Aims: This study aims to explore how a local mainstream secondary school can adapt their current self-referral peer support service in order to increase its use by vulnerable Year 7 pupils, including those that experience bullying. Method: An action research methodology incorporating multiple methods of data collection was employed as a framework to support the division and implementation of an electronic peer support scheme. Qualitative methods were employed to investigate the barriers to reporting bullying and using the peer support schemes in this school. This data was used to plan adaptations to the school’s current peer support schemes. Results: The study evolved over three action research cycles, with the results from each cycle informing the general action plan for the next. Reflective discussions with participants supported the development of this research study. The division and subsequent implementation of an electronic peer support scheme was accessed by pupils during a four-month period and evaluated positively by a group of Year 7 pupils. However, no pupils out of the Year 7 cohort (N = 257) accessed either the new electronic scheme or the existing face-to-face peer support scheme when they were available over the autumn term of 2010. Despite this, the levels of bullying being experienced by pupils remained the same. Focus group discussions revealed a number of barriers to reporting bullying and increasing the anonymity of the victim, when reporting was the most important way of overcoming the problem of under-reporting. The barriers to accessing peer support, as well as ways of overcoming them, were identified. Suggestions were made to inform an action plan that would contribute to overcoming problems with the scheme. The results are discussed in relation to existing literature and reflections are made in relation to the action research methodology. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications for future research and practice.

This thesis is an ethnographic study of intercultural education discourses and everyday practices in an urban Greek-Cypriot primary school. The pupil population is comprised of Greek-Cypriots, Eastern European economic migrants and increasing numbers of newlyarrived Iraqi-Palestinian asylum-seekers. Despite the introduction of intercultural education policy in 2001, the education system prescribes a monoculturalist and nationalist ethos. At the same time, the limited opportunities for intercultural education training leave teachers uncertain as to how to respond to the increasing diversity. Informed by ethnographic, discursive and intersectional approaches, this study analyses data from fieldwork conducted in this school for a total of three months over a period of three years. The analysis identifies the discursive resources from which teachers draw to talk about diversity in Greek-Cypriot society and construct the Other, mainly in essentialist and negative ways. It also identifies teachers’ constructions of racism on a societal and educational level, including racism denials, minimizations and justifications. The thesis argues that teachers’ constructions of racism inhibit them from recognizing and challenging institutional racism and racialized incidents they observe among their pupils. The study also demonstrates how minoritized children become differentially racialized as groups and individuals through institutional, teachers’ and children’s discourses and practices, regardless of intentionality. As a result, many minoritized children experience school in an environment of harassment. The study discusses the experiences of an Iraqi-Palestinian boy as an example of how intercultural education is implemented. Some teachers’ resistance to the dominant discourses of colourblindness and racism denial, and minoritized children’s negotiation of their racialized positionings create the spaces of ambivalence that are necessary for change. The findings bear implications for policy and practice in terms of teacher training, development of antiracist policies and supportive networks for teachers, changes in the curriculum, and, structural transformations, so that educational opportunities are equally provided to all children.

Four studies were conducted to examine the nature of cyberbullying in Swedish schools using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The first two studies investigated what reasons/issues may be involved in the negative feelings that a victim of bullying may feel and how these related to different types of bullying. The content analysis yielded seven themes: helplessness, persistency, fright, anonymity, no avoidance, embarrassment and loneliness. Study Three used quantitative methods to examine various issues such as gender and age differences, but especially the distribution of the bullying material, the role of bystanders, and whether cyberbullies feel more or less remorse compared to traditional bullies. Findings showed that cyberbullies not only targeted their victims, but quite often showed the material to other people and/or uploaded it onto the Internet. The bystanders of cyberbullying mostly did nothing further to distribute the material, however when they did, they tended to help the victim more often than bully him/her further. When asked about feelings of remorse, cyberbullies expressed less remorse than traditional bullies. The findings are discussed in relation to the definition of bullying, and the need for empathy raising awareness for bullies within the cyberbullying context. Study Four, a qualitative study, involved 10 pupils and examined issues such as what the pupils had experienced (as victims, bullies or bystanders), how it felt (impact), and how it was resolved. Practical implications of the findings include the highlighted need for different coping strategies to be applied for victims of cyberbullying and traditional bullying, as well as starting preventive strategies for cyberbullying in pupils as young as 7 years. In addition, the need to investigate cyberbullying in a different manner than that of traditional bullying is raised. This could have practical implications for researchers, but is also a theoretical concern related to the definition of cyberbullying.

Workplace bullying is an issue of practical importance and theoretical interest. Not only is workplace bullying of increasing concern to employers and employees, it is also the focus of empirical research and analysis. However, there are few studies which examine workplace bullying in Turkey. This study aims to investigate the nature of bullying in Turkish workplaces and to examine the association of bullying with paternalistic leadership and various work-related attitudes. The study uses both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Twenty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with Turkish employees to explore in depth the nature of workplace bullying, with a thematic analysis indicating that polarisation at work and institutionalised bullying were major problems in Turkish organisations. In the second phase of the study, a questionnaire focusing on the nature of bullying and its potential determinants was completed by employees in both the public and private sectors in Turkey (n=142). Findings from both the interview study and an exploratory factor analysis of the questionnaire data were used to adapt the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) for use in Turkey. In the final stage, the adapted questionnaire was completed by a sample of public and private sector employees in Turkey (n=708). Confirmatory factor analyses were used to examine the components of bullying and their relation with dimensions of paternalistic leadership. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that loyalty-seeking paternalism is positively related to the experience of bullying, whereas familial paternalism is negatively related to the experience of bullying. In addition, negative associations were observed between organisation-based selfesteem and all the components of bullying, except for experience of non-work related criticism. Finally, intention to leave was found to be positively associated with experience of task pressures and work related criticism. This study contributes to the bullying literature by exploring the nature of workplace bullying in Turkey using complementary methods.

The aim of this study was to explore how children with ASD predominately educated in special schools experience inclusion in mainstream schools. Method: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to explore interview data from four participants who were primarily educated in the boarding provision of a special school sixth form, but who spent some time each week included in mainstream settings. Results: From the analysis of the data, seven super-ordinate themes were developed. These were: Independence, Belonging, Comparisons, Managing Self Presentation, Sense of Self, ‘Who Knows?’ and External Factors. The different school contexts highlighted different aspects of these themes and all appeared to be affected by the participants’ differing levels of social understanding. Conclusion: The key findings were: 1) For most participants the move into a different setting appeared to result in an increased awareness of factors related to how they saw themselves and how others saw them; 2) The participant’s level of social understanding appeared to affect the extent to which the move into a new context prompted them to reevaluate themselves and manage how others saw them; 3) Participants valued the independence that mainstream settings provided and did not report bullying. This was unexpected as evidence suggests that bullying is a significant problem for autistic pupils included in mainstream education; 4) Problems were experienced regarding who should know about the participant’s diagnosis of autism; 5) The generally positive experiences of these participants add to the debate regarding the inclusion of autistic children in mainstream settings.

This study examined the perceptions of and responses to conflict of pupils and teachers in secondary schools in England and Denmark. It also examined the responses of schools to pupil conflicts and whether pupils and teachers found these measures to be effective in addressing and/or managing such conflicts. The inquiry into perceptions and responses involved questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations and documentary data collection instruments. There were a total of 347 pupil respondents (approximately 11-16 years old) and 34 teacher respondents across four schools. The results yielded significant perceptual differences both within the individual countries and cross-culturally. In the two English schools there were significant differences amongst pupil and teacher perceptions of conflict. There were also significant differences amongst pupil perceptions and responses to conflict crossculturally. More English pupils defined conflict and identified pupil conflicts in their schools as fighting, while the majority of Danish pupils both defined and identified pupil conflicts as verbal. However, for the most part there was more consistency in responses amongst pupils and teachers in Denmark than in England. Cultural and educational differences could be two contributing factors that played a role in the differences in perceptions of, and responses to, conflict amongst respondents in England and Denmark. For example, the Danish system administers a class teacher system where the class teacher not only spends several years with the same pupils but also takes on the role of pastoral carer. Moreover, it was found that while all four schools in this study had anti-bullying policies, none had policies pertaining specifically to the management of conflict. This was potentially an area of concern as pupils described conflicts that were beyond the scope of bullying.

Volume one comprises of two parts. Part one is a critical literature review which discusses the research into bullying in schools. There is a particular focus on the nature and prevalence of homophobic bullying and the use of homophobic language within the school environment and the impact of this on young people who are subjected to this type of abuse. Part two is an empirical paper based on the research project conducted by the author during her training on the Applied Educational and Child Psychology Doctoral programme. The research investigates the use of homophobic language within a single secondary school from the perspective of young people. The research is a two part study, where both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods are utilised. The overall results highlight that young people who use remarks and language that are homophobic often perceive these remarks and language as banter amongst peers and are not always aware of the emotional distress this can cause to young people who are vulnerable to this form of bullying.

In recent years, bullying has come to be established as a significant issue for contemporary workplaces, in Ireland as elsewhere. Our research knowledge is largely psychologically-based, with many studies focusing on the personality characteristics of the victim or perpetrator and bullying has been viewed as an “interpersonal” conflict. However, when other characteristics are considered, research has repeatedly found that workers in the public sector are more likely to report bullying than private sector. In order to investigate this finding, the current study takes a sociological approach and focuses on the workplace, which is arguably shaped by its broader institutional context in terms of the labour market, with specific sectoral characteristics. Part of the rising concerns about workplace bullying can be contextualised in terms of the increasing emphasis placed on the psychological well-being of workers, with the recognition of “new risks” of stress and harassment. However, this focus on individual subjective well-being arguably obscures the collective nature of the phenomena, in terms of its association with the “changing workplace”.

School attendance is a high profile issue at both national and local levels, and links have been made between poor attendance and low attainment, poor employment outcomes and antisocial behaviour (Reid 1999, 2002). This small scale research study focuses on a group of young people referred to as school refusers, who experience difficulties attending school associated with anxiety and emotion. This small scale, case study based research revolves around five young people who have been reintegrated into mainstream school following a period at a Short Stay School (PRU) for key stage 3 and 4 pupils with mental health and medical needs. In addition to the young people, participants include their mothers, the learning mentor from the Short Stay School and a mentor from the receiving mainstream school. Findings underline the heterogeneous nature of cases and an experience of school refusal associated with intense emotions for the young people and their parents. Change associated with school and home factors are implicated in school refusal as are factors including social anxiety, bullying, the child/parent dynamic and characteristics of the young person. School refusal is a long term matter requiring ongoing support even after reintegration.

Empathy is the ability to stand in another’s shoes, to approximate another’s experience, to feel what another feels. According to scientists, sociologists, psychologists, and Nobel Peace Laureates, empathy is crucial for the continuation and flourishing of humankind. When empathy is achieved, and an individual is able to perceive him/herself as the Other, the foundation for both transforming conflict and shifting of fundamental worldviews is possible. This research explores different aspects of conflict, primarily through the lens of bullying. Data was collected and analyzed from over 300 students ranging in age from 8-18 years. In addition, a variety of narrative forms from comic books and graphic novels to theatrical plays based upon ancient mythology to in-depth survey questions are investigated, examining moments where empathy may be experienced and understood by participants. These narratives created by student-participants are interpreted through a Narrative Phenomenology methodology, highlighting students’ perception of themselves as well as their lived-experience in relationship with others. These myriad story narratives reveal important information on ways social justice and human lights education, moral imagination, and adults as models of empathic behaviour might inspire youth to move past bullying and violence toward more compassionately motivated inclusive communities. Central to the research is the Triptych Narrative Method designed by the researcher that is utilized in a variety of settings and determined to be effective in aiding in the development of empathy. Through the identification of a Lacuna Epiphany Space, over which the act of dialogue may create a Lacuna Bridge. it is possible through an empathic-epiphany exchange for participants to become conscious of feeling with another. thereby bridging the often separate sense between Self and Other into a shared experience of Self as Other. This tool has far-reaching applications as well as the potential to assist in the global effort toward awakening humanity to their empathic abilities.

Peer support approaches, where pupils offer formal support to others, are used in schools as an additional source of pastoral care. Previous research shows benefits for whole school environments, pupils who receive support, and pupil peer supporters, but is largely limited to Western case studies, which are often short-term and/or limited to qualitative data. This thesis addresses these issues through cross-national work on peer support use, and longitudinal case studies. Peer support use in Japan was investigated through a qualitative study. A range of approaches was seen and major themes identified, including the evolution of Japanese peer support, conflicts in approaches, and an emphasis upon community. A qualitative study in South Korea explored peer support and other anti-bullying initiatives, both proactive and reactive. Thematic analysis showed the importance of collectivist values, and a gap between policy and practice. Peer support was little used and, despite positive attitudes, barriers were perceived. A comparison of the UK, Japan and South Korea considered the impact of cultural values, education systems and the nature of bullying upon peer support use. Two mixed methodology case studies of peer listening schemes in UK secondary schools were conducted, one over 18 months and another over six months. Both schemes had the general aim of providing additional pupil support, without focus on particular outcomes. Impact upon the domains typically benefited by peer support was evaluated; findings were broadly similar. Pupil awareness of the service was high, but in-depth knowledge was weaker and use was low. Attitudes were mixed, impact upon bullying and school climate was limited, but users and peer supporters perceived benefits. Both schemes evolved to include multiple approaches, and practical factors affecting development and effectiveness were identified. Finally, implications for peer support practice are drawn from the findings as a whole, and future research directions suggested.

Few studies have focused on the perspectives of children with ‘learning difficulty’ labels in the UK. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the experience of children in a mainstream primary school in London who had been identified as having ‘learning difficulties’. Six children were observed in their school environment, interviewed using props and pictures, and invited to take photos of significant features of their daily lives. Data were transcribed and analysed thematically from a critical realist standpoint. The children in the study were mostly not remarkable from other children, either in their appearance or behaviour, or in their experiences and views. They had a variety of understandings and feelings about the additional support they received, but largely seemed fairly neutral about it and did not seem to feel particularly different from their peers. In contrast with much of the literature, stories of stigma and bullying were not found. This seemed to reflect an inclusive school culture. Some of the children were however noticeably socially isolated from their peers. Teaching assistants played a key role in several children’s lives, and this was largely positive, although their role sometimes constrained opportunities for peer interactions and autonomy. Although the sample was not representative of children with ‘learning difficulties’, the findings point to the possibility that schools can create an environment whereby children with different learning abilities or styles do not experience ‘impairment’ (difficulties with learning) or ‘disability’ (barriers to opportunities). This may only apply to children with milder differences from supportive families, but is consistent with theory that both impairment and disability are socially constructed. Further research is needed into how schools can create such an environment, as well as into barriers to friendships for children with ‘learning difficulty’ labels.