Description:
The purpose of this study was to explore and compare parents' (n = 141) and preschool workers' (n = 81) perceptions of bullying with respect to preschool workers' competence, collaboration with parents, and strategies for dealing with bullying. Whereas most participants held positive views about their collaboration, preschool workers tended to be more critical of parents than vice versa. With respect to strategies, we found that the order of preferred approaches was largely consistent across groups, yet the two groups differed in the degree to which they supported certain approaches. Among parents, lower perceptions of children's well-being and increased exposure to bullying were associated with more negative views of collaboration and preschool competence. Parents who had little direct exposure to bullying were more likely to report that they lacked the knowledge needed to evaluate the competence of preschool workers. Taken together with previous research, these findings suggest that preschools often rely on a reactive approach to including parents in the process of addressing bullying. We argue that a more proactive stance is warranted. (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Country:
Norway