School staff perspective of bullying in special schools: types, frequency and self-efficacy

Thesis

Bullying is not a new phenomenon but an education and health priority. Extensive literature suggests that bullying manifests in different forms and has negative consequences on children. Accordingly, anti-bullying programs have been developed. However, the existing evidence has primarily focused on mainstream schools, and only a few studies have been conducted with children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in special schools. Therefore, the present study examines bullying in special schools and how special school staff feel when dealing with bullying. These insights could better inform the development of anti-bullying programs or bullying training specifically designed for learners or school staff in special schools. A mixed method design was adopted to address four research questions: (1) What are the types and frequencies of bullying behaviours observed in special schools? Do they differ by age group? (2) What levels of self-efficacy are seen in special school staff, in relation to dealing with bullying? Are there any differences when considering school staff of different roles? (3) Is the self-efficacy of special school staff associated with demographic factors? (4) What are the driving forces for children with SEND to target others, with negative behaviours? The quantitative component included 72 school staff sampled from special schools across the United Kingdom, and the qualitative component included seven school staff (two school staff participating in two separate interviews and five school staff participating in a focus group). Results showed that physical, verbal, relational and pupil to- staff bullying were evident in special schools. Verbal bullying was found to be most prevalent, and most bullying happened in the age group 12- to 14-years-old. Besides, special school staff had high self-efficacy about dealing with bullying, with a t-test showing no difference between classroom and non-classroom staff. The chi-square tests showed a significant association between high self-efficacy and receiving bullying training, but not gender or years of work. Finally, children with SEND bully others for both intentional and unintentional reasons. All findings were compared with the documented mainstream school bullying findings. Limitations of the present study included convenience sampling, lack of children’s self-measure, and dichotomous coding. Future research is suggested to better adapt bullying scales for children’s self-report, to include more variables, and to examine underlying self-efficacy factors. An understanding of bullying from special school staff perspective provides insights for developing new anti-bullying programs that are specifically relevant to the special school context. This study also highlights the need to mandate bullying training in schools and to re-define bullying, inclusive to children with SEND.

Authors: Lee, W

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-kzv2x9pgv
• Type of award: MSc taught course
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: CDE; school staff; special school; CDE2024; bullying; self-efficacy; special needs; mixed method design; interview; focus group; questionnaire
• Subjects: Education; Focus groups; Self-efficacy; Bullying; Special education schools; Mixed methods research