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Taking Action Against Victimisation: Australian Middle School Students’ Experiences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2016

Eleni Didaskalou ,
Grace Skrzypiec ,
Eleni Andreou  and
Phillip Slee
Eleni Didaskalou*
Affiliation:
School of Education, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
Grace Skrzypiec
Affiliation:
School of Education, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
Eleni Andreou
Affiliation:
Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly, Greece
Phillip Slee
Affiliation:
School of Education, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
*
address for correspondence: Eleni Didaskalou, Department of Special Education, University of Thessaly, Argonafton & Filellinon, 38221, Volos, Greece. Email: edidask@uth.gr
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Abstract

Victimisation among students has been identified as a serious problem in Australian schools. This study investigated approaches taken by South Australian middle school students for dealing with victimisation. Over 170 students (aged 11–16) described how they coped with bullying and situations where they needed to take action against bullying. A content analysis of their responses found that students used coping strategies, including: (a) seeking social support, (b) standing up for peers/friends, (c) externalising, (d) nonchalance, (e) sticking up for oneself, (f) problem-solving, (g) submission, (h) reducing tense emotions/assertiveness, and (i) escape. One of the significant findings was that students did not identify school counsellors as a source of coping support, which has implications for their role in addressing incidents of victimisation.

Keywords

victimisationstudentscoping strategiesschool counsellorsbullying
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , June 2017 , pp. 105 - 122
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2016 

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