UCLA

Students with disabilities are more likely to be victimized compared to their peers without disabilities. However, not many studies have examined how general education teachers address bullying of students with disabilities in general education placements. This study used an explanatory mixed methods design and examined strategy use based on disability category, the relationship between strategy type and type of bullying, completeness of teacher bullying definition as a moderator between years of teaching experience and strategy frequency, and teachers’ view of social exclusion as a form of bullying. The study was completed in multiple phases: expert review, survey, and teacher interviews. The research participants included 114 general education teachers in public elementary schools. Six teachers were selected from the sample and completed individual interviews. Type of bullying was coded as indirect (relational bullying: social exclusion) and direct bullying (physical: hitting; verbal: name calling). The teachers rated the frequency use of 10 strategies for each type of bullying, which were then recoded to 3 strategy levels (school level: refer to school rules and refer to administrative team; class level: change seating arrangement, teach lessons, refer to class rules, teach communication and social skills; and individual level: refer to counselor, refer to parent, handle it, and refer to special education teacher). The completeness of teacher bullying definition was measured by coding the bullying definition the participants provided which was then converted to a percentage based on the definition found in the literature. The analyses included an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), moderation analysis, and thematic analysis. There was a significant association between strategy type and frequency of strategy use. Teachers were less likely to use individual level strategies compared to class and school level strategies. Completeness of bullying definition also moderated the relationship between years of teaching experience and strategy use. Teachers in the interviews expressed 3 themes: varying definition and reasons for bullying, lack of supports to address bullying, and social exclusion can be easily missed. Implications of this study contribute to the existing limited literature on bullying of students with disabilities and to the understanding of how general education teachers are addressing the bullying of students with disabilities.