Students who bully and their perceptions of teacher support and monitoring

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess students who bully and their perception of the emotional support, monitoring and instructional support offered by their teachers. Although research on bullying has increased over the past few decades, research on students who bully and their perceptions of their teachers’ support and monitoring is scarce. Moreover, few if any studies of these associations consider the nested structure (students nested within classrooms) of the data. Teachers are assumed to have a key role in combating bullying; therefore, the quality of the relationship between teachers and students who bully is highly relevant. Data were collected from students in 85 classrooms in ten schools in Norway using a web‐based questionnaire. A total of 1,571 students in grades 5 to 10 (ages 10–15) participated. Multilevel modelling revealed a negative association between reports of bullying other students and the emotional and instructional support the students who bullied received from their teachers when controlling for grade level, gender and individual‐ and classroom‐level off‐task behaviour. No differences were found among students with regard to their perception of teacher monitoring. The weak emotional relationship may affect teachers’ authority in the eyes of students who bully and may affect teachers’ ability to stop bullying. In light of the serious long‐term consequences of bullying, the negative association between bullying behaviour and the perception of teachers’ instructional support is of concern. The practical implications of the findings are discussed.