Teacher educators’ sensitivity to bullying and its coverage in their teaching: A blind spot in bullying research

• The majority of teacher educators distinguished bullying from non-bullying vignettes. • Many labelled bullying as such; harm was emphasized over imbalance and repetition. • More than half reported having covered bullying in courses for future teachers. • This coverage was predicted by personal experience, training, and focus on pedagogy. • Coverage was mostly driven by student requests rather than by curriculum requirements. The role of teacher educators—professionals training future teachers—in bullying prevention has long been overlooked. This mixed-methods study surveyed 378 Austrian teacher educators (64 % female) to assess their sensitivity and teaching regarding bullying. The majority (77 %) showed sensitivity to bullying/non-bullying in the respective vignettes. Over 60 % reported covering bullying in their courses, mostly focusing on practical aspects. The factors that most influenced their coverage of bullying in their teaching were having experienced bullying, having completed anti-bullying training, and their thematic focus. These findings underscore the critical need for bullying education to be consistently integrated into teacher education programmes.