A cross-cultural study examining support worker perceptions of youth bullying behaviour in educational settings: including school disciplinary methods and intervention strategies

The aim of this research was to examine the experiences and perceptions of support workers in the current sample from a cross-cultural perspective, as bullying research on an international level is lacking. Additionally, the realities and consequences of bullying behaviour for both the bully and the victim were explored. The study employed a phenomenological approach, with thematic analysis being the method used to analyse the 12 semi-structured asynchronous email interviews from participants from the United Kingdom (UK), South Africa (SA) and the United States of America (USA).

Key themes which emerged were the perceptions that bullies are dominant characters who are influenced by the media and may experience familial issues. Victims are perceived to be easy targets that experience severe and long lasting health and academic issues. Furthermore, perceptions revealed that educational staff are primarily untrained to deal with bullying incidents. Another key theme was the idea that simplistic strategies (i.e. punishment) are ineffective in comparison to ecological strategies (i.e. the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program). However, when questioned further, results reveal reserved support at best for the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. These themes are further discussed in relation to subthemes. One of the primary findings in the current study relates to the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, variations of the success of this program in different cultural settings may be accredited to cultural differences.

A key finding emerged as participants believe bullies suffer with interrupted concentration, however previous research indicates that only victims suffer with interrupted concentration. This is an important finding as it highlights an area that previous literature is lacking. This new finding could also be attributed to the changing nature of educational bullying behaviour.

Results are further explored in relation to previous literature, and interventions are applied and discussed in relation to individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Unearthing the antecedents and consequences of bullying behaviour can inform future intervention strategies which could reduce the overall prevalence of bullying.