Secondary Pupils' Experiences of Name-calling Behaviour

Studies carried out in Scandinavia and the UK have identified name-calling as highly problematic for young people. The research described in this paper, conducted by Peer and School Counsellors, examines name-calling behaviour through the personal accounts of first-year pupils in a secondary school. Moving on from anonymous questionnaires, discourse analysis of individual interviews is shown to reveal the dilemma for those most vulnerable. Parental advice and primary school experience affect the repertoire of pupils' responses adopted, with varying degrees of success, in secondary school.