Peran Guru dalam Mencegah Perilaku Bullying melalui Pendidikan Karakter pada Siswa Sekolah Dasar

Bullying remains a persistent problem in elementary schools that threatens the psychological, social, and academic development of children, while teachers are often the closest and most strategic agents able to prevent it. This study aims to describe the role of elementary school teachers in preventing bullying behavior through the implementation of character education. A literature study method was used, in which relevant national journal articles published within the last five years (2021–2026) were identified and selected based on their relevance to the topic, before being analyzed thematically. The results show that teachers play a multidimensional role as moral guides, role models, supervisors, and mediators who internalize character values such as empathy, responsibility, honesty, tolerance, and assertive communication into daily classroom practice. Teachers prevent bullying through curriculum integration, exemplary behavior, consistent classroom rules, cooperative learning, and collaboration with parents, while also building an anti-bullying classroom culture through habituation and positive reinforcement. However, teachers still face challenges such as limited time, insufficient training in handling bullying cases, and the influence of the home and digital environment. This study concludes that character education carried out consistently by teachers is an important preventive strategy in creating a safe, inclusive, and bullying-free elementary school environment.