LAUSR

ABSTRACT This study aimed at exploring secondary school teachers’ cognitions regarding bully-victims, including what handling strategies those teachers often adopt to tackle the dual problem inherent to this population. In this study, 13 secondary school teachers were invited to participate in interviews, and the results indicated that most of the teachers initially identified bully-victims as merely victims. However, with increased interactions involving bully-victims and more complaints from peers, teachers began to adjust their cognitions, and they recognised that these students could not be categorised into any specific role. Moreover, the results of this study also indicated that the teachers’ cognitions regarding bully-victims influenced the handling strategies employed with these students. Teachers often gave reprimands and assistance in parallel, regardless of the involved students’ roles, and they improved bully-victims’ situations by cooperating with schools, peers, and parents. The results suggest that teachers can utilise both punishment and assistance in parallel to effectively handle both the problems and needs of bully-victims versus relying on either one or the other.