Bullies, Victims, and Teachers in Japanese Middle Schools

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A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource.Since the 1980s, school bullying--"Ijime"--has been a major concern of educational policy in Japan. In Japanese schools, homeroom teachers provide guidance for students' psychological and social development, in addition to academic development. Homeroom teachers spend significant time counseling students, visiting their families, and developing a homeroom community where students feel a sense of belonging. When "Ijime" occurs in a classroom, the homeroom teacher is mainly responsible for resolving the case. However, despite the potential for homeroom teachers to reduce "Ijime," few researchers have examined the relations between students and their homeroom teachers and the consequences of this relation for "Ijime." Even less is known about what relationships "Ijime" victims and bullies have with their other subject teachers. The aim of this article is to help fill this gap. Here the authors examine three major aspects of student-teacher relationships in Japanese schools: teaching bonding, student guidance, and instructional support. They then analyze the possible association of these relationships with victimization and perpetration of "Ijime" based on a survey of students in seven middle schools within a single school district.