College Students’ Stories of Bullying Experiences

Abstract

Bullying is complex and involves many factors. There is no single reason why a bully selects one or more victims: however individuals who are struggling to socially “fit in” and who appear awkward in various social settings are much more vulnerable to the bully (Adams, Lawrence, 2011). Interest in the topic of bullying in American schools has increased dramatically in the past few years, perhaps due to the converging findings of recent studies of school killings in the United States (Chapell et al., 2004). Research suggests students bullied in high school have a higher probability of experiencing bullying in college and in the workplace. Although K – 12 bullying has been extensively studied, research on college bullying is limited. Students are not only being bullied by peers, but in some cases, by instructors. In the present study, five college students, four undergraduate students and one graduate student, from a small liberal arts college in the south participated in a qualitative, open-ended interview. Students were asked about high school and college level bullying experiences. Results show that bullying by peers and instructors occur in college. Implications for prevention of college bullying are also discussed in further detail.