What is this thing called bullying? Using sociocultural framing to interpret research on defining school bullying

In this theoretical paper, we re-examine some of the empirical literature that has studied definitions of school bullying, and offer sociocultural theorising as a useful underpinning to interpret it. Research exploring how young people and teachers perceive school bullying has indicated that definitions are inconsistent. This includes the characteristics of an incident that equate to a definition of bullying, and also the type of behaviours encompassed by the term bullying. Using Wenger’s (1998) Community of Practice framework, and Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological System approach, we will argue that bullying is contextual, based on situated relationships between individuals operating in various communities and settings. Therefore it is to be expected that the way bullying is conceived and articulated will vary between groups, and in different situations. This has educational significance in terms of how bullying is interpreted and managed in schools