Powerless or Powerful? Teachers' responses to bullying as perceived by students: measurement, antecedents, and effects

Bullying among children is a major problem in schools across the world, with a wide range of severe short- and long-term consequences for victimized students. At school, teachers are responsible for securing a safe learning environment. Although the role of teachers in bullying processes has received more attention recently, insight into student-perceived teachers’ responses to bullying, their antecedents, and their effects on bullying outcomes is scarce. To address these gaps, three studies were conducted, all using data of the Teachers4Victims (T4V) project’s longitudinal study. This three-wave study was conducted in 62 classes (Grade 4-6) among 1,051 Flemish elementary students and their 61 teachers. Adding to previous research, the students’ perspective of teachers’ responses to bullying was assessed, using the Teachers’ Responses to Bullying Questionnaire (TRBQ).
The first aim of this dissertation was to contribute to the valid measurement of teachers’ responses to bullying. This aim was addressed by performing a cross-sectional psychometric study (Chapter 2), which evaluated the validity of the TRBQ across the educational contexts of Belgium (n = 667) and Italy (n = 271; additional sample). The five expected teachers’ responses to bullying were found in the Italian and Belgian sample: Non-Intervention, Disciplinary Methods, Victim Support, Mediation, and Group Discussion. Moreover, measurement invariance analysis showed support for meaningful comparisons between teachers’ responses to bullying reported across educational contexts. Furthermore, Non-Intervention was associated with more self-reported bullying, while the other student-perceived teachers’ responses, except for Group Discussion, were associated with less self-reported bullying. Yet, no associations with peer-reported bullying were found.
The second aim of this dissertation was providing empirical evidence for theory-based antecedents of teachers’ responses to bullying. A longitudinal study (Chapter 3) showed that none of the investigated teachers’ bullying-related cognitions (i.e., perceived seriousness, empathy for the victimized student, attitudes, self-efficacy, and attribution of the bullying) were associated with any of the five student-perceived teachers’ responses to bullying over time. In addition, students’ perceptions of their teachers’ responses to bullying varied widely within classrooms and across the school year.
The third aim of this dissertation was to improve insight into the effects of student-perceived teachers’ responses on bullying outcomes. To contribute to the current inconclusive literature, a longitudinal person-centered study (Chapter 4) was conducted, in which three profiles of student-perceived teachers’ responses to bullying were found: Highly Active, Moderately Active, and Passive. Compared to the students’ perceptions in the other profiles, students who perceived their teacher as passive reported higher initial levels of self-reported bullying. No differences between the profiles were found regarding peer-reported bullying initially and over time.
The findings in this dissertation deepen our understanding of how students perceive their teachers’ responses to bullying and provide input for future research and educational practice. Hopefully, this dissertation contributes to make teachers powerful actors in the battle against bullying, so that ultimately the well-being of all children at school is improved.