Teaching Strategies for Reducing Bullying in Middle School Physical Education

Abstract

Bullying is characterized as a type of aggression towards another that is deliberate and repeated by one or more individuals who hold an inherent power imbalance. (Greco, 2021; Montero-Carretero et al., 2019). In physical education (PE), poor motor skills and performance can make students especially vulnerable to bullying, as their abilities are highly visible and subject to judgment from their peers (Ríos et al., 2023). In PE, physical contact and peer interactions may contribute to bullying behaviors. However, with the correct teaching approach, PE classes could become a pivotal space to combat bullying (Montero-Carretero et al., 2019). Pre-service physical education teachers expressed the belief that physical education could both facilitate bullying and serve as a tool to prevent it (Ríos et al., 2023). They noted a lack of training in addressing bullying and felt unequipped to tackle the issue confidently. When combating bullying, the typical approach is to focus on eliminating bullying instead of promoting prosocial behaviors through the development of well-being (Greco, 2021). Studies showed that students' self-determination motivation in PE was positively affected by a supportive teaching style versus a controlling style used by teachers (Montero-Carretero et al., 2019). One of the teaching strategies that has been shown to reduce bullying is Autonomy Support (AS), which entails acknowledging the child's feelings, embracing their perspective, justifying decisions, offering choices, and minimizing pressure (Montero-Carretero et al., 2019). According to Montero-Carretero et al. (2019), an Autonomy Supportive PE environment positively predicted the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, which, as a result, positively predicted self-determined motivation for physical education.