The role of attitudes and empathy in the interventional behaviour of teachers in cases of peer violence

In general, the role of teachers in the suppression of peer violence has not been sufficiently investigated. In particular, little is known about the role of teachers' attitudes in predicting if they will intervene. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between attitudes about peer violence and perceptions of the severity of violence, the level of empathy and the likelihood of teacher intervention in cases of direct and indirect forms of peer violence. The participants in the research were 639 primary school teachers, average age 43, from all macro regions of the Republic of Croatia. The Sociodemographic Variables Questionnaire, extended vignettes and the Peer Violence Attitude Scale were used to collect data. It was found that some sociodemographic factors (gender and seniority of the teacher) are correlated with the perception of the severity of violence, empathy and the likelihood of intervention only in the case of indirect forms of peer violence. Attitudes proved to be significant predictors of the perception of the severity of violence, the level of empathy and the probability of teacher intervention in cases of direct and indirect forms of peer violence. In addition, it was determined that stereotypical attitudes are the most important predictors of the perception of the severity of direct forms of violence, of empathy and the probability of intervention for both forms of violence, while controllability of violence is the most important predictor of the perception of the severity of indirect forms of violence. In conclusion, the study stresses the importance of raising awareness about the suppression of peer violence and the need for the permanent professional development of teachers.