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Towards an inclusive understanding of bullying: identifying conceptions and practice in the primary school workforce

Woolley, Richard

Authors



Abstract

Bullying is defined in a variety of ways in different contexts, and each individual school in England is required to develop its own working definition, parameters and policy. This paper explores a variety of definitions from government and third sector organisations in the UK, making comparison with those from other contexts. In particular, it considers whether bullying is repeated behaviour or experience, and how labels such as target, victim and perpetrator have the potential to damage individual identities. It highlights common themes and differences across definitions and interpretations, comparing them with those of staff (n =131) drawn from research in 16 schools in one large local authority area in England, detailing their conceptions and experiences of bullying. These staff identify whether, where and how bullying is encountered in their settings, how they address such issues, and whether there are particular stimuli on which they focus. It concludes that a redeveloped, clear and understandable definition of bullying is needed that is accessible to all stakeholders in schools, including children. This needs to be inclusive in its focus, unambiguous and applicable across a broad range of settings, leaving aside the historical baggage associated with the subject.

Citation

Woolley, R. (2019). Towards an inclusive understanding of bullying: identifying conceptions and practice in the primary school workforce. Educational review, 71(6), 730-747. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1471666

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Apr 27, 2018
Online Publication Date Jun 8, 2018
Publication Date Nov 2, 2019
Deposit Date Mar 3, 2023
Journal Educational Review
Print ISSN 0013-1911
Electronic ISSN 1465-3397
Publisher Routledge
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 71
Issue 6
Pages 730-747
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1471666
Keywords Bullying; Primary education; Teachers; School staff; Defining bullying
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4227749
Related Public URLs https://eprints.worc.ac.uk/6701/