Prospective teachers' attitudes toward bullying and victimization

In the present study, the effects of both contextual and individual factors on attitudes toward bullying among prospective teachers were examined. Contextual factors included type of aggression and the condition of having witnessed bullying. Individual factors included sex, age, empathy, sex role orientation and belief in a just world. A MANCOVA revealed no sex differences, but there was a significant main effect of the contextual factors on (a) the extent to which acts were labelled as bullying, (b) the perceived seriousness of bullying and (c) the likelihood of intervention. Physical types of aggression were labelled more often as bullying, were viewed more seriously and were more likely to warrant intervention than verbal aggression. Multiple regression analysis revealed that type of aggression, witnessing the interaction, empathy, masculinity and femininity predicted intolerant attitudes toward bullying. The results are discussed with reference to intervening in the problem of bullying.