Bullying and victimization of teachers in Pakistan: A cross sectional survey

Bullying is a pervasive problem, but there is little research on the victimization of teachers in Pakistan. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting a quantitative cross-sectional survey of 454 teachers from different regions using Teacher Targeted Bullying Questionnaire developed by Kõiv (2015). After confirming the normality of the data, hypothesis testing was carried out using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and Pearson's correlation, all performed using SPSS version 27. The results show that teacher victimization is widespread, with teachers being subjected to verbal and social abuse such as devaluation of their efforts, insults, accusations of lack of effort, etc. Despite differences in the social environment of educational institutions in urban, rural and suburban areas of Pakistan, as well as differences between private, public and semi-public institutions, there were no significant differences in the prevalence of teacher victimization. It was also found that as students progress to higher grades, they harass teachers in ways that threaten their professional status and create isolation for them. The findings of this study are critical for developing effective support systems for teachers that promote a positive school climate.