ABSTRACT

To date, research into bullying in educational settings has mainly focused on nursery, primary and secondary school levels, with only a very small number of studies addressing aspects of bullying in higher education colleges and universities. However, forums such as “The Student Room” (www.thestudentroom.co.uk) highlight the growing problem of bullying amongst university students with disturbing accounts of the long-term damage to self-esteem, academic achievement and emotional wellbeing experienced by some students. In this chapter, we begin by reviewing research into traditional bullying amongst university students as well as current studies of cyberbullying in higher education. We then consider the possibility of continuities between bullying at school and at university as well as the social contexts which either promote or discourage cyberbullying. Finally, we discuss the implications for policies, training and awareness-raising and conclude with some suggestions for future research.