Bullying in Italian schools: the role of perceived teacher unfairness

Abstract

The principal aim of the study is to examine the role of perceived teacher unfairness in predicting bullying behaviour. Data were taken from the “Health Behaviour in School Aged Children” (HBSC) project, a cross-sectional survey investigating health behaviours among early adolescents in selected European countries. Bullying behaviour (bully, victim, and bully/victim), perceived teacher unfairness and others confounding factors were measured through a self-administered questionnaire filled out by a representative sample of 4,386 (48.4% males) Italian students (11, 13 and 15 years old). Covariates included demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, school performance and other psychological factors. After adjusting for age and gender, teacher unfairness showed a significant association with being a bully (OR=1.59; CI = 1.40-1.80) and a bully or victim (OR = 1.47; CI = 1.21-1.78). This relationship remained significant after additional adjustment for several potential confounding factors. Results show that characteristics of the school setting such as teacher unfairness can be significant predictors of involvement in bullying behaviour among early adolescents

Perceived Teacher Unfairness, Instrumental Goals, and Bullying Behavior in Early Adolescence

“…Consistent with previous studies (Santinello et al, 2011;Vieno et al, 2011b) and our hypotheses, perceived teacher unfairness positively related to bullying. This link can be explained according to a social ecological perspective: Perceptions of unfair treatment by teachers may support the notion that unfair and disrespectful behaviors are accepted within the classroom environment.…”

“…Moreover, teachers’ acts of unfair treatment might also result in their loss of legitimacy as an authority figure (Tyler & Lind, 1992), thus making aggressive and deviant behaviors in schools more difficult to control (Chory-Assad & Paulsel, 2004; Santinello, Vieno, & De Vogli, 2011; Vieno, Gini, Santinello, Lenzi, & Nation, 2011). A desire for fair treatment from the authority can be explained by an instrumental perspective (Leventhal, 1980)—opportunities to perceive that one’s own opinion is heard gives control over one’s life.…”

Forms of Bullying and Associations Between School Perceptions and Being Bullied Among Finnish Secondary School Students Aged 13 and 15

“…Gardella et al (2019) stated that if students were favoured by teachers, they were more likely victimised. Santinello et al (2010) found an association between bullying and teacher unfairness was found with students who bullied others but not with victims of bullying. However, as they stated, teachers should provide students with a model of fair treatment.…”

Short-term longitudinal relationships between adolescents’ (cyber)bullying perpetration and bonding to school and teachers

“…For prevention programs that target cyberbullying, the results indicate that increasing individuals' bonding to teachers might be a suitable strategy to prevent cyberbullying. Research on traditional bullying already shows that bullying rates in classes are lower when teachers' and school's rules and actions are perceived to be fair (Santinello, Vieno, & Vogli, 2011), when school discipline is enforced, and when the teacher has a caring attitude (Gregory et al, 2010). Good student-teacher relations can be enhanced by techniques such as proactive classroom management, whereby a supportive classroom and school environment is created that allows students to take ownership of rules, encourages student involvement in decision-making, and uses cooperative learning and peer tutoring (Berryhill & Prinz, 2003;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009).…”