What makes bullying complicated - teachers’ perceptions of bullying-related issues in school

Abstract

This paper examines what makes bullying challenging for teachers. We draw on scholarship that conceptualises bullying as a socially, culturally, and institutionally produced phenomenon, shaped by group dynamics, structural inequalities, and the material-discursive conditions of school life. The study investigates what teachers recognise as peer related challenges that fall outside the dominant psychology-driven definition of bullying. Using iterative group interviews with teachers and principals, the analysis explores how discourses, institutional practices, and social norms shape what becomes recognisable as bullying. The findings show that teachers understand bullying as emerging from intersecting social, cultural, and institutional dynamics—including societal inequities, tacit group norms, and exclusionary school practices. Yet available tools steer their practices toward an individualising approach, even as they recognise that viewing bullying through an individual lens is insufficient. The findings suggest that there is a need for bullying prevention approaches that recognise teachers as contextual and pedagogical experts.