Swedish teachers’ perceptions and intended responses to bias-based bullying: variations across identity domains and school levels

Drawing on Swedish data (N = 184) from an international vignette study, this study examines teachers’ reported exposure to bias-based bullying as well as their perceptions and intended responses across four identity domains (ethnicity, academic ability, weight, and gender/sexuality) and school levels (elementary and secondary school). Across most outcomes, teachers’ perceptions were largely consistent, with two exceptions. Victim blaming was higher for academic ability-related exclusion than for exclusion based on gender/sexuality, and elementary teachers reported higher self-efficacy to intervene in bias-based bullying. Furthermore, elementary teachers were more likely to endorse inclusion and victim support, whereas secondary teachers were more likely to endorse formal escalation and separation response strategies. These contrasts point to the need for professional development that accounts for both the specific nature of bias-based incidents and the structural conditions of different school levels. The findings add to the growing evidence that teachers’ responses to bias-based bullying are shaped by educational context, but that many perceptions and intended responses are consistent across identity domains.