Report on a National Survey of Student Experiences of Bullying in Higher Education Institutions in Ireland

Download ‘Report on a National Survey of Student Experiences of Bullying in Higher Education Institutions in Ireland’ PDF

Content Warning

This survey study investigated respondents’ experiences of bullying in Higher Level Education. Please avail of the below support services in case the content of this report is distressing to you or makes you feel uncomfortable.

Contents

Appendix

Survey

Survey Instrument 

Experiences of Bullying within Higher Education. 

(Q1) Participant Information Sheet 

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. We have provided some information about this research project below. 

What is this survey about? 

This survey is about student-related experiences in higher education institutions. This survey includes three sections (TBC): 

Who are the people conducting the research? 

This research is being conducted by Dr Michael Goldrick and Prof. James O'Higgins Norman of the DCU Anti-Bullying Centre (ABC) at Dublin City University. 
This survey has been facilitated by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. If you have any important questions regarding the contents of this survey, please contact michael.goldrick@dcu.ie 
Information regarding the aims of this survey is provided below. 

What will my participation involve?

This survey will take about 15 minutes to complete. The ideal setting for filling out the survey is a quiet environment, where you do not feel observed and can respond accurately to the questions included in this survey. Your participation in this survey is voluntary and it should not entail any risk in either your personal or student life. Please note that there are no right or wrong answers. Therefore, it is very important that your answers reflect your personal thoughts, experiences, and feelings. 

Benefits of participation 

By choosing to participate in this research survey, you will get the chance to reflect on your student-related experiences. Your participation will inform policy and best practices in Higher Education Institutions and will help practitioners to create a better learning environment.

How will the data be stored? 

The survey will not collect any personal identifiable information on you. Aggregate data from the study participants will contribute to the overall research findings. Your data will be stored securely using passwords for the survey software and will not be accessed by anyone outside of the research team (subject to legal limitations). The data will be collected anonymously and protected in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - 2016/679 and will be stored for 5 years after completion of the research in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998. Please do not provide any information (e.g. name, surname, etc.) that could be used to identify you. 

Any individual wishing to exercise their Data Subject Rights should contact the DCU Data Protection Officer at data.protection@dcu.ie 

How will the data be used? 

Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary. You may close this survey at any point. 
Please note that if you withdraw from the survey, the data collected up to your withdrawal will be used as detailed in this participant information sheet. This is because this survey does not collect any identifiable information that could be linked to your own answers. 

The research findings will be used to inform policy and practice in Irish Higher Education Institutions. Findings will also be used for writing papers for publication in scientific journals, and for presenting the findings of this survey at academic conferences. 

Independent contact 

If you wish to liaise with an independent person about this survey, please contact the Dublin City University Research Ethics Committee at rec@dcu.ie

(Q2) Consent Form 

I give my consent to participate in this survey and understand that I may withdraw from the survey at any point. By ticking each box below, you consent to completing this survey: 

□ I confirm that I have read and understood the Participant Information Sheet (1) 

□ I understand the information provided (2)

□ I understand the information provided in relation to data protection (3)

□ I understand that I may withdraw from this survey at any point (4)

□ I understand that confidentiality of information provided is subject to legal limitations (5)

□ I confirm that I had the opportunity to ask questions and received satisfactory answers (6)

□ I consent to participate in this survey (7)

We now need some general information about you. Please note that data is collected and help confidentially. 

To understand your answers for statistical research purposes, we would be grateful if you could provide us with some personal demographic information. Where you do not wish to disclose information, please choose the "Prefer not to answer" option.

Demographic information

(Q3) Part 1. 
We now need some general information about you. Please note that data is collected and held confidentially. 

To understand your answers for statistical research purposes, we would be grateful if you could provide us with some personal demographic information. Where you do not wish to disclose information, please choose the "prefer not to say" option.

(Q4) Are you over the age of 18?

□ Yes
□ No 

(Q5) Are you a registered student in a third level institution?

□ Yes
□ No 

(Q6) What gender (if any) do you identify with? Please choose one of the following:

□ Cisgender woman (female)
□ Cisgender man (male)
□ Transgender woman
□ Transgender man
□ Trans feminine person
□ Trans masculine person
□ Non-binary person
□ Agender person
□ Gender non-conforming person
□ Genderqueer
□ Other

(Q7) What sexual orientation do you identify with? 

□ Asexual
□ Gay 
□ Lesbian 
□ Bisexual 
□ Queer 
□ Straight/heterosexual 
□ Pansexual
□ Questioning
□ Other
□ Prefer not to say

(Q8) Please indicate your age group: 

□ 18-24 
□ 25-34 
□ 35-44 
□ 45-54 
□ 55-64 
□ 65+ 
□ Prefer not to say

(Q9) With which ethnic group do you most identify? 

(The categories below are informed by the Central Statistics Office for Census (2022))

□ Chinese 
□ Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi 
□ Any other Asian background 
□ African 
□ Any other Black background 
□ Arabic 
□ Mixed background 
□ Other 
□ Irish 
□ Irish Traveller 
□ Roma 
□ Any other White background 
□ Prefer not to say

(Q10) Do you have any functional diversity? 

□ Yes 
□ No 
□ Prefer not to say 

(Q11) What is your functional diversity? 

□ Specific learning difficulty e.g., dyslexia, dyscalculia 
□ Physical or mobility related disability 
□ Blind or visually impaired 
□ Deaf or hard of hearing 
□ Mental health difficulty 
□ ASD or Aspergers 
□ ADHD or ADD 
□ Significant ongoing illness 
□ Neurological (incl. Epilepsy and Brain injury)
□ Other (please specify) 
□ Prefer not to say 

(Q12) What is your religion? 

□ Muslim
□ Hindus 
□ Orthodox
□ Roman Catholic
□ Buddhism
□ Jewish
□ Church of Ireland (including Protestant)
□ No religion
□ Other (Please specify)

(Q13) What type of college do you attend? 

□ Institute of Technology 
□ University 
□ Technological University
□ College of Further Education
□ Private College

(Q14) What type of description best fits your current status as a student? 

□ Are you a Full time Student?
□ Are you a Part-time Student?

(Q15) Are you on an exchange programme (such as Erasmus)

□ Yes 
□ No 

(Q16) What qualification should you receive at the end of your course? 

□ Higher Certificate (NFQ Level 6) 
□ Diploma
□ Degree (NFQ Level 7)
□ Honours Degree (NFQ Level 8)
□ Postgraduate Diploma (NFQ Level 8/9)
□ Taught Masters Degree (NFQ Level 9)
□ Research Masters Degree (NFQ Level 9)
□ PhD /EdD / (NFQ Level 10)
□ Other (please specify) 

(Q17) What is your current main area of study? 

□ Education 
□ Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction 
□ Humanities & Arts
□ Agriculture/Veterinary 
□ Social Science 
□ Health/Welfare 
□ Business 
□ Sport 
□ Law 
□ Catering 
□ Science 
□ Services 
□ Maths/Computing/Computer Science 
□ Other (please specify)

(Q18) How many years long is the course in total?

□ 1 Year
□ 2 Years
□ 3 Years
□ 4 Years
□ 5 Years
□ 6 Years / more than 6 Years

(Q19) What year of the course are you currently in? 

□ 1 Year
□ 2 Years
□ 3 Years
□ 4 Years
□ 5 Years
□ 6 Years / more than 6 Years

(Q20) PART 2:

Experiences within social learning environments

Here are some questions related to your experiences in College and social learning environments, whether that be in real life, or online. Please note that there are no right or wrong answers. We are interested in your actual experiences, feelings and thoughts. 

Please read each question carefully before answering:

A Note on Bullying and Cyber bullying

Bullying is in-person behaviour between students within a social network that causes physical, emotional, or social harm to targeted students. When such behaviour takes place online it is referred to as cyberbullying or online bullying. Bullying is typically characterised by an imbalance of power that is enabled or inhibited by the social and institutional norms and context of schools and the education system. As an example of power imbalance, a fellow student who engages in bullying perpetration may have more social support (better social capital), which can facilitate bullying behaviour. Power imbalance can also result from a formal hierarchical structure such as an instructor/professor having more power than a student. The key aspect of bullying rests on the subjective perception of the target that acts are hostile, humiliating or intimidating and that they are directed at the target. 

All answers provided are anonymous and confidential.

Please note the questions in this section may cause stress or be upsetting for some.

(Q21) Have you experienced any of the following acts within college and social learning environments?

(Q22) The person(s) perpetrating the above was/is

□ Not applicable. (redirect to next question)
□ Student in my course
□ Another student in my college
□ Someone in a society I joined.
□ Someone on a sports team I joined
□ Tutor
□ Lecturer/Professor
□ Research supervisor
□ Manager in the college
□ Administrative staff
□ Support services staff
□ Someone else (please list your connection to this person).
□ A stranger online

(Q23) Did you change your behaviour as a result of these negative experiences in the last academic year? (please tick all that apply)

□ I took time out of college
□ I am going to drop out of course
□ I am thinking of changing course
□ I am thinking of changing college
□ I didn’t go to certain classes
□ I didn’t participate in certain classes
□ I dropped out of a society
□ I dropped out of a sports/ esports team
□ I stopped going to the on-campus gym
□ I try not to be alone on-campus (stay with one or more people)
□ I avoid certain areas of campus (where I feel vulnerable).
□ I avoid certain online student groups

(Q24) Thinking of the negative experiences above, did they have a negative impact on you in relation to any of the following?

□ Motivation to attend college
□ Lowered self esteem
□ Anxiousness
□ Feelings of embarrassment/humiliation
□ Sadness
□ Feeling depressed.
□ Feelings of anger
□ Other (please specify)

(Q25) Do you feel that you were targeted as a result of any of the following?

□ My sexual orientation
□ My gender
□ Being transgender
□ Having a disability
□ My race
□ My religion
□ My age
□ My ethnicity
□ My physical appearance
□ No idea why I was bullied on campus
□ Other (please specify)

(Q26) Did you experience bullying at post-primary (secondary) school?

□ Yes □ No

(Q27) If yes, how long did the bullying last?

□ Less than a week
□ Around a week.
□ Less than a month
□ A few months
□ Roughly a year
□ Multiple years

Now let’s look at experiences you may have had as a result of work experience as a requirement for your course.

(Q28) Did you go on work placement / practicum during the last academic year as part of the requirement for your college course?

□ Yes □ No

(Q29) If yes, have you experienced any of the following acts from a senior colleague, mentor, placement tutor, or peer?

(Q30) The person(s) perpetrating the above was/is (please choose all that apply)

□ A senior colleague
□ A peer
□ A Mentor
□ A student
□ A Placement Tutor
□ Other (please specify)

(Q31) Thinking of the negative experiences above, did they have a negative impact on you in terms of your general wellbeing?

(Q32) Did you report these experiences to anyone?

□ Yes □ No (if no, redirect to debrief)

(Q33) If yes, who did you report to?

□ Friend
□ Lecturer
□ Parent
□ Tutor
□ Student union
□ Student rep
□ College counsellor

Part 3: Experiences of Bullying Others

This next part considers any experiences you may have had of bullying others. All answers provided are anonymous and confidential. Please note the questions in this section may cause stress or be upsetting for some.

(Q34) Have you carried out any of the following acts within college and / or social learning environments?

(Q35) Who did you direct these acts towards?

□ Student in my course
□ Another student in my college
□ Tutor
□ Lecturer/Professor
□ Research supervisor
□ Manager in the college
□ Admin staff
□ Someone else (please list your connection to this person).
□ Prefer not to say

Part 4.

Now let’s look at witnessing bullying and/or cyberbullying of someone in your college.

(Q36) Have you ever witnessed any form of bullying on campus or cyberbullying?

□ Yes □ No

(Q37) (If yes), Have you tried to intervene?

□ Yes □ No

(Q38) What did you do to intervene?

□ Spoke to the person being bullied on campus to see if I could help/support them.
□ Contacted a lecturer
□ Contacted a Student rep.
□ Told the person bullying to stop it.
□ I stepped in to stop the bullying at the time.
□ I sent a DM to the bully to tell them to stop
□ Contacted other class members to tell them about the bullying situation.

(Q39) What was the outcome of your actions?

Please state:

(Q40) (If no intervention) why did you not intervene?

□ Afraid for myself, that I would be next
□ Afraid it would get worse for the person being bullied
□ None of my business
□ Thought someone else would intervene
□ Person should be able to handle it themselves at college
□ I didn’t know how to help
□ Felt it was too dangerous to intervene
□ I was friends with the bully
□ I didn’t know the victim well

(41) Please choose the option that best describes your level of agreement to the below statements:

(42) Does your college have an anti-bullying policy?

□ Yes □ No □ Unsure

References

Banks, JA, , Kathryn H. Au, Arnetha F. Ball, Philip Bell, Edmund W. Gordon, Kris D. Gutiérrez, Shirley Brice Heath, Carol D. Lee, Yuhshi Lee, Jabari Mahiri, Na’ilah Suad Nasir, Guadalupe Valdés, Min Zhou (2007). Learing in and out of school in diverse environments. The LIFE Center (The Learning in Informal and Formal Environments Center), University of Washington, Stanford University, and SRI International

Bigelow, B. (1997). On the Road to Cultural Bias: A Critique of The Oregon Trail CD-ROM. Language Arts, 74(2), 84–93. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41482844

Boyd, Danah (2011) Social network sites as networked publics: Affordances, dynamics, and implications. In: Papacharissi Z (ed.), A Networked self: identity, community, and culture on social network sites, New York: Routledge, pp. 39–58. 

Belongto National School Climate Survey 2019. https://cif.ie/2019/05/17/national-school-climate-survey-frombelong-to/…;

Beyens, I., Pouwels, J. L., van Driel, I. I., Keijsers, L., & Valkenburg, P. M. (in press). Social Media Use and Adolescents’ Well-Being: Developing a Typology of Person Specific Effect Patterns. Communication Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/00936502211038196 

Central Statistics Office. Census Ireland (2022) https://www.cso.ie/en/census/ 

Chapell, M. S., Casey, D., De la Cruz, C., Ferrell, J., Forman, J., Lipkin, S., & Newsham, G. (2004). Bullying in college by students and teachers. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34(3), 665-692. http://sites.tamuc.edu/bullyingjournal/article/bullies-and-victims-in-higher-education/

Christine K. Malecki, M.K, Demaray, TJ. Smith, J.E (2020) Disability, poverty, and other risk factors associated with involvement in bullying behaviors, Journal of School Psychology, Vol 78.

De Cieri, H., Sheehan, C., Donohue, R., Shea, T. and Cooper, B. (2019), "Workplace bullying: an examination of power and perpetrators", Personnel Review, Vol. 48 No. 2, pp. 324-341. 

Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and Education. An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. New York, NY: Free Press. Donoghue, C (2022) Sociology of Bullying : Power, Status, and Aggression Among Adolescents. New York. NYU Press. 

Duffy, M. & Brown, J. E. (2018). Best practices in psychotherapy for targets of workplace bullying and mobbing. In Duffy, M. & Yamada, D. C. (Eds.) Workplace bullying and mobbing in the United States, Volume 2 (pp. 291-314). ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, USA. 

Eileen Culloty, Tijana Milosevic, Kirsty Park, Roderick Flynn, Debbie Ging, James O’Higgins Norman, Jane Suiter, 2021 The General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill. Submission to the Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht.

Fahie, D. (2020). The lived experience of toxic leadership in Irish higher education. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 13(3), 341–355. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-07-2019-0096 

Ging, D. (2023) ‘Tactics of Hate: Toxic "Creativity" in Anti-feminist Men’s Rights Politics’ IN Boyle, K. and Berridge, S. (Eds.) The Routledge Companion to Gender, Media and Violence. Routledge.

Gordon, M, Lam, M, Sung par, J, Patel, K, Hancock, J, Hashimoto, T, Bernstien, M.S (2022) Jury Learning: Integrating Dissenting Voices into Machine. CHI ’22, April 29-May 5, 2022, New Orleans, LA, USA. 

Harcourt, S., Jasperse, M., & Green, V. A. (2014). “We were sad and we were angry”: A systematic review of parents’ perspectives on bullying. Child & Youth Care Forum, 43(3), 373–391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-014-9243-4

Health and Safety Authority, HSA. (2021). Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Prevention and Resolution of Bullying at Work. https://www.hsa.ie/eng/publications_and_forms/publications/codes_of_practice/code_of_practice_for_employers_and_employees_on_the_prevention_and_resolution_of_bullying_at_work.pdf

Hodgins, M., & Mannix-McNamara, P. M. (2019). An Enlightened Environment? Workplace Bullying and Incivility in Irish Higher Education. SAGE Open, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019894278 

Holt, M. K., & Espelage, D. L. (2007). Perceived social support among bullies, victims, and bully-victims. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36(8), 984–994. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9153-3 

Hutchinson, M., & Jackson, D. (2015). The construction and legitimation of workplace bullying in the public sector: insight into power dynamics and organisational failures in health and social care. Nursing Inquiry, 22(1), 13–26.https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12077

Islam, M. S., Hasan, M. M., Rahman, M. A., & Islam, M. M. (2021). Cyberbullying detection in social media using artificial intelligence: A systematic review. Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing, 12, 1-19. 

Jackson, Carolyn, and Vanita Sundaram. "Is ‘lad culture’a problem in higher education? Exploring the perspectives of staff working in UK universities." Final report, Society for Research into Higher Education. https://www. srhe. ac.uk/downloads/JacksonSundaramLadCulture. pdf (2015). 

Kiilakoski, T. (2012), Kasvatus teknologisessa maailmassa [Education in the technological world], Finnish Youth Research Society, Helsinki. 

Kosciw, J. G., Greytak, E. A., Giga, N. M., Villenas, C. & Danischewski, D. J. (2016). The 2015 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN.

Le Menestrel, Suzanne. (2020). Preventing Bullying: Consequences, Prevention, and Intervention. Journal of Youth Development. 15. 8-26. 10.5195/jyd.2020.945. 

Li, D., Zhang, D., & Liu, Y. (2020). A chatbot-based intelligent antibullying system for online education. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 15(11), 33-47. 

Maguire, M (2001), 'Bullying and the Postgraduate Secondary School Trainee Teacher: An English Case Study', JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR TEACHING, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 95 - 109. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607470120042564 

Manrique M, Allwood MA, Pugach CP, Amoh N, Cerbone A (2020) Time and support do not heal all wounds: Mental health correlates of past bullying among college students. J Am Coll Health. Apr; 68 (3 ):227-235. 

Mazzone, A, Jones, É, Freeney, Y, O’Higgins Norman, J (2022) Report on the National Survey of Staff Experiences of Bullying in Irish HEIs. ISBN 978-1-911669-37-1. 

May, A., & Tenzek, K. E. (2018). Bullying in the academy: Understanding the student bully and the targeted ‘stupid, fat, mother fucker’ professor. Teaching in Higher Education, 23(3), 275–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2017.1379482. 

Meriläinen, Matti & Puhakka, Helena & Sinkkonen, Hanna-Maija. (2014). Students' suggestions for eliminating bullying at a university. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling. 42. 1 - 14. 10.1080/03069885.2014.950943. 

Milosevic, T., Collier, A. & Norman, J.O. (2022) Leveraging Dignity Theory to Understand Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Children’s Rights. Int Journal of Bullying Prevention https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380- 022-00120-2 

Nixon, C. L. (2014). Current perspectives: the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent health. Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics, 5, 143–158. https://doi.org/10.2147/AHMT.S36456

Oblath R, Greif Green J, Guzmán J, Felix ED, Furlong MJ, Holt M, Sharkey J.(2020) Retrospective perceptions of power imbalance in childhood bullying among college students. J Am Coll Health. 2020 Nov-Dec; 68 (8) :891-899. 

Olweus, D (1996). The Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. British Journal of Educational Psychology Journal of Adolescent Health. 10.1037/t09634-000. 

Osatuke, K., Moore, S. C., Ward, C., Dyrenforth, S. R. & Belton, L. (2009). Civility, respect, engagement in the workforce (CREW). Nationwide organization development intervention at Veterans Health Administration. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 45(3), 384-410. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0021886309335067 

Paull, M., Omari, M., & Standen, P. (2012). When is a bystander not a bystander? A typology of the roles of bystanders in workplace bullying. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 50(3), 351–366. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7941.2012.00027.x 

Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2006). Bullies Move Beyond the Schoolyard: A Preliminary Look at Cyberbullying. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 4(2), 148–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204006286288 

Patchin, J & Hinduja, S. (2013). Cyberbullying Among Adolescents: Implications for Empirical Research. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. 53. 431-2. 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.07.030. 

Popp, Ann & Peguero, Anthony & Day, Kristin & Semprevivo, Lindsay. (2014). Gender, Bullying Victimization, and Education. Violence and Victims. 29. 10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-13-00047.

Rose, C. A., Monda-Amaya, L. E., & Espelage, D. L. (2011). Bullying perpetration and victimization in special education: A review of the literature. Remedial and Special Education, 32(2), 114-130 

Sewell, K., Cain, T., Woodgate‐Jones, A., & Srokosz, A. (2009). Bullying and the postgraduate trainee teacher: a comparative study. Journal of Education for Teaching, 35(1), 3- 18. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607470802587087

Sinkkonen, Hanna-Maija & Puhakka, Helena & Meriläinen, Matti. (2012). Bullying at a university: Students' experiences of bullying. Studies in Higher Education - STUD HIGH EDUC. 39. 1-13. 10.1080/03075079.2011.649726. 

Sheridan, I. and Linehan, 2013, M. A Partnership Approach to Work Placement in Higher Education. Available from: https://www.tudublin.ie/media/website/for-students/careers/docs/A-Partn…

Slonje, R., & Smith, P. K. (2008). Cyberbullying: Another Main Type of Bullying? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 49, 147-154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2007.00611.x 

Staale Einarsen, Helge Hoel & Guy Notelaers (2009) Measuring exposure to bullying and harassment at work: Validity, factor structure and psychometric properties of the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised, Work & Stress, 23:1, 24-44, DOI: 10.1080/02678370902815673 

Stives, K. L., May, D. C., & Bethel, C. L. (2022). Parental Perspectives About What It Means to Bully. Journal of Family Issues, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X221129865 

Subair S. ‘Tayo, Solomon Temitope Adebola and Deborah Oreoluwa Yahya, 2019 Social Media: Usage and Influence on Undergraduate Studies in Nigerian Universities. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT), 2019, Vol. 15, Issue 3, pp. 53-62