviors in secondary and elementary school teachers. Research in Applied Psychology, 54, 203–250.

Craig, K., Bell, D., & Leschied, A. (2011). Pre-service teachers’ knowledge and attitudes regarding school-based bullying. Canadian Journal of Education, 34, 21–33.

Crick, N. R., & Dodge, K. A. (1994). A review and reformulation of social information-processing mechanisms in children’s social adjustment. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 74–101.

Duy, B. (2013). Teachers’ attitudes different types of bullying and victimization in Turkey. Psychology in the Schools, 50(10), 987–1002. doi:10.1002/pits.21729

Goryl, O., Neilsen-Hewett, C., & Sweller, N. (2013). Teacher education, teaching experience and bullying policies: Links with early childhood teachers' perceptions and attitudes to bullying. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 38(2), 32–40.

Hazler, R. J., Miller, D. L., Carney, J. V., & Green, S. (2001). Adult recognition of school bullying situations. Educational Research, 43(2), 133–146. doi:10.1080/00131880110051137

Kochenderfer-Ladd, B., & Pelletier, M. E. (2008). Teachers' views and beliefs about bullying: Influences on classroom management strategies and students' coping with peer victimization. Journal of School Psychology, 46(4), 431–453. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2007.07.005

Lauritzen, S. L. (1995). The EM algorithm for graphical association models with missing data. Computational Statistics and Data Analysis, 19(2), 191–201. doi:10.1016/0167-9473(93)E0056-A

Linacre, J. M. (2006). A user’s guide to WINSTEPS Rasch model computer program. Chicago, IL: Winsteps.

Maunder, R. E., Harrop, A., & Tattersall, A. J., (2010). Pupil and staff perceptions of bullying in secondary schools: Comparing behavioural definitions and their perceived seriousness. Educational Research, 52(3), 263–282. doi:10.1080/00131881.2010.504062

Menesini, E., Fonzi, A., & Smith, P. K. (2002). Attribution of meanings to terms related to bullying: A comparison between teacher’s and pupil’s perspectives in Italy. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 17, 393–406. doi:10.1007/BF03173593

Migliaccio, T. (2015). Teacher engagement with bullying: Managing an identity within a school. Sociological Spectrum, 35, 84–108. doi:10.1080/02732173.2014.978430

Mishna, F., Pepler, D., & Wiener, J. (2006). Factors associated with perceptions and responses to bullying situations by children, parents, teachers, and principals. Victims and Offenders, 1(3), 255–288. doi:10.1080/15564880600626163

Mishna, F., Scarcello, I., Pepler, D., & Wiener, J. (2005). Teachers' understanding of bullying. Canadian Journal of Education, 718–738. doi:10.2307/4126452

Mok, M. M. C., Wang, W. C., Cheng, Y. Y., Leung, S. O., & Chen, L. M. (2014). Prevalence and behavioural ranking of bullying and victimisation among secondary students in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macao. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 23, 757–767. doi:10.1007/s40299-013-0151-4

Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094–2100. doi:10.1001/jama.285.16.2094.

O’Moore, M., & Kirkham, C. (2001). Self‐esteem and its relationship to bullying behaviour. Aggressive behavior, 27(4), 269–283. doi:10.1002/ab.1010.

Oldenburg, B., Bosman, R., & Veenstra, R. (2015). Are elementary school teachers prepared to tackle bullying? A pilot study. School Psychology International, 37(1), 64–72. doi:10.1177/0143034315623324

Oldenburg, B., van Duijn, M., Sentse, M., Huitsing, G., van der Ploeg, R., Salmivalli, C., & Veenstra, R. (2015). Teacher characteristics and peer victimization in elementary schools: A classroom-level perspective. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43, 33–44. doi:10.1007/s10802-013-9847-4

Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

Olweus, D. (1996). Bully/victim problems at school: Facts and effective intervention. Journal of Emotional & Behavioral Problems, 5, 15–22.

Olweus, D. (1997). Bully/victim problems in school: Facts and intervention. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 4, 495–510.

Olweus, D., & Limber, S. P. (2010). Bullying in school: Evaluation and dissemination of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(1), 124–134. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01015.x

Raven, S. & Jurkiewicz, M. (2014). Pre-service secondary science teachers’ experiences and ideas about bullying in science classrooms. Science Educator, 23(1), 65–72.

Reemst, Ficher, T. F. C., & Zwirs, B. W. C. (2016). Social information processing mechanisms and victimization: A literature review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 17(1), 3–25. doi:10.1177/1524838014557286

Sánchez-Queija, I., García-Moya, I., & Moreno, C. (2017). Trend analysis of bullying victimization prevalence in Spanish adolescent youth at school. Journal of School Health, 87(6), 457–464. doi: 10.1111/josh.12513

Wang, J., Iannotti, R. J., & Nansel, T. R. (2009). School bullying among adolescents in the United States: Physical, verbal, relational, cyber. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45, 368–375.

Wright, B. D., & Linacre, J. M. (1994). Chi-square fit statistics. Rasch Measurement Transactions, 8, 370.

Yang, A., Li, X., & Salmivalli, C. (2016). Maladjustment of bully-victims: Validation with three identification methods. Educational Psychology, 36, 1390–1407. doi:10.1080/01443410.2015.1015492

Young, E., Boye, A., & Nelson, D. (2006). Relational aggression: Understanding, identifying, and responding in schools. Psychology in the Schools, 43(3), 297–312.

Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS)
Registered by Tribunale di Milano (19/05/2010 n. 278)
Online ISSN 2037-7924 - Print ISSN 2037-7932

Research Laboratory on Didactics and Evaluation - Department of Education - "Roma Tre" University

Executive Editor: Gaetano Domenici - Associate Executive Editor & Managing Editor: Valeria Biasci
Editorial Board: Eleftheria Argyropoulou - Massimo Baldacci - Joao Barroso - Richard Bates - Christofer Bezzina - Paolo Bonaiuto - Lucia Boncori - Pietro Boscolo - Sara Bubb - Carlo Felice Casula - Jean-Émile Charlier - Lucia Chiappetta Cajola - Carmela Covato - Jean-Louis Derouet - Peter Early - Franco Frabboni - Constance Katz - James Levin - Pietro Lucisano - Roberto Maragliano - Romuald Normand - Michael Osborne - Donatella Palomba - Michele Pellerey - Clotilde Pontecorvo - Vitaly V. Rubtzov - Jaap Scheerens - Noah W. Sobe - Francesco Susi - Giuseppe Spadafora - Pat Thomson
Editorial Staff: Fabio Alivernini - Guido Benvenuto - Anna Maria Ciraci - Massimiliano Fiorucci - Luca Mallia - Massimo Margottini - Giovanni Moretti - Carla Roverselli
Editorial Secretary:Nazarena Patrizi

Referee List

Username
Password
Remember me