Teachers’ perspective on bullying in the primary years

Abstract

The aim of this research was to find out how much primary school teachers understood about bullying and how severe they thought the issue of bullying was in their classrooms. The study also sought to determine how teachers perceived various facets of bullying. Ninety-three primary school teachers, encompassing Years 1 through 6, were randomly selected from the State school sector. In this quantitative investigation, a questionnaire served as the primary instrument. Additionally, a few semi-structured online interviews were also carried out. The findings indicate that primary school teachers are prepared to step in if they learn about bullying incidents. Nevertheless, results revealed that individuals tend to underestimate the severity of this issue in their schools and have a limited awareness of it. Also, even though educators are eager to intervene against bullying right away, they may lack the knowledge and expertise necessary to identify bullying behaviours and assess their severity. Therefore, in addition to increasing children's awareness of bullying, future anti-bullying initiatives should also train teachers to equip them with the essential knowledge and abilities needed to deal with the issue of bullying.