You Say Bully, I Say Bullied: School Culture and Definitions of Bullying in Two Elementary Schools

Abstract

This chapter examines the definitions of bullying used by students and adults in elementary schools and the effects that these definitions had within the broader school culture. Design/methodology/approach I combine interviews with 53 students and 10 adults and over 430 hours of participant observation with fifth grade students at two rural elementary schools. Findings Definitions of bullying held by those in these schools typically differed from those used by researchers. Even when individuals held definitions that were in line with those used by researchers, however, a focus on identifying bullies rather than on behaviors that fit definitions of bullying contributed to a school culture in which negative interactions were normalized and student reports of these behaviors were discouraged. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to two elementary schools in the rural Midwest and cannot be seen as representative of all schools. Support for my findings from other research combined with similar definitions and school cultures in both schools, however, suggest that these definitions and practices are part of a broader cultural context of bullying in the United States. Practical implications These findings suggest that schools might be better served by focusing less on labels like "bully" and more on particular behaviors that are to be taken seriously by students, teachers, staff members, and principals. Originality/value Although other researchers have studied definitions of bullying, none have combined these definitions with observational data on the broader school contexts in which those definitions are created and used.

Social Pedagogues’ Definitions Of Three Types Of Bullying

“…Also, present results among social pedagogues confirmed the tendency for teachers, parents, school staff members to focus on physical and verbal behaviours when they describe learner-on-learner bullying (e.g. Boulton, 1997;de Wet & Jacobs, 2013;Harger, 2016;Hazler, et al, 2001;Maunder et al, 2010;Monks & Smith, 2006;Naylor et al, 2006;Salehi et al, 2016;Sawyer et al, 2011;Siann et al, 1993).…”

“…Educators' (teachers and other school staff members) definitions of learner-on-learner bullying based on free-response methodology (Cheng, Chen, Ho, & Cheng, 2011) and qualitative methodology (De Wet & Jacobs, 2013;Harger, 2016;Lee, 2006) indicated familiarity with the definition of bullying used by researchers with some suggestions emerged from qualitative research that school bullying is an individual rather than a societal problem and solutions of this problem are within the bullies and the victims (De Wet & Jacobs, 2013).…”

To Tell or Not to Tell: Student Responses to Negative Behavior in Elementary School

“…The expansion of research beyond the traditional definition of bullying is also important because the definitions of bullying held by those in schools may differ from those used by researchers (Harger 2016). Although they use different terms, these approaches share the important recognition that negative interactions can take multiple forms including physical, verbal, and nonverbal behavior.…”

The power of the word: students’ and school staff’s use of the established bullying definition

“…Several studies have found that teachers experience difficulties in applying the definition of bullying (Ellwood and Davies 2010;Migliaccio 2015;Naylor et al 2006) and that they spend much time and effort on determining whether an incident is bullying (Allen 2015). Educators' definitions of bullying often differ from the definition commonly used by researchers (Chalmers et al 2016;Cheng et al 2011;Craig, Bell, and Leschied 2011;Harger 2016); likewise, staff and students' definitions also frequently differ (Maunder, Harrop, and Tattersall 2010;Naylor et al 2006). Many studies have found that students may construct and justify bullying victimisation as a consequence of the 'victim's' perceived difference from themselves (Forsberg 2017;Ryan and Morgan 2011;Thornberg 2011Thornberg , 2015.…”

“…Despite the ubiquitous nature of the established definition, a number of studies have found that researchers, teachers and students define the term 'bullying' differently, and staff and students do not necessarily adhere to the established definition most commonly used in research (Cheng et al 2011;Craig, Bell, and Leschied 2011;Harger 2016;Maunder, Harrop, and Tattersall 2010). However, little is known about the application and interpretation of the established version of the bullying definition by people who are differently situated in school.…”