Through the Lens of Experience

Abstract

Identity-based bullying encompasses physical and verbal aggression rooted in unique traits such as race and gender, particularly within school contexts. Extensive literature underscores its detrimental impact on the well-being of victimized youth. Teachers' pivotal role in intervening is acknowledged, though a gap exists between incident rates and interventions, partly attributed to educators' misperception of bullying occurrences. Through the lens of social identity theory, which examines how individuals identify themselves, this study investigated whether teachers' past experiences in bullying-related roles shape their perceptions and interventions, influenced by contextually salient social identities triggered by situational cues. Additionally, the study explored how empathy and victim blaming may enhance or weaken this relationship, respectively. Data were collected through a self-administered online survey, where teachers provided demographic information and were randomly assigned one of five identity-based peer exclusion scenarios. After a manipulation check, 941 participants ranked and answered questions assessing perceptions and responses to the scenario, including variables like seriousness, responsibility, empathy, victim blaming, and intervention likelihood. Participants' bullying-related roles were self-reported based on a section where they described their role as a witness, defender, bully, or victim during their school years. Contrary to our hypothesis, there are unexpected findings on teachers' response with prior experience as victims. Furthermore, bullying-related roles were not moderated by empathy and victim-blaming, with one exception. Overall, the findings from this study allows us to comprehensively understand these dynamics, which in turn inform strategies that optimize teacher interventions and foster a supportive environment for students' growth and well-being.