Open Access

ARTICLE

Methods Used to Reduce Bullying in Kindergarten from Teachers’ Perspectives

by Lina Bashatah^*, Duaa Al-fifi

King Saud University, Riyadh, 999088, Saudi Arabia

* Corresponding Authors: Lina Bashatah. Email: ;

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2023, 25(5), 639-653. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2023.025878

Received 03 August 2022; Accepted 21 November 2022; Issue published 28 April 2023

Abstract

This study identified the methods used by kindergarten teachers to reduce bullying among their students in and out of the classroom and examined differences based on the teachers’ years of experience and the number of courses on bullying they had taken. A descriptive survey using a questionnaire tool collected responses from 208 public kindergarten teachers in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The participants agreed with using such methods to reduce bullying among children as responding to parents’ reports and following up on the reasons for a child’s absence. They also agreed that bullying in the classroom could be reduced by methods such as avoiding comparisons between children and helping to build friendships among them. Moreover, the teachers agreed to use some methods in which the teacher relies on her authority, such as depriving the bully of play time and transferring him/her to another class. These methods were endorsed more strongly by teachers with at least 10 years of experience than by those with less experience, but no significant difference was observed according to the number of bullying courses taken. In addition, there is a lack of courses that focus on dealing with and confronting bullying in educational environments. The study highlights the need to provide teachers with training on how to deal with bullying and to set specific and clear policies on addressing bullying in kindergarten.

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Keywords

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