Research on bullying in schools (1) are taken mainly in the quantitative methodology and (2) are conducted mainly on the regular basis in order to diagnose the phenomenon, evaluating its size and severity, as well as its determinants. The main aim of article is to present results of retrospective study on the experience of peer violence (e.g. the bully, bullied and bystander) at school (primary, middle and high school), with a particular focus on written statements of respondents. The data source was autobiographical memory of young adults. The study was conducted in the current academic year 2014/2015 among pedagogy students of the specialties of teacher education. As a result, the retrospective qualitative data about school experience of young adults were collected. Accept descriptions revealed a variety of personal experiences of respondents associated with peer violence at school, mainly from the perspective of its bystanders and victims. Data also provide a unique account of how adults view and perceived their school experiences.

Świadek bullyingu odgrywa istotną rolę w procesie dręczenia. W badaniach naukowych coraz częściej można zauważyć, że nie koncentrują się one jedynie na diadzie uczestników dręczenia - sprawcach i ofiarach, a włączają w cały proces również świadków. Obserwatorzy przez swoje działania mogą przyczyniać się do wykluczenia ofiar z grupy rówieśników bądź przez jawne lub niejawne sprzeciwianie się bullyingowi powodować ponowne włączanie ofiar do społeczności szkolnej. Artykuł odwołuje się do badań własnych, które dotyczą przeszłych doświadczeń świadków w sytuacji dręczenia rówieśniczego, uwzględniając znaczenie podejmowanych przez nich interwencji w sytuacji wykluczania uczniów z grupy rówieśniczej. Materiał badawczy stanowią wywiady pogłębione przeprowadzone z 23 studentami różnych kierunków studiów, w przedziale wiekowym 20-41 lat. Odnosiły się one do przeszłych doświadczeń z czasów szkolnych w roli świadka dręczenia. Jako cel badań uczyniono identyfikację czynników motywujących do podejmowania działań interwencyjnych w sytuacji dręczenia rówieśniczego.

The aim of the study was to map teachers’ preferred approaches to handling bullying among students. The scaled Handling Bullying Questionnaire (Bauman et al., 2008) was used. The structure of the research tool was determined using exploratory factor analysis indicating the existence of 5 dimensions. The good fit of the model to the actual data was verified using confirmatory factor analysis returning very good values of the good fit indices (CFI, TLI, RMSEA, SRMR, GFI). 696 teachers of the elementary school second level participated in the research. Their mean age was 46.53 years (SD = 9.34) and the mean length of their experience was 21.10 years (SD = 10.44). Male teachers scored statistically significantly higher on the dimension „Disciplining the bully“; teachers who had obtained their qualification through a supplementary pedagogical study scored statistically significantly lower on the dimension „Ignoring the incident“ and higher on the dimensions „Enlisting other adults“ and „Disciplining the bully“; class teachers scored statistically significantly higher on the dimension „Working with the bully“; teachers having received anti-bullying training within their continuing education scored statistically significantly higher on the dimensions „Working with the bully“ and „Enlisting other adults“; teachers with functions aimed at sorting out students’ problem behaviour scored the lowest on the dimension „Ignoring the incident“. Neglectful and weak effects were identified of the differences in resulting values. Also, a weak direct dependence appeared between working with the bully as the preferred approach and the length of teachers’ experience.

We examined the effects of gender and classroom membership on moral disengagement-cognitive justifications of detrimental conduct. Sixth-graders aged 11 to 13 years (N = 273) participated in the study. Bullying was registered using the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire and moral disengagement was measured on a 14-item scale designed for this study. The study showed that moral disengagement related to bullying and varied as a function of gender, which supports the relevance of considering gender in moral education anti-bullying programs. Next, the study revealed significant differences in moral disengagement between classrooms. This finding points to the need to elucidate associations between moral disengagement and classroom characteristics.

This contribution deals with the problems of violence at schools and has mainly a theoretical character. We would like to focus on an essential term definition that will be supplemented with some research findings. Currently, violence at schools is concentrated mainly on bullying among students as repeated, intentional and violent behaviour oriented on other student or students, who have no capability or power to resist this behaviour. Mobbing is relentless and systematic vilification of other colleague or colleagues, intriguing and conspiring, smearing in a work group. Bossing is psychological terror in the workplace, when a superior – boss, bullies one or some employees. In Slovakia, the violence problem at schools is not altogether solved. All three violence types (bullying, mobbing and bossing) have one common attribute of negative consequences on victim’s physical and mental health. The school setting creates some possibilities for bullying, mobbing and bossing, too.

Prejudice-based bullying against minorities. On the role of immigrant background and intergroup processes in explaining and limiting the phenomenon

Societies are becoming more ethnically and culturally diverse. This growing diversity offers new opportunities for both individuals and societies. At the same time, it also creates challenges such as a polarized political climate and an increase in hostile behaviour based on prejudice, such as ethnic discrimination and peer violence against immigrants. Recent research on the forms of bullying of minority groups by peers suggests that prejudice has some influence on specific patterns of bullying, but not enough attention has yet been given to this either in the conceptualization of bullying itself or in the design of intervention and prevention programs. It is therefore suggested that further research and the design of prevention programs could be targeted to give more attention to prejudice as one of the factors underlying this form of peer violence. The article is of a review nature and has been organized in a conceptual way, i.e. the focus is on prejudice-based bullying, which is the subject of research, but at the same time, arguments for the presented point of view will be presented to justify further empirical research in this problem area.

The paper clarifies bullying as a socio-pathological phenomenon. It points to the causes and consequences of bullying. It presents results of research focused on the secondary prevention through an intervention programme.