Correlates of teachers' ways of handling bullying

Aggressive behaviors in schools and bullying behaviors amongst children are a serious problem in the school context. As a consequence of an aggressive atmosphere in the classroom, learning processes are disturbed and children are less likely to experience pleasure when attending school. Teachers face a big challenge as a result. As we know from previous research, teachers have different possibilities when handling incidents of aggressive behaviors and bullying in their classrooms. The present study sought to examine correlates (e.g. attitudes toward aggression) of ways of handling bullying in German teachers. Factor analysis indicated a two-factor solution with respect to ways of handling bullying (Factor 1: Ignoring vs. Taking Action, Factor 2: Attribution of Responsibility) and it was demonstrated that attitudes toward aggression and beliefs about the changeability of aggressive behaviors are correlates of the different strategies that teachers use. The implications for the school context and for teacher preparation are discussed.
Source: School Psychology International - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Articles Source Type: research