An Exploratory Study of Student, Parent, and Teacher Perspectives of Bullying

Bullying is a significant problem encountered by children and young people, to the extent that it is now a global concern. Understanding the perspectives of individuals involved in bullying is important in enacting prevention and intervention efforts towards both traditional and cyber forms of bullying. The study’s objective is to understand the context of bullying and to determine which factors can contribute to preventative measures and policies capable of tackling such bullying. The study has consisted of two phases. The main study (Phase One) was conducted in relation to Turkey and pertained to the perspectives of teachers, parents, and students towards bullying and its prevention. Semistructured interviews were conducted with fifty-seven Turkish participants (students: 20, Parents: 20, Teachers: 17). The respondents were asked to explain their understanding of what defines bullying and different forms of bullying, alongside their perspectives on possible strategies through which to decrease bullying behaviour in schools. The second section (Phase Two) focused specifically on the issue of bullying awareness and prevention, and to complement the data collected in Turkey derived its data from social media to gain an overview of the perspectives of native English-speaking individuals. This social media data related specifically to bullying prevention to facilitate meeting of the project’s primary objectives. A qualitative design, using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, was employed to explore the research participants’ perceptions of bullying and anti-bullying strategies and mechanisms within school settings. Six main themes were identified through the process of analysis: (1) Definitions of Bullying and Differentiated Bullying Types, (2) Characteristics of Bullies, (3) Characteristics of Victims and Bully-Victims, (4) Reasons for Bullying Involvement, (5) Bullying Interventions and (6) Prevention Strategies. The study highlighted that there is limited knowledge and awareness as to the problem of bullying in the Turkish context, with difficulty being encountered by the participants in defining bullying. The results show that a desire for power, a personality of the person and the role of the family are the primary reasons for bullying involvement. Finally, it is recommended that there is a need for education among students, their parents and teachers as to the issue of bullying in Turkey, that utilises the wider evidence on bullying, but also has culturally specific aspects to account for the local context.