Teachers and Inclusive Practices Against Bullying: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

AbstractThe study investigates inclusivity practices and bullying management in a group of teachers. The study involved 18 volunteer teachers from upper secondary school in Italy (12 of them were women). They ranged in age from 33 to 66 years of age (M = 44.53). A semi-structured interview was adopted to explore their knowledge on inclusivity within teaching interventions or programmes, and experiences about bullying management. Data were collected using online interviews through specific platform such as Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet. The interviews were carried out between April 2020 and October 2020 in the participant’s native language. Using thematic analysis, we identified themes within individuals’ brief narratives. Analysis was inductive and involved line-by-line coding with codes deriving from brief narratives. Four major themes emerged: (1) Contact with the phenomenon of bullying (i.e., direct experience versus lack of experience); (2) Educational-didactic practices (i.e., lack of specific knowledge regarding educational-didactic practices versus attempted solutions); (3) Awareness of the bullying phenomenon and its effects on students; (4) Avoidance solutions of topics concerning bullying incidents (i.e., disengagement and disconfirmation responses). Theoretical and psycho-educational implications are discussed.