Teacher-Targeted Bullying: A Meta-Analysis of Student Bullying of Teachers

This meta-analysis examined the prevalence of student bullying against teachers, drawing from both teacher-reported victimization and student-reported perpetration. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, this study systematically searched across seven databases (e.g., ERIC, Scopus, Academic Search Ultimate) and identified 59 studies spanning 26 countries. Included studies were peer-reviewed journal articles written in English. The analysis included data from a total of 203,535 teachers and 110,021 students. The pooled prevalence of student bullying against teachers was 51.1% (based on 14,022 teacher reports) and 17.3% (based on 78,001 student reports). Among teacher-reported cases, pooled prevalence rates were calculated, including verbal (ranged from 9.00% [belittling] to 37.70% [saying mean things]), physical (ranged from 1% [weapon pulled] to 39.5% [obscene gesture]), relational (ranged from 4.40% [isolation] to 44.40% [ignoring]), sexual (ranged from 2.90% [physical sexual bullying] to 14.20% [verbal sexual bullying]), cyberbullying (6.40%), and bullying based on personal characteristics (14.80%). In contrast, student-reported cases focused on verbal (ranged from 3.10% [verbal threat] to 10.30% [saying mean things]), physical (ranged from 2.60% [kicking and slapping] to 5.20% [damage property]), and cyberbullying (5.70%). Findings highlighted discrepancies in pooled prevalence rates between teacher and student reports of Teacher-Targeted Bullying. This study identified three moderators (based on teacher reports): country of origin, publication year, and recall period. These findings highlighted the need for targeted interventions and professional development programs to systematically address student bullying against teachers to increase awareness and improve knowledge for both teachers and students, and improve school climate.