Citation

Rigby K. Int. J. Sch. Educ. Psychol. 2018; 6(3): 165-175.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/21683603.2017.1314835

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

With the growing recognition of the serious problem of bullying in schools, attention is drawn to the gap between what is known through research about school-based bullying and what is being applied in schools. This article seeks to identify areas in which the beliefs of teachers about school bullying agree with, or diverge from, what has been claimed through research. To do so, a 40-item assessment questionnaire was devised based on a selection of published research findings and administered online to Australian teachers (N = 451).

RESULTS indicate substantial consensus (over 75% considered "correct") among teachers on answers to just over half the questions; on other questions, however, there were marked divisions, with many teachers endorsing beliefs that were at variance with claims made in research. Differences in overall knowledge of bullying were found to be significantly related to the sources of information being accessed. Implications for further research and teacher education are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

assessment; beliefs; bullying; knowledge; schools; teachers