“We’ve Never Studied Bullying at University:” Bullying-Related Beliefs, Training, and Strategies Among Physical Education Preservice Teachers

Abstract

Purpose: To examine beliefs about bullying in physical education (PE) among PE preservice teachers and to examine opinions about training received in this area and the strategies they would use to deal with this phenomenon. Method: We interviewed 44 PE-PSTs (Mage = 23.91; SD = 2.96) from six Spanish universities in semistructured focus groups. The data collected were analyzed using hierarchical content analysis. Results: PE preservice teachers believed that while PE may favor the occurrence of bullying, with proper management, it could also be used to educate students and create a positive climate that could help prevent this behavior. The trainee teachers stated that they had not received any training on bullying at university. Overall, they lacked confidence to deal with this problem, and their proposed strategies lacked depth. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need for universities to include bullying in their PE teacher training programs.