Abstract
Learner-to-teacher bullying is a focus area that has not been widely researched. The current research, underpinned by the ecosystemic paradigm, examined the proportion of teachers who reported exposure to bullying by learners. The study was carried out by using the Learner-to-teacher Bullying Questionnaire developed for this research. Additionally, the potential effect that learner-to-teacher bullying may have on teachers’ experience of mental health was investigated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Questionnaire. In a convenience sample consisting of 153 public secondary school teachers in the Tshwane area, 62.1% of the teachers reported exposure to verbal bullying, 34.6% to physical bullying, 27% to indirect bullying, and 6.6% to cyber bullying. Mann-Whitney U Tests were performed and indicated significant differences in teachers’ mean anxiety and depression scores across the four types of learner-to-teacher bullying. Learner-to-teacher bullying can result in negative emotions, disempowerment, low morale, and low motivation of various roleplayers in the school system. It is thus of vital importance to protect teachers, create adequate resources to eliminate learner-to-teacher bullying, and work towards improving teachers’ mental health. Keywords : anxiety; depression; high school teachers; learner-to-teacher bullying; quantitative research; workplace bullying
Highlights
Bullying is a worldwide phenomenon that has received considerable attention over the past five decades (De Wet, 2011; Yahn, 2012). Yahn (2012:25) states that bullying is “not a static, finite set of behaviors; it is an adaptive response to social influences and ecologies.” bullying behaviour is seen as a recurring event, moving in a continuous cycle
In accordance with previous research (e.g. Özkılıç, 2012; Pervin & Turner, 1998; Terry, 1998), this study found that 39.9% of participants reported that learner-to-teacher bullying mostly occurs during class time, in the confined space of the classroom
Learner-to-teacher bullying is an area of international concern (Garrett, 2014)
Summary
Bullying is a worldwide phenomenon that has received considerable attention over the past five decades (De Wet, 2011; Yahn, 2012). Yahn (2012:25) states that bullying is “not a static, finite set of behaviors; it is an adaptive response to social influences and ecologies.” bullying behaviour is seen as a recurring event, moving in a continuous cycle. Bullying behaviour is seen as a recurring event, moving in a continuous cycle. The cycle starts with taunting, followed by testing, threatening, and intimidation, which can lead to violence (Rademeyer, 2008). Learner-to-teacher bullying has been studied since the late nineties (Pervin & Turner, 1998; Terry, 1998), this type of bullying has received minimal research attention in the national and international arena (De Wet, 2012). It has been “virtually absent from both public and political discourse in most countries, resulting in a chaotic piecemeal response from schools and governments” (Garrett, 2014:19). According to Garrett (2014), the first step in addressing the issue is to recognise learners bullying teachers as an international problem that requires global commitment, as opposed to a narrow focus on an individual teacher or school
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
