Academic Bullying: Taking the Hallway Chats to the Level of Formalized Policy

in Kinesiology Review

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Karen S. Meaney
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Sonya L. Armstrong
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/kr.2019-0042
Keywords:
aggressive behaviors; faculty; intimidation; policy development; workplace harassment
In Print:
Volume 8: Issue 4
Page Range:
318–322
Restricted access

Bullying in any context adversely affects individuals and organizations. Although bullying is typically conceived of as an issue specific to children in schoolyards, adult bullying is widespread, and the literature on workplace bullying continues to emerge as a scholarly focus. More specifically, academic bullying in higher-education institutions has been identified as an area of particular interest. Considerable literature exists that addresses definitions, characteristics, and effects of faculty bullying; however, the literature is scant regarding effective practice and policy that explicitly aim to prevent academic bullying. Furthermore, although this is a topic often discussed informally on university campuses, it does not appear to be addressed explicitly in formalized institutional policies. In this manuscript, the authors provide the findings of the initial stages of a content analysis aimed at exploring extant policy at public doctoral-granting universities. Implications and recommendations for policy development based on the results of this policy review are provided.

The authors are with Texas State University, San Marcos, TX.

Meaney (km66@txstate.edu) is corresponding author.
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