BULLYING PREVENTION AND OVERCOMING IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

Bullying is one of the most urgent socio-pedagogical and psychological problems nowadays. The phenomenon of bullying is extremely common at modern school, but it can often be found in adult groups. Despite of all problems and difficulties of modern educational institutions they still have the status of one of the main institutions of socialization of the individual for its formation and development. That is why they must play a key role in protecting youth from violence. Bullying is a social phenomenon is characteristic for mostly organized groups and is manifested through various forms of violence that are committed systematically against the same person. The article considers the peculiarities of bullying in higher education institutions. The most common factors that provoke bullying in an educational institution are identified: unfavorable socio-psychological climate, authoritarian style of teaching, teacher’s isolation of any pupil / student as a positive or negative example for others, ignoring the problem at the educational institution level. Two key areas (managerial and educational) in a comprehensive approach to prevention and overcoming bullying in higher education are described. Management direction includes analysis of the situation in the educational institution; elaboration of the official position of the educational institution towards bullying; developing rules of conduct and informing all participants in the educational process; determining the duties and responsibilities of participants in the educational process to create and maintain safe behavior in the educational institution; conducting briefings. The educational direction of the higher education institution involves informing all participants in the educational process about the rules of conduct in the educational institution, their rights and responsibilities, responsibility for bullying (harassment), the procedure for submitting and reviewing applications for bullying (or the possibility of its commission), how to respond to cases of bullying; development of a plan of measures aimed at preventing and combating bullying in higher education institutions. Attention is drawn to the importance of diagnostic, educational work to prevent and overcome bullying, the formation of participants in the educational process intolerance of violence. The author emphasizes the problematic aspects of the implementation of these areas in higher education institutions and concludes that it is necessary to amend the legislation of Ukraine on bullying, develop a mechanism for responding to bullying in institutions of higher and higher education, taking into account foreign experience.