Recognizing and Combating Bullying: A Qualitative Study of Teachers’ Perspectives

This study delves into the pivotal role of teachers in identifying and mitigating bullying incidents. Eleven educators, predominantly women, from a high school in central Italy, aged between 47 and 63, participated in the study. Using semi-structured interviews, the research aimed to explore insights, knowledge, and experiences pertaining to bullying and its management. Inductive thematic analysis was employed to discern primary themes and their sub-themes. The study identified nine main themes: (1) Personal experience with bullying manifestations within the school; (2) Perception of the phenomenon and its characteristics; (3) Coping and management of the phenomenon; (4) Training received regarding bullying and its management; (5) Self-efficacy in dealing with the phenomenon; (6) Knowledge and implementations of inclusion practices; (7) Knowledge and implementation of anti-bullying interventions; (8) Personal experience with assault from student to teachers; (9) Post-Covid bullying situation. The findings underscore a troubling trend among participants, revealing a skewed understanding of the phenomenon characterized by misconceptions and biases. Positive aspects emerged, including recognition of bullying as a serious issue, awareness of teachers’ role in intervention in bullying and in discussing its causes, awareness of the need for more targeted training and recognition of the importance of inclusion. However, two detrimental aspects that legitimized bullying stood out: disengagement from teacher responsibility to intervene and justification of students’ bullying behavior. Additionally, teachers frequently found themselves ill-equipped to address bullying effectively and used insufficient and ineffective strategies.