Toward a More Comprehensive Understanding of Bullying in School Settings

Abstract

The phenomenon of bullying has received a great deal of international attention in the last few decades. In this article, we provide a critical review of some of the major contributions from the field of educational research. We first provide an overall description of the classic concept of bullying, including certain characteristics of bullies and victims that have received particular attention, and then describe what we consider to be the principal limitations of these predominant academic and professional discourses. These include the following three concerns: (1) the restrictive definition employed, (2) a pathologizing bully-victim dichotomy, and (3) a gender-blind or at best genderessentialist approach to gender difference. Finally, we propose a conceptual shift toward a more comprehensive understanding that is based, in part, on constructivist and poststructuralist perspectives on gender.

Teachers negotiating discourses of gender (in) equality: the case of equal opportunities reform in Andalusia

“…She starts by complaining about the lack of awareness about inequality. In our study it seems particularly noteworthy that one of the ways in which the strategy of "visualization" is used is by complaining about teachers' lack of awareness of gender equality, as when (Carrera, Depalma and Lameiras, 2011;Santamaría et al 2013;Verdonk et al 2009). This strategy, gender blindness, is one of the most widely used by groups who undertake active gender policies, presenting different points of view or "voices", which come into conflict on subjects of gender equality.…”

“…The women's movement seeks to promote gender consciousness through collective actions to improve women's position in society (Liss, et al 2001;Reid and Purcell 2004). A substantial body of research has focused on gender training and awareness for teachers as a crucial factor for promoting favorable changes towards equality between men and women (Carrera, Depalma and Lameiras 2011;Verdonk et al 2009). Rebollo, et al (2011) found a wide repertoire of strategies for doing gender at school settings, with the use of argumentation with forms of theoretical and practical reasoning being more widespread when they want "people to join the cause".…”

Propuestas teóricas en la investigación sobre acoso escolar: una revisión

“…Bullying, as identified by researchers, differsqualitatively and quantitatively-from that of parents, teachers and especially students, who tend to perceive a lower incidence rate, not to distinguish between forms or types of aggression, and/or to exclude those types that are more indirect in nature (Carrera et al, 2011;Law, Shapka, Hymel, Olso, & Waterhouse, 2012, Stassen, 2007. Therefore, the first step in any intervention should be to inform and raise awareness of the nature of bullying, placing particular emphasis on covert forms of aggression.…”

“…The early research distinguished bullying behavior carried out by a group (mobbing) from that produced by a single individual (bullying) (Olweus, 1993), a distinction that today is ignored. Internationally, but not without some controversy (see Carrera et al, 2011), the term "bullying" now groups the studies on peer harassment or victimization, as shown in databases such as the American Psychological Association Database. However, the differing terms that name this reality in different countries may be considered as not only linguistic differences, but cultural, describing similar phenomena with a different incidence rate (Nansel et al, 2004) and local features (Carrera et al, 2011;Lee, 2011).…”

“…The starting point of current international research is a more precise and relatively accepted definition of bullying, which considers it as: a) a subtype of violence, physical and/or psychological, that is intentional and systematic, and not provoked by the victim, b) a relationship of dominion/submission, or asymmetric power relationship, characterized by an imbalance of power between the bully, who abuses his power, and the victim, who cannot stop the aggressions (Carrera, DePalma, & Lameiras, 2011;Ombudsman, 2007;Salmivalli, 2010;Stassen, 2007). However, there are three basic problems with this definition, which directly affect the study of the incidence, and indirectly, the study of the causes and consequences of harassment.…”