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Cited by 40Bullying, Victimization, and AggressionWorkplace Violence and BullyingLegal Issues in Education

The power of the word: students’ and school staff’s use of the established bullying definition.

Open access
Eriksen, Ingunn Marie·2018·Educational Research
DOI 10.1080/00131881.2018.1454263
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Abstract

BackgroundPrevious research has found that bullying is often defined differently by students, staff and researchers, leading researchers to call for a more consistent use of the term in practice to enable better intervention and measurement. However, little is known about the consequences of a more consistent use of the term in school.PurposeThe article examines the consequences of schools adopting an exact definition of bullying.SampleTwenty Norwegian primary and lower secondary schools were selected from a survey (n = 455). The schools were characterised by a strong culture of bullying prevention, and their staff and students knew and used the same authoritative bullying definition. Four schools were then selected for closer ethnographic study.Design and methodsInterviews were conducted with students, teachers, support staff and school management. The interviews were analysed qualitatively, using a grounded theory approach.ResultsFor school staff, the term ‘bullying’ was construed as rigid and possessing an inherent power that is manifested through the way the term controls adults’ actions. Teachers viewed students’ use of the term as too wide. They emphasised the need to teach students the established definition, as students’ overuse of the term may lead to the word’s diminishing impact for those who are in real need of help. Nevertheless, many of the educators stated that few students report bullying. Both school staff and students displayed a sense of certainty when identifying what counts as bullying. Students’ recognition of the power of the word was apparent in the way they used the term as a tool for social positioning.ConclusionsBy way of the status of a bullying definition as an established, research-based definition, it gains a potent power for management, teachers and students. Its power lies in the fact that the use of the term gives rights and responsibilities, determines guilt and confers blame and status. Unwanted effects of a strict control of the bullying term may involve the risk of missing cases and the risk that students use the term as a tool in the power relations between the students themselves.

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Authors
Eriksen, I. M.
Affiliations
OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University (NO)
Corresponding author
Eriksen, Ingunn Marie
ORCID
Eriksen, Ingunn Marie
Venue
Educational Research
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2018-04-03
Volume
60
Issue
2
Pages
157-170
ISSN
  • 0013-1881 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-5847
DOI
10.1080/00131881.2018.1454263
OpenAlex
W2796299499
Cited by
40
References
43
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 4
FWCI
6.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • Educational Research (publishedVersion)
  • NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Workplace Violence and Bullying
  • Social Sciences › Law › Legal Issues in Education
Keywords
definition of bullying, bullying prevention, school bullying, power of the word, social positioning, teacher perceptions, school staff, bullying reporting, primary and lower secondary schools

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