School teachers' perceptions of the bystanders' role in school bullying: A study in the Finnish context

Abstract

At school, teachers routinely evaluate and intervene in bullying incidents. To develop effective prevention plans and strategies and better tackle bullying, it is important to analyse the teachers' views. This small-scale qualitative study draws from teacher expertise to explore the bystander role. The perceptions of 10 teachers were investigated through semi-structured interviews. Using a phenomenological approach, the study revealed that students change roles during or even after the incident or in other incidents.Teachers noted that educating outsiders to become defenders in bullying situations is impossible without adequate parental involvement. In light of these findings, ideas for future intervention and prevention plans are presented.