Bullying is recognized as a world-wide phenomenon that continues to severely affect the well-being of children and youth (e.g., Craig & Pepler, 2003). In spite of the consistent recommendations and call for systemic interventions to address the problem of bullying, there is limited assessment of the multi-level actions and influences that need to be involved in such an intervention, and even less research in terms of how changes in these multi-level dimensions (e.g., school climate) can lead to change in policy and actual practice in schools and communities.
In light of this, the current project addresses the following questions:
- What are the educational and social systems and structures that inadvertently support or contribute to bullying in schools?
- Is there a differentiation with regard to definition, tolerance and intervention across contexts?
- How does bullying manifest itself differently across contexts?
- Are there circumstances in which being bullied is acceptable and does that vary across contexts?
