Rachel Maunder

Pupil and Staff Perceptions of Bullying in Secondary Schools: Comparing Behavioural Definitions and Their Perceived Seriousness.

Background: How bullying is understood by members of the school community is important because differences in definitions could result in an inconsistent approach and affect the success of intervention work. Research evidence suggests that pupils and teachers may have different interpretations of what constitutes bullying. This evidence has, however, been largely obtained from investigations in which the two groups have been questioned in different ways. This means that some of the differences obtained could be functions of methodology, rather than functions of differing perceptions. In addition, the perceptions of support staff have been largely neglected in the literature to date. Purpose: This study examines the perceptions of bullying of pupils held by pupils, teachers and school support staff in English secondary schools by the use of identical questionnaires for each group. Sample: A total of 1302 individuals participated in the research from four urban secondary schools. These four schools came from the same Local Education Authority in North West England. The sample consisted of 685 Year 8 pupils aged 12–13 years (341 males, 324 females, 20 unspecified), 415 Year 11 pupils aged 15–16 years (212 males, 187 females, 16 unspecified), 144 teachers (59 males, 81 females, 4 unspecified) and 58 support staff (14 males, 37 females, 7 unspecified). Design and methods: The study utilised a survey design whereby written responses to scenario-based questionnaires were scored. The scenarios described a range of direct bullying, indirect bullying and ambiguous behaviours. Respondents were asked whether they thought the behaviour described was bullying and how serious it was if experienced by a male or a female pupil. Questionnaires were completed by pupils during supervised class time. Staff questionnaires were distributed to staff members individually and completed independently. Results: Indirect bullying behaviours were less likely to be defined as bullying and were regarded as less serious than direct bullying behaviours. Scenarios with a female victim were rated more seriously than those with a male victim, and female respondents rated the behaviours more seriously than males. Teachers and support staff considered a wider range of scenarios to constitute bullying compared to pupils and also rated these to be more serious. Differences between schools indicated that perceptions could be affected by school factors. Conclusions: The differences in perceptions of bullying between pupils and staff indicate that teachers need to invest more time in talking with pupils about the nature of bullying. Indirect behaviours in particular need more attention to ensure they are included in definitions of bullying, and taken seriously. Further research is needed to investigate how school factors may influence perceptions of bullying.

Becoming and being an academic: the perspectives of Chinese staff in two research‐intensive UK universities

This article reports on an interview study investigating the experiences of academic acculturation (a process of mutual influence and enrichment with regard to academic practice) of a group of Chinese academic staff in two research‐intensive UK universities. Following a systematic content‐based analysis, three major themes emerged as salient, namely: (1) different perceptions of academic practice in the UK and China, (2) the importance of disciplinary identity, and (3) the role of English and original cultural affiliations in the process of academic acculturation. The study shows that, while these academic staff took active initiatives to orient themselves towards UK academic culture, they did not perceive that culture to have changed much through their acculturation. The study also reveals that the cultural affiliation of the academic staff, perceived norms in the new academic culture, and relative proficiency in English language all have an impact on the process of academic acculturation.

Going URB@N: exploring the impact of undergraduate students as pedagogic researchers

This paper reports on the impact for students of an institutional scheme designed to involve undergraduate students in pedagogic research. Through Undergraduate Research Bursaries at Northampton, students are funded to work as researchers on pedagogic projects in partnership with academic staff. Drawing on data from a larger longitudinal mixed method study, we report findings which demonstrate the positive impact of the scheme for undergraduate learners in terms of new relationships with academic staff; enhanced research skills and career development, thus making a valuable contribution to the enhancement of the student experience. We argue that facilitating undergraduate involvement in pedagogic research enhances both a commitment to, and an engagement with, the scholarship of teaching and learning across an institution, and thus contributes to a growing community of pedagogic practice centred on the student voice.

Helping children to get along: teachers’ strategies for dealing with bullying in primary schools

This brief report describes a small-scale qualitative interview study with primary school teachers in England, investigating their perceptions of bullying and strategies to prevent and manage it. Findings showed that much intervention work was situationally dependent, with teachers making subtle judgements about when and how to intervene. Prevention and intervention work centred on empathy development and teaching children skills to help them nurture effective social relationships. We suggest that this holistic approach to bullying enables teachers to address multiple agendas aligned towards promoting children’s social and emotional learning.

Students’ peer relationships and their contribution to university adjustment: the need to belong in the university community

Abstract Whilst new friendships and an active social life are commonly discussed features of ‘being a student’, there is limited empirical research that has quantitatively studied the contribution that social factors play in students’ university experience. Research that has been conducted shows that belonging and social integration are important factors in successful transition to university, and subsequent retention. This article presents research into students’ social relationships at university, their attachment to the university, and how these elements link to university adjustment. Undergraduates (N = 135) completed questionnaires measuring their attachment to university peers, attachment to the university, experiences of problematic peer relationships and quality of adjustment to university life. Students who reported strong attachment to their peers also demonstrated higher levels of adjustment to university life and attachment to their university. Students who reported difficulties in their relationships with other students had lower levels of peer attachment and university adjustment. Attachment to university peers was the strongest predictor of university adjustment, followed by attachment to the university. The research highlights the role of social relationships in institutional belonging, and the importance of nurturing peer relationships and institutional affiliation to create a positive student experience.

Mediational tools in story construction: An investigation of cultural influences on children’s narratives

In this article we investigate how the content of children’s stories can provide insight into their cultural contexts. Informed by sociocultural theory, we use children’s narrative as a methodological tool for understanding the role of cultural influences in their construction of personal experiences and imaginary events. Twelve children in a year one class (five–six years) participated in pairs in three storytelling activities designed to draw on both imaginary scenarios and real world experiences. First, a picture was used as a stimulus and children were asked to formulate a story about what was happening in the image. Second, children were read the first part of a story book, and then asked to explain how they thought the story would finish. Finally, children were asked to recount an experience about a holiday they had been on. Thematic analysis of the stories illustrated how children utilized meditational tools to construct their narratives. Children’s imaginary capabilities were closely entwined with their own personal experiences and developmental context and they drew on beliefs and practices that were culturally situated. As a result we suggest that incorporating storytelling activities into early years classrooms can enable educators to develop a closer understanding of pupils’ cultural development, and provide researchers with a valuable methodological resource for studying sociocultural perspectives.

Staff-student partnerships in higher education

Staff–student partnerships integrate several educational agendas including the research-teaching nexus; the student experience and measures of student satisfaction. Whilst increasing emphasis is placed on the ‘student voice’, it is often the case that views are sought via tokenistic processes rather than signalling genuine contribution. Therefore, this book is timely because it reflects growing interest in staff working in partnership with students to facilitate educational change. Sabine Little edits a collection of chapters, all written by staff–student teams. A range of partnerships are presented, drawing on experiences from England, Ireland, Canada and Australia. The result is an eclectic mix of innovative practises, each with a common goal of forming new working relationships with students based on collaboration, cooperation and equality. The approaches described vary in their inclusion of undergraduates, postgraduates or both. Some are discipline-specific (e.g. in Chapter 6 medical students produced online tutorials and learning materials for fellow medical students), whereas others are cross-disciplinary (such as Chapters 4 and 13 which involved collaborations between the University and Student’s Union to explore plagiarism and perceptions of research). The partnerships position students in numerous roles including peer tutors (e.g. Drama students coaching Sports Development students in communication and presentation skills in Chapter 9); researchers and scholarly authors (e.g. writing for an undergraduate research journal in Chapter 12) and project team members (e.g. as paid interns promoting inquiry-based learning in their institutions in Chapter 2). Additionally, staff adopt varying roles including learning facilitators (on a problem-based learning module in Chapter 11); co-producers (through developing a reward scheme for postgraduates who teach in Chapter 7) and co-researchers and co-authors (through writing a collaborative undergraduate text with students in Chapter 14). Initially, the sheer diversity of staff–student partnerships and the differing writing and presentation styles of the chapters felt incoherent. I wondered if organising the chapters into sections based on common themes in the approaches adopted might have provided the reader with a clearer structure to ease navigation and provide linkage between chapters. However, on reflection, I came to appreciate the inconsistent approach of the chapters and recognised that they represented the disciplinary diversity and individual style which is so valued in academia. Some recurrent themes emerged through the text – several of which are discussed in the concluding chapter (Chapter 15). One of these is power, and how traditional staff–student hierarchical relationships impact on the formation of genuinely collaborative partnerships. Having open dialogue, with staff–student communication on the same level, was emphasised by many, along with managing Innovations in Education and Teaching International Vol. 49, No. 3, August 2012, 345–346