Bullying in Physical Education Classes as a Social Sustainability Issue: Teachers’ Perspectives

Résumé

Bullying is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon in our society, and physical education (PE) classes are no exception, appearing even as a context conducive to its occurrence, particularly when inclusive and supportive learning conditions are not fully ensured. However, the perception of this phenomenon by PE teachers remains little studied, despite its implications for classroom climate and students’ well- being. The primary aim of this study is therefore to examine how these teachers perceive bullying in their classes.

To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 36 secondary school PE teachers. They were asked to describe a recent experience of bullying that occurred during their classes and to answer a series of questions about the factors that might explain the perpetrators’ behavior.

The results indicate that teasing plays a central role, with bullying occurring in the majority of cases during class. Motives related to physical appearance and motor skills often appear to justify such behaviors. These findings highlight the importance of pedagogical differentiation as well as the need to develop interventions that encourage bystander engagement when confronted with bullying as a key condition for promoting social sustainability in physical education learning environments.