Teachers' Interventions to In-Person Bullying and Cyberbullying Situations

Abstract

This dissertation comprises five chapters, and it is an article-based format that studies teachers’ needs and characteristics regarding bullying intervention. It is divided into two phases that are explained through the different chapters. Chapter One explains the problem's overall background and provides an introduction to the three papers presented in the next chapters. Chapter Two presents the First Phase of the dissertation, which provided information about teachers’ knowledge, concerns, and practice regarding bullying. Findings demonstrate that Idaho education professionals need training and resources to help them intervene appropriately, especially with cyberbullying. Chapter Three focuses on the following potential teachers’ characteristics affecting their likelihood of intervention: Perceived seriousness of the bullying situation, empathy towards victim, and self-efficacy to influence misbehaviors. The findings regarding this last characteristic have been controversial since different studies found contrast findings regarding its significance influencing teachers’ likelihood of intervention. The current research found that the seriousness and empathy were predictors for teachers’ intervention in both in-person bullying and cyberbullying in Idaho and the Basque Country, but teachers’ self-efficacy does not predict teachers’ intervention. Chapter Four introduces a new characteristic: teachers’ sexism, which appears to be a negative component for the bullying intervention. The higher the sexist attitude, the less bullying intervention. Finally, Chapter Five summarizes the three articles presented in this dissertation and provides overall conclusions.