Repeated instances of bullying plague schools and immobilize the learning environment for many students. Dissimilar views of policies related to bullying make it difficult for school personnel to consistently intervene on behalf of the victim. The purpose of this case study was to bring awareness to the diverse perceptions school personnel have concerning bullying and the constraints those perceptions place on implementing policies and practices set forth by the school. This qualitative case study examined the understanding and knowledge that school personnel had about bullying policies and practices at three private/independent middle schools in the metro Atlanta area. The research questions addressed were: What are school personnel’s understandings of the bullying policies at their school? What were their perceptions of bullying within their school? How does school personnel’s perception of bullying impact their efforts to intervene? Participants for the study included 3 middle school principals, two deans of students, three counselors and nine teachers. Data collected through interviews, non-participant observations, and documentation provided by each school yielded findings that clarity and awareness of bullying policies and practices were not always apparent. Additionally, varying perceptions of bullying impacted intervention efforts by school personnel. The study revealed the need for a clear and concise definition of bullying, along with policies and practices that address the issue. Additionally, school leaders need to monitor and hold school personnel accountable to address bullying consistently within the school.

Though many studies have been conducted on bullying and ways to prevent it, there is still little evidence that bullying has been reduced (Bauman, 2008). Since bullying behaviors have become prevalent, incidences of negative outcomes for students who are bullies and victims have increased, hence more discussion of the topic is taking place at school, home, and in the media (Bauman, 2008; Kaiser & Raminsky, 2001; Salmon, James, & Smith, 1998). This study proposes to learn how students make sense of these multiple messages. Through an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (Smith & Osborn, 2003), 8-10 year old students were interviewed through semi-structured interviews, in addition to student drawings and elaborations from the draw-and write-technique (Williams, Wetton, & Moon, 1989). These methods were used to explore student bullying experiences and the process in which they make sense of the education provided to them. The study is framed through Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 1994) ecological systems theory considering the multiple influences that individuals face through systems and their interactions. Data from the semi-structured interviews and the draw-and-write technique were analyzed through coding according to IPA guidelines, compared, and converged. Results showed that students confuse conflict with bullying, and receive conflicting messages about how bullying should be handled. Students are confused by what is the best reaction to a bullying situation due to conflicting messages from school and home, and the possibility of disappointment or trouble if they do not follow suggestions from one or the other. The media had minimal influence on children of this age in regards to bullying.

Anti-bullying policies are effective in reducing bullying victimization in secondary schools when they are written precisely, have a clear description of what bullying entails and how the school responds, and maintains a high priority through regular updating. Research on anti-bullying policies in the United Kingdom is not very extensive and has thus far only been done qualitatively. This research aims to utilize an in-depth content analysis to investigate trends and patterns within secondary schools anti-bullying policies in London, England. The purpose of this research is also to find preliminary results of the difference between public community schools and international schools. The documents are coded and counted systematically per keyword of each definition and then compared and averaged. The data was then analysed using descriptive statistics and compared by other school and policy characteristics, such as location of the school, the Ofsted educational inspectorate rating, the number of pages of the policy and when the policy was last updated. The findings of this research indicate that there is an underrepresentation of aspects of relational bullying, weight-based bullying, and the role of bystanders as stated in the policies. The main focuses in the selected policies are on the responsibility of school staff and parents, a reporting system and updating of the policy. This implies that anti-bullying policies should be improved further to include relational bullying, weight-based bullying, and the role of bystanders more. This study contributes to the field of International and Comparative Education by filling a research gap in the investigation of anti-bullying policies in England and providing an updated and quantitative insight into the status of these policies. This research also adds to the field by examining differences between community schools and international schools and comparing various school and policy characteristics, contributing to the understanding of how bullying is addressed by different types of schools.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of School Management Teams (SMTs) in implementing and managing anti-bullying policies in public high schools in the Tshwane South District of the Gauteng Province. This study was prompted by the global concern about bullying in schools and the need for schools to create safe spaces for learning. While the literature regarding bullying is substantial and much literature points to the need for sound anti-bullying policies to curb bullying, bullying is still rampant in many South African Schools. In this study, a qualitative approach was taken to explore SMTs implementation and management of anti-bullying policies in high schools in the Tshwane South District. Interview schedules and a measurement rubric were used as research tools for gathering data to analyse the experiences of the SMTs in managing bullying through anti-bullying policies. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Education Management)