Teachers as targets of bullying by their students in Maltese primary schools

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the problem of bullying amongst full-time teachers by their students. Specifically, it investigated the incidence of bullying, its nature, its frequency, bullying location and the attitudes of teachers concerning bullying by students. This study also investigated whether the problem occurs mostly among state primary school teachers or church and independent primary school teachers. A questionnaire survey was carried out on a sample of 329 teachers, of whom 204 teachers were from state schools, 83 teachers were from church schools and 42 teachers were from independent schools. A questionnaire was constructed and administered by the present writers to gather the necessary data both throughout teachers' professional career as well as throughout their experience in one particular scholastic year. Present findings show that teachers in primary state schools experience more bully-abuse than teachers in church and independent schools. In fact, the frequency of teachers who admitted to being bully-abused by their students throughout their professional career in state schools was 38.2 percent, 20.5 percent in church schools and 4.8 percent in independent schools. With regard to being bullied in one particular scholastic year, the percentage of teachers teaching in state schools was 25 percent, 18. l percent in church schools and only 2.4 percent of teachers in independent schools.