Bullying problems in Lebanese private schools : teachers' and administrators' perceptions

النوع : Mémoire

The purpose of the research was to study teachers' and administrators' perceptio ns and attitudes towards the bullying problem, existing school policies and proc edures, and in-service training needs in a cluster of Lebanese private schools. Survey methodology and the key informant approach were used. Data was collected using questionnaires in English. The content validity of the instruments was est ablished by a preliminary pilot study. Copies of written school policies were co llected. The questionnaires included a variety of closed-ended and open-ended it ems. Data analysis involved the compilation of descriptive statistics and themat ic analysis respectively. The data indicated that Lebanese teachers showed a high level of awareness of wh at behaviors constitute bullying. Most recognize the existence of a bullying pro blem in their school, but do not regard it as a very serious one. Most schools i n the sample did not have a specific bullying policy but did have policies addre ssing bullying-related issues. Regarding teachers' and administrators' views tow ards teachers' responsibilities in dealing with the issue, nearly all teachers a nd administrators agreed that teachers play a crucial role in bullying preventio n and that they should intervene whenever they see bullying occurring. Teachers and administrators generally believed that they needed in-service training to de al with bullying. A series of recommendations is presented including a proposed outline for a professional development workshop on bullying.