Experience of bullying among Bhutanese college students: Implications for teacher formation programmes

Abstract

Bullying in schools and colleges/universities has significant negative impacts on individuals and learning environments. Much of the evidence comes from school studies. This study, the first of its kind in Bhutan, explores the experience of bullying among college students. The study employed a self-administered survey to a representative sample of 2471 (male = 1242 and female = 1191) college students with mean age 21.5 years, from eight of the 11 college campuses across Bhutan. The findings indicate that bullying is not an uncommon experience amongst the college students; both as victims and victimizers. Implications for relevant stakeholders in Bhutan, and elsewhere, and recommendations to address the issues are presented, especially as they relate to teacher formation (teacher training programs). Although teacher formation is largely dependent on a pre-service teacher's beliefs and prior learning experiences, teacher preparation programs play a vital role. Recommendations for further research are also provided.