Teacher responses to bullying play a critical role in shaping whether students feel comfortable seeking help. However, relatively little research has examined how teachers’ perceptions of school climate and anti-bullying efficacy relate to students’ willingness to seek assistance. The present study investigates how teacher efficacy for addressing bullying and key dimensions of school climate predict teacher-reported student willingness to seek help in bullying situations. Participants included 94 teachers who completed measures assessing teacher efficacy for anti-bullying (17 items), perceived disciplinary structure (9 items), respect for students (4 items), and student willingness to seek help (4 items). All measures demonstrated acceptable to excellent internal reliability (α = .762–.957). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses examined whether school climate variables predicted help-seeking and whether teacher efficacy explained additional variance. In the first model, school climate variables (disciplinary structure and respect for students) significantly predicted help-seeking, explaining 47.2% of the variance, F(2, 91) = 40.72, p < .001. Adding teacher efficacy accounted for an additional 6.4% of variance, ΔF(1, 90) = 12.46, p < .001, resulting in a final model explaining 53.6% of the variance. In the final model, respect for students (β = .401), disciplinary structure (β = .256, p = .003), and teacher efficacy (β = .279, p < .001) were all significant positive predictors of help-seeking. These findings highlight the importance of both school climate and teacher confidence in responding to bullying. Strengthening respectful school environments and teachers’ anti-bullying efficacy may increase students’ willingness to seek help.

Authors:
Shiva Mohsenian, Fordham University, United States
Hannah Terrell, Fordham University, United States
Xiaying "Summer" Li, Fordham University, United States
Joanna Abramo, Kean University, United States
Su-Je Cho, Fordham University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Joanna Abramo is a full-time faculty member in the College of Education at Kean University in the United States. Her research interests include, Early Childhood Education, Special Education, Teacher Preparation, and Inclusion.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-mohsenian/

Additional website of interest
https://www.instagram.com/dr.jo.abramo/

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