"You Really Don't Know How Much It Hurts:" Children's and Preservice Teachers' Reactions to Childhood Teasing. (General Articles)

Abstract

Abstract. The sensitivity of preservice teachers to the impact of teasing on children was examined. Preservice teachers (n = 164) and elementary-age children (n = 184) viewed one of three videotaped responses (i.e., Hostile, Ignore, or Humorous) to an observed teasing incident among children and then evaluated the child actor's response to the teasing and social status of the participants in the teasing episode. Preservice teachers were asked to respond as they thought children would. Results revealed several important differences between responses of preservice teachers and children, including how mad participants would be if they were involved and the effectiveness of the child's response to discourage subsequent teasing. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding teachers' responses to teasing incidents in the school environment. Teasing is as much a part of childhood as skinned knees and runny noses. However, unlike other ubiquitous childhood irritants, teasing can have profound and even life-long consequences (Georgesen, Harris, Milich, & Young, 1999). Although many children seem resistant to the pejorative effects of teasing, some may be particularly vulnerable to this undesirable form of peer attention. Indeed, Mooney, Creeser, and Blatchford (1991) described a number of predictable consequences of teasing, even if the victim is not being bullied as well. These seque1ae range from embarrassment, intimidation, apprehension, and loneliness to fear, pain, isolation, and retaliation. Unfortunately, media events document a possible darker side of teasing. For example, one child committed suicide after being repeatedly teased and tormented about her hair (terHorst, 1995), whereas another child killed himself after being relentlessly teased about his weight (Hefty boy who feared teasing, 1996). Although teasing may not be the sole or even primary causal factor in these tragic events, the peer victimization literature (Perry, Hodges, & Egan, 2001) is clear in documenting the adverse, long-term consequences of repeated abuse from peers including bullying and teasing. Moreover, in at least one school shooting case, it was reported that the student involved in the shooting had looked to his teachers for help in stopping the teasing but the school failed to intervene (American Psychological Association & MTV 1999). Other anecdotal evidence, as well as empirical reports (see Shapiro, Baumeister, & Kessler, 1991), also suggest that parents and teachers may fail to appreciate just how distressing it is to be a victim of childhood teasing. The purpose of the current study was to examine how sensitive preservice teachers are to the impact of teasing on children. Very little is known about teasing in the peer group. The seminal work by Olweus (1978) focused on the behavioral differences between bully and whipping boy, providing rich information about the unfortunate victims of bullies. However, there are important differences between bullying and teasing. Bullying behavior clearly has a hostile intent, is perpetrated by aggressive children, and relies upon overt intimidation (see Batsche & Knoff, 1994). Teasing, in contrast, is more complex. It involves elements of hostility, humor, and ambiguity, and depends on the intent of the teaser, as well as the interpretation of the child being teased (Shapiro et al., 1991). When children tease others, much of it is done in jest, and much of it is done in the presence of peers. Sadly, it can also have a hurtful connotation, and it is frequently directed at those who are disliked by the instigator (Walker, Colvin, & Ramsey, 1995). Shapiro et al. (1991) presented the most comprehensive data on childhood teasing. In their study, third, fifth, and eighth graders wrote essays in which they defined teasing and gave examples of teasing episodes based on personal experience. Coding of essay content revealed that the most common topics of teasing involved physical appearance, intellectual capability, physical performance (e. …