Secondary school teachers’ and pupils’ definitions of bullying in the UK: a systematic review

The aim of the systematic review (SR) reported in this article was to compare how UK secondary school pupils and teachers define bullying, using the analytical framework proposed by Naylor et al (2006). Findings were drawn from five major studies – two quantitative, two qualitative and one using mixed methods – and suggest that teachers are much more likely than pupils to employ broader definitions and to include indirect forms of bullying. Possible additions to Naylor et al’s framework are highlighted. The SR encompassed views from 3,283 pupils and 225 teachers, and a number of modest implications for policy and practice are identified.