Teachers’ perspectives on school bullying: insights from two primary schools in Cape Town

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers‟ perspectives on school bullying with insights from two primary schools in Cape Town. The topic of „bullying‟ is not a new one in research; however this study investigated the factors affecting teachers‟ perspectives on school bullying and how these perspectives affect the way teachers responded to incidents of bullying. The concepts of habitus, capital and field were used to provide a theoretical lens through which to examine the topic. The study was based on a small sample of 31 teachers drawn from two primary schools. The study employed a mixed-method approach in which quantitative and qualitative principles were applied. The study consisted of two phases in which data collection took place. The first was a questionnaire, while the second involved interviews. The application of two data- collecting instruments helped to ensure triangulation, thereby enhancing the credibility of the process. Findings indicated that teachers have various conceptions of bullying; this is partly determined by their gender, but also by the way in which they grew up and experienced bullying themselves as children.