Exploring Primary School Staff Responses to Student Reports of Bullying in Australia: A Qualitative Study

Bullying behaviour often increases in late childhood and peaks in early adolescence. While interventions to address bullying behaviour typically encourage students to report bullying incidents to school staff, students are often reluctant to report incidents for fear it will worsen their situation or because they lack confidence in a staff members’ ability to intervene effectively. This study explores school staff responses to student reports of bullying behaviour.

Citation:
Gizzarelli E, Burns S, Francis J. Exploring Primary School Staff Responses to Student Reports of Bullying in Australia: A Qualitative Study. Int J Bullying Prev. 2023;34(2):508-517

Keywords:
Bullying; Children; Policy; Qualitative; Schools; Teachers

Abstract:
Bullying behaviour often increases in late childhood and peaks in early adolescence. While interventions to address bullying behaviour typically encourage students to report bullying incidents to school staff, students are often reluctant to report incidents for fear it will worsen their situation or because they lack confidence in a staff members’ ability to intervene effectively. This study explores school staff responses to student reports of bullying behaviour.