Addressing school violence, bullying and aggressive/disruptive behaviour in school settings: Teachers’ perspectives in Greek Primary Education

Introduction: School violence represents a complex social and public health problem with serious consequences for students, families, and society. Schools, and particularly teachers, play a central role in creating and maintaining safe, inclusive, and high-quality learning environments. Addressing aggressive and disruptive behaviour effectively requires teachers to possess appropriate professional competencies and a strong sense of self-efficacy that support positive outcomes. Research Aim: The aim of this qualitative research was to explore teachers’ perceptions of their self-efficacy in addressing school violence and incidents of aggressive or disruptive behaviour. Method: Twenty primary education teachers working in Thessaloniki, Greece, participated in semi-structured interviews. The research focused on teachers’ perceived roles, strategies employed, challenges faced, and solutions proposed to enhance effectiveness in promoting safe school environments. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Teachers perceived their role as crucial and emphasized self-efficacy as a key factor contributing to positive outcomes. Empathy, positive teacher-student relationships, gender equality, trust, and professional experience enhanced effectiveness. Strategies included socioemotional learning, democratic classroom practices, dialogue, proactive pedagogical interventions, and collaboration with parents and school leadership. Challenges involved varying levels of self-efficacy, classroom intolerance, limited cooperation, and curriculum gaps. Participants stressed the need for specialized professional development, improved school-family communication, school-based interventions, and collaboration with psychologists and social workers. Conclusions: The findings highlight teachers’ pivotal role in fostering safe, inclusive, and democratic learning environments, with important implications for educational policy, professional development, and pedagogical practice.