Under Construction @ Keele 2017 Under Construction @ Keele Vol. III (3) | Page 22

A Review of the Literature
On Bullying Amongst Students within Higher Education
Emma Harrison | PhD in Psychology
Bullying is still a concern within schools, and recent interest has
increased regarding workplace bullying. Considering there is evidence
for stable victim and bully roles, it is likely that the same individuals are
involved in bullying at different stages in their lives. If roles carry across
time and contexts, the phase in-between school and work – Higher
Education (HE) – should also be investigated for bullying occurrences.
This article reviews the small quantity of literature on bullying amongst
students within HE. The research shows that it is a concern, and
university students are indicating experiencing bullying in various
forms. A considerable minority of students are being bullied whilst at
university, and they are suffering the negative consequences of
affected wellbeing and disrupted academic attainment. There have
been problems with measuring bullying at this level, and this may be a
factor as to why there has been little research. It may also be due to
assumptions that universities are safe places where aggression does
not occur. There need to be more in-depth investigations representing
a broader sample of students, and also recording a broader range of
behaviours that students self-identify as negative bullying behaviour.
So far, there is not enough good quality research to indicate the extent
of the issue of bullying at HE.
Keywords | bullying • students • Higher Education • university • wellbeing
Bullying is defined as a systematic abuse of power, whereby intentionally aggressive
behaviour is repeated against a victim who is unable to defend him or herself. 1
Bullying can be direct, by openly hurting others through physical or verbal means, or
indirect, by harming peer interactions and social relationships (relational bullying). 2
Similar definitions have been adopted in the study of school bullying research for the
past 40 years. Research on school bullying has snowballed extensively since the
early studies conducted in Scandinavia by Dan Olweus. 3 It is known what types of
behaviour children adopt to aggress against their victims, and what the
consequences are likely to be if bullied. Recently, the reporting of workplace bullying
Peter K. Smith, “Bullying: Recent Developments,” Child and Adolescent Mental Health 9 (3) (2004):
98.
2
Kaj Björkqvist, “Sex Differences in Physical, Verbal, and Indirect Aggression: A Review of Recent
Research,” Sex Roles 30 (3-4) (1994): 179.
3
Dan Olweus, Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do (Oxford: Blackwell, 1993).
1