ERIC Number: EJ1044535
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 84
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0305-5698
Constructing Bullying in Ontario, Canada: A Critical Policy Analysis
Winton, Sue; Tuters, Stephanie
Educational Studies, v41 n1-2 p122-142 2015
As the prevalence and negative effects of bullying become widely known, people around the world seem desperate to solve the bullying "problem". A sizeable body of research about many aspects of bullying and a plethora of anti-bullying programmes and policies now exist. This critical policy analysis asks: how does Ontario, Canada's bullying policy support and/or undermine critical democracy; and how does it reflect, support and further the interests of neoliberalism and/or neoconservatism? Findings indicate that the policy constructs the problem of bullying as a problem of individuals and a "behaviour for learning" problem. The policy also prescribes standardised responses to bullying incidents. We explore ways in which these constructions are undemocratic and unjust. The findings are particularly concerning because bullying policies are often viewed as innocuous by practitioners. This paper offers more than just critique by providing suggestions for how research and policies can become more just and equitable and how bullying policy may be enacted to support critical democracy.
Descriptors: Bullying, Incidence, Democracy, Neoliberalism, Policy Analysis, Behavior Problems, Criticism, Foreign Countries, Educational Policy, Educational Legislation, Discourse Analysis
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: Ontario

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