New Ideas and International Perspectives on School Bullying: A Multidisciplinary Approach

What is school bullying? The answer to this question varies across fields of inquiry like psychology, sociology, and education. Bullying also takes on different local meanings in social contexts such as school communities, parent circles, and adolescent friend groups; and unsurprisingly, it varies across geographic regions, nations, and cultures. Definitions of bullying have evolved since the 1970s when the term first became the subject of increased research activity, and likewise so have the theories of school bullying, such as the social-ecological perspective, interactionist norm accounts of culture, and social network analysis. In this Research Topic, we invite authors to advance these definitions and theories of school bullying with a focus on young people between the ages of 6 and 18. We also invite new empirical research, especially studies that draw connections across scientific disciplines and international contexts, draw lines between studies that use different terms (e.g. peer aggression), develop new methodologies, or consider the emergence of new trends in digital forms of bullying.

The aim of this Research Topic is to build connections between the many types of research being conducted internationally on school bullying, especially as they relate to the key concepts in new definitions of school bullying. Examples of the kinds of studies that can accomplish this goal include meta-analyses or systematic reviews that cross disciplines or nations; studies of trends in bullying across geographical regions; theoretical work that incorporates more than one discipline; ethnographic research comparing multiple regions; reviews of interdisciplinary or international studies; commentary on anti-bullying policies and programs, methodologies and more. We also welcome papers on new definitions of bullying, even if they challenge the notion that developing a universal definition is even feasible or needed. Other possibilities are also welcome if they fit the goal of broadening the international and/or interdisciplinary conversation on school bullying. This invitation is for the entire international community of scholars from all fields to begin a new conversation about school bullying that engages with the most recently emerging trends in knowledge and practice on school bullying.

Themes may include:

1. The evolving definition of bullying in academia, law and anti-bullying policies and programs. Implications for data collection and measurement issues;

2. Social (societal) and institutional norms’ contribution to bullying. Research on hierarchical relationships in schools (e.g., teacher-student), peer group norms (e.g., in-group/out group), nonconformity, and school structures, policies and/or practices and how they relate to school bullying;

3. Studies of social networks and conformity to peer norms that facilitate power imbalances associated with bullying;

4. Systemic bias in schools such as heteronormativity, cisnormativity, and ableism. Studies examining the pervasiveness of bias and its damaging impact on school climate are especially encouraged;

5. The interaction between bullying in schools and the mental health of those impacted;

6. Papers that meaningfully advance theories on bullying such as the social-ecological perspective, the social-ecological diathesis–stress model, interactionist norm accounts of student culture, and others;

7. Research exploring new uses of digital technology for bullying such as in multiplayer online games, the use of AI for creating deepfake images, the creation of subtly offensive memes, and others.