TEACHERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD DIFFERENT TYPES OF BULLYING AND VICTIMIZATION IN TURKEY

In the present study, attitudes of elementary school teachers toward different types of bullying (verbal, physical, and relational) were investigated. Six written vignettes describing all types of bullying were given to 405 elementary school teachers (F = 218; M = 187). Results indicated that teachers perceived relational bullying, specifically, social exclusion, less serious than verbal and physical bullying. Unlike previous findings, however, the teachers considered verbal bullying behaviors more serious than physical bullying behaviors and were also more empathetic toward the victim physically bullied and the victim verbally bullied than the victim relationally bullied. Coherent with the findings of empathy, they were also more likely to intervene in verbal and physical bullying behaviors than relational bullying behaviors. Gender of the participant was a significant factor for all variables. The most rated intervention strategy was having a serious talk with the bully, regardless of the type of victimization. Multiple regression analysis illustrated that seriousness and empathy scores both predicted the need for intervention scores significantly in all types of bullying. The findings of this study highlight the importance of increasing teachers’ awareness and knowledge about all types of bullying, their consequences, and intervention skills to lessen bullying behaviors.     

Risk and protective factors for poor school adjustment in lesbian,gay, and bisexual (LGB) high school youth: Variable and person‐centered analyses

This study examined the relations between school climate and school adjustment among 101 lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) high school students and the moderating influence of social support on those relations. Students completed surveys to assess three aspects of the school climate (the school's exclusion/inclusion of LGB people, personal victimization in school for being LGB, and social support from teachers) as well as social support from family and close friends. Criterion variables were GPA, school belonging, and discipline problems. School climate variables explained significant amounts of variance in all criterion variables, after controlling for prior GPA, and there were no moderating effects of parent or friend support. Cluster analyses revealed one small group (n = 14) of highly vulnerable youth who were the least adjusted, most victimized, and least supported. Implications for teachers, counselors, and future research are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 159–172, 2005.     

Vulnerability to Bullying: Teacher-reported conduct and emotional problems,hyperactivity, peer relationship difficulties,and prosocial behaviour in primary school children

Twenty five class teachers completed a "Strengths and Difficulties" assessment for 523 children aged from 7 to 11 years of age. Children self-completed a 39-item "My Life in School" questionnaire. One third of the sample were self-reported victims of bullying behaviour. Boys with poor prosocial skills, emotional problems and general difficulties with social interaction, expression of emotion and hyperactivity were at greatest risk of being bullied. There was no significant effect of age. The data support previous research findings that gender influences the prevalence of bullying but not that younger children are more vulnerable. This study provides new evidence that teachers recognise social behaviour and interactions that can significantly affect whether primary school children are bullied.     

Predictors of primary schoolteachers’ behavioural intention to teach students demonstrating inappropriate behaviour in regular classrooms

This study examined the relationships between primary schoolteachers’ attitudes, efficacy beliefs and perceived support and their behavioural intentions in regard to teaching students who display inappropriate behaviour in regular classrooms. Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was used to guide the conceptual framework of the study. A total of 1090 teachers from 263 government primary schools located in urban, suburban and rural areas of one educational region of Bangladesh were surveyed. Hierarchical regression was utilized to analyse data. Results revealed that attitudes and efficacy beliefs were significant predictors of teachers’ behavioural intentions in teaching students who exhibit inappropriate behaviour. The three predictive variables (attitudes, efficacy beliefs and perceived support) accounted for 59% of the variance in teachers’ intentions. The findings of the study indicate possible implications for policymakers and teacher educators in Bangladesh.     

Pupils’ perceptions of bullying and disruptions to concentration and attention to school work

It is well known that many pupils are bullied and suffer in a variety of ways as a result. This study looks at a largely overlooked outcome of bullying that may have direct consequences for academic success – disrupted concentration and attention to school work. Using pupil perceptions as the source of data, the two main aims were to quantify the proportion of pupils affected by bullying in this way, and to solicit their views on possible solutions. Subsidiary aims were to test for gender and school year differences in these variables. Among the 485 participants as a whole, only modest levels of disruptions attributable to bullying were evident but more disturbing was the finding that on nine out of eleven separate questions, around one in twenty pupils reported that this happened ‘lots of times’. The most common solutions provided by pupils to help children affected in this way involved:

1. helping them feel safe from bullying in class;

2. reminding them to disclose/seek help if they are bullied;

3. encouraging teachers to be supportive of victims of bullying;

4. encouraging teachers to be on the look out for signs that pupils have been bullied; and

5. using social support from other pupils.

No significant sex or school year differences were found.     

Pre‐service teachers’ intention to adopt mobile learning: A motivational model

This study proposes a model for determining preservice teachers’ intentions to adopt mobile learning from a motivational perspective. Data were collected from 276 preservice teachers and analyzed by structural equation modeling. A model capable of explaining 87% of the variance in preservice teachers’ intention to adopt mobile learning was developed. According to this model, preservice teachers’ attitudes and cognitive needs have an influence on their behavioral intention while their affective and social needs do not. 1 1 The fourth sentence of the Abstract has been edited to align it to the Discussion section following the re‐analysis.
Their social needs are influenced by their affective and cognitive needs. In addition, affective needs have an influence on their cognitive needs. Therefore, focusing on mobile learning's practices and their roles in preservice teacher training are important to develop effective ICT course contents.     

Children's Attitudes and Behavioural Intentions Towards Peers with Disabilities

This study used the theory of reasoned action to investigate determinants of primary school children's attitudes and behavioural intentions towards peers with physical disabilities. The influence of children's own attitudes toward working with peers with physical disabilities in regular classes and subjective norms provided by their teachers, principals, and parents were used to predict behavioural intentions to befriend and interact with classmates with physical disabilities. The participants were 143 fourth and fifth grade primary school students, their mothers, teachers, and school principals. The students completed an attitude questionnaire and a behavioural intention scale. Their parents, teachers, and principals completed a similar disability attitude questionnaire. The results supported the predictions made by the theory of reasoned action. Children's own attitudes towards the inclusion of peers with disabilities was the strongest predictor of behavioural intentions to interact with a classmate with a physical disability. The attitudes of teachers, principals, and parents were also significant predictors of intentions. However, only the attitudes of parents and school principals accounted for any more variance than children's attitudes alone. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of developing whole class interventions to promote the social integration of children with physical disabilities.     

Expressed Readiness of Australian Schoolchildren to Act as Bystanders in Support of Children who are Being Bullied

Promoting interventive action on the part of student bystanders witnessing peer victimisation is currently seen as a promising way of reducing bullying in schools. A video depicting bullying in the presence of bystanders was viewed by late primary (n = 200) and early secondary school students (n = 200). Some 43% of the students indicated that they were likely to help the victim. Questionnaires were employed to assess student attitudes towards victims, beliefs about the expectations of parents, friends, and teachers, perceived self‐efficacy, and social desirability response set. Multiple regression analysis identified as significant predictors of expressed intention to intervene: attending primary school, having rarely or never bullied others, having (reportedly) previously intervened, positive attitude to victims, and believing that parents and friends (but not teachers) expected them to act to support victims. Implications for action to reduce bullying in schools are discussed.     

Teacher intention to transfer ICT training when integrating digital technologies in education: The teacher transfer of ICT training model (TeTra-ICT)

The aim of this study is to propose a new structural model for how teachers transfer their ICT training (TeTra-ICT), shedding light on the factors that tend to affect their intention to integrate digital technologies in educational practices as well as train their colleagues. The proposed model exploits training programme design characteristics and ICT-related individual factors. A total of 117 new ICT instructors for primary and secondary education teachers in Greece were evaluated. The instructors participated in a national Teacher Training Programme on applying ICT in education. Results indicate significant effects of individual (ICT-related self-efficacy in teaching) and programme design characteristics (platform's ease of use, support, content, and resources) on the teachers' final motivation and intention to transfer their ICT knowledge and skills. The model also reveals significant correlations between individual and training characteristics, the teachers' post-training self-efficacy for transferring skills and their perception of the usefulness of the training programme. The examined constructs explain 86% of the variance in teacher intentions to transfer their ICT knowledge and skills, and 72% of their perception of the usefulness of the training programme. Interestingly, while there were no gender differences in individual ICT-related characteristics, women expressed significantly higher values than men in their perception of the usefulness of training, self-efficacy, motivation, and intention to transfer.     

Relationships among burnout, social support, and negative mood regulation expectancies of elementary school teachers in Korea

The purposes of this study are as follows: (1) to determine whether burnout among elementary school teachers in Korea differs on selected demographic variables, (2) to investigate the relationship between burnout and negative mood regulation expectancies, as an internal variable, and social support, as an external variable, and (3) to examine the relative effects of these two variables on burnout. As regards burnout differences according to grades under their charge, upper-grade teachers reported experiencing a greater degree of burnout than lower-grade teachers. In particular, a significant difference was found in depersonalization. With respect to the relationships among burnout, social support, and negative mood regulation expectancies, perceived social support in general was associated with a lowered degree of burnout, while negative mood regulation expectancies correlated negatively with burnout. Furthermore, negative mood regulation expectancies, as an internal variable, affected burnout more than social support, as an external variable. This finding suggests that burnout can be alleviated by controlling negative mood regulation expectancies, and therefore, intervention efforts, such as counseling, continuing education, or training programs designed to enhance teachers’ negative mood regulation expectancies, could benefit teachers in reducing their burnout.     

“I feel I mean something to someone”: solution-focused brief therapy support groups for bullied schoolchildren

The aim of this study was to investigate how bullied schoolchildren experience solution-focused brief therapy support groups, and to examine how members of the support group experience their participation in the group. An explorative qualitative design, with individual and focus group interviews, was used. The sample consisted of 19 schoolchildren, aged 12–13 years, three of whom were bullied. Six individual interviews were conducted with the bullied children and three focus group interviews were held with the support groups. The bullied children reported that the bullying stopped after they received help from the support group and the improvements remained after three months. Their daily lives at school changed and they felt safer and happier and made friends. Members of the support groups reported that they were doing a meaningful job in helping the victims. It is important that school nurses, educational psychologists and teachers, together with parents, follow up bullied children, to prevent further bullying.     

The Role of Emotion Regulation in the Social Problems of Boys With Developmental Delays

Parents and teachers reported that 6- to 8-year-old boys with developmental delays were less able to regulate their emotions than nondelayed boys matched on chronological age. Compared to nondelayed boys, boys with developmental delays had more social problems, which persisted and increased over a 3-year period. Children's ability to regulate their emotions explained significant variance in their social problems after controlling for their developmental status. In addition, emotion regulation partially mediated the relationship between children's developmental status and their social problems. These results suggest that emotion regulation plays a significant role in the social problems of boys with developmental delays. Furthermore, increasing the emotional competence of these children may facilitate their peer relationships and, ultimately, their school adjustment.     

Predicting teachers' intentions to implement school-based assessment using the theory of planned behaviour

The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was used to explore the Hong Kong teachers' intentions to implement school-based assessment (SBA) and the predictors of those intentions. A total of 280 teachers from Hong Kong secondary schools who had been involved in SBA were surveyed. Rasch-calibrated teacher measures were calculated for each of the 6 variables – affective and instrumental attitude, subjective norm, self-efficacy, knowledge, and intention – regarding SBA. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that instrumental attitude and self-efficacy made significant contributions to predicting intentions to implement SBA. These 2 predictors explained 55.2% of the variance in intentions. The other 3 variables, that is, affective attitude, subject norm, and knowledge, did not have significant predictive power on the formation of intentions to implement SBA. Possible explanations and implications of the findings are discussed.     

The contributions of teachers’ educational interest and relational goals to instructional quality and student interest in mathematics classrooms

This longitudinal study examined the relative importance of two key facets of mathematics teachers’ motivation (educational interest, relational goals) for student-reported instructional quality (cognitive activation, social relatedness, relevance support, rule clarity) and student mathematics interest. The sample comprised 50 mathematics teachers and their students (n = 959) from 30 secondary schools. There were three waves of data collection: at the beginning of the ninth grade (Time 1), at the beginning of the tenth grade (Time 2), and in the middle of the tenth grade (Time 3). Teacher motivation was assessed using both self-assessments and student reports, the remaining variables were based only on student reports. Multilevel structural equation analyses revealed for teachers’ Time 1 self-reported educational interest significant class-level effects on Time 2 instructional practices (i.e., cognitive activation and relevance support). The hypothesized effect of teachers’ Time 1 relational goals on Time 2 social relatedness was found to be significant only at the individual student level. In contrast, at the class level, only teachers’ Time 1 self-reported educational interest contributed significantly and indirectly to Time 3 student mathematics interest via Time 2 cognitive activation. In addition, we observed a cross-level indirect effect of Time 1 teachers’ class-level self-reported educational interest on Time 3 student-level mathematics interest mediated by Time 2 student-level relevance support. Overall, the results contribute to research aimed at identifying and comparing the unique effects of teacher motivation facets on instructional practices and student outcomes.     

Teacher-targeted bullying and harassment in Australian schools: a challenge to teacher wellbeing

Abstract

This article sets out discursive issues surrounding bullying and harassment against teachers. This problematic phenomenon of teachers being bullied by students does not have the discursive policy framework to realistically and even-handedly enable discussion in the public arena or political and policy environments. This discussion chronicles our journey towards greater conceptual clarity and appropriate nomenclature about bullying and harassing behaviours directed against teachers. International studies have identified teacher-targeted bullying by students as a real and detrimental issue for teacher wellbeing. We present a sampling of international research that grapples with the challenge of defining the phenomenon of teachers as targets of intentional bullying and harassment by students. We consider Australian studies conducted in the past twenty years that address teachers’ perceptions of being bullied. Finally, we propose that this phenomenon is likely to continue until there is sufficient support to start a cultural shift towards more respectful treatment of teachers.     

The Role of Emotion Regulation in the Social Problems of Boys With Developmental Delays

Parents and teachers reported that 6- to 8-year-old boys with developmental delays were less able to regulate their emotions than nondelayed boys matched on chronological age. Compared to nondelayed boys, boys with developmental delays had more social problems, which persisted and increased over a 3-year period. Children's ability to regulate their emotions explained significant variance in their social problems after controlling for their developmental status. In addition, emotion regulation partially mediated the relationship between children's developmental status and their social problems. These results suggest that emotion regulation plays a significant role in the social problems of boys with developmental delays. Furthermore, increasing the emotional competence of these children may facilitate their peer relationships and, ultimately, their school adjustment.     

A model for preservice teachers’ intentions to use ICT in future lessons†

This study proposes a model for determining preservice teachers’ intentions to use information and communication technology (ICT) in future lessons. Data were collected from 21 preservice teachers via interview in the first stage of the study and from 2904 preservice teachers from 16 different universities via a designed scale in the second stage of the study. Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling. A model capable of explaining 85% of variance in preservice teachers’ intentions to use ICT in their future lessons was developed. Perceived usefulness (PU) was seen to have the highest influence on their intentions, while facilitating conditions, social influence, and anxiety had a low direct effect. In addition, these factors were found to have a high indirect influence on intention through other factors such as PU, perceived ease-of-use, and efficacy.

Abbreviations: ICT: information and communication technology; M: mean; SD: standard deviation; SEM: structural equation modeling     

Discrepancies in judging social inclusion and bullying of pupils with behaviour problems

This study focuses on the social position and the degree of being bullied of pupils with behaviour problems fully included in regular education and on their teachers’ assessments on social integration and bullying. The study sample consisted of 25 9–12‐year‐old pupils with behaviour problems and their peers without special needs participating in full‐time regular education in the north of The Netherlands. Data gathering was performed using pupil and teacher questionnaires and a sociometric test. Results indicate that compared to their peers without special educational needs (SEN), the pupils with behaviour problems in this study were included less socially. The study further shows that about half the teachers participating in the study have a too positive view on the social position of these pupils. These teachers tend to seriously underestimate both the frequency with which pupils are being bullied and the frequency with which these pupils actively bully their peers.     

Peer mentorship: a powerful buffer against those with legitimate right and power to bully subordinates

ABSTRACT

We used collective analytical autoethnography (CAAE) to investigate experiences of academic bullying and mobbing in our study. Specifically, four autoethnographers shared and analyzed personal experiences of being mobbed and bullied, described their perceptions of workplace bullying, its manifestations, and explored the emotional, social, psychological and career consequences associated with being bullied and mobbed at work. In addition, the autoethnographers reflected on different resources used to cope with mobbing and bullying experiences and revealed – peer mentorship and social support – as instrumental in helping them cope with both the physical and emotional distresses associated with the bullying and mobbing experiences. Implications from the findings and suggestions for future research are also presented.     

Perceived autonomy support and autonomous motivation toward mathematics activities in educational and out-of-school contexts is related to mathematics homework behavior and attainment

We adopted a trans-contextual model of motivation to examine the processes by which school students' perceived autonomy support (defined as students' perceptions that their teachers' support their autonomous or self-determined motivation) and autonomous forms of motivation (defined as motivation to act out of a sense of choice, ownership, and personal agency) toward mathematics activities in an educational context predict autonomous motivation and intentions toward mathematics homework, and actual mathematics homework behavior and attainment, as measured by homework grades, in an out-of-school context. A three-wave prospective study design was adopted. High-school students (N = 216) completed self-report measures of perceived autonomy support and autonomous forms of motivation toward mathematics activities in school in the first wave of data collection. One-week later, participants completed measures of autonomous forms of motivation, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions with respect to mathematics homework outside school. Students' self-reported homework behavior and homework grades from students' class teachers were collected 5-weeks later. A structural equation model supported model hypotheses. Perceived autonomy support and autonomous forms of motivation toward mathematics activities in school were related to autonomous forms of motivation toward mathematics homework outside of school. Autonomous forms of motivation toward mathematics homework predicted intentions to do mathematics homework mediated by attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Intentions predicted self-reported mathematics homework behavior and mathematics homework grades. Perceived autonomy support and autonomous forms of motivation toward mathematics in school had statistically significant indirect effects on mathematics homework intentions mediated by the motivational sequence of the model. Results provide preliminary support for the model and evidence that autonomous motivation toward mathematics activities in the classroom is linked with autonomous motivation, intention, behavior and actual attainment in mathematics homework outside of school.