SPECIAL ISSUE 1 June 2026
DOI DOI: 10.66434/ijspsy.v1i1si.492

Permeable boundaries of pedagogy: Investigating the online and offline victimisation of South African teachers

Roy Thungavel Venketsamy1
  1. 1 University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Abstract

Teacher-targeted bullying by learners is an under-researched yet significant issue within the South African education system, with serious implications for teacher well-being and the quality of teaching and learning. While existing research has predominantly focused on learner-on-learner bullying, limited attention has been given to teachers’ experiences of victimisation, particularly across both digital and physical contexts. This study explores the lived experiences of South African teachers who have been subjected to online and offline bullying by learners. It employed a qualitative case study research design through an interpretive paradigm. Five participants were recruited through snowball sampling from the Tshwane South district in Gauteng province, South Africa. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed via thematic analysis. The findings revealed pervasive boundary violations, including learners obtaining teachers’ personal contact details, engaging in persistent digital harassment, issuing anonymous threats, and, in some cases, extending intimidation into teachers’ private spaces. These experiences resulted in significant emotional and psychological distress, including anxiety, hypervigilance, and professional disillusionment. The study further demonstrates the increasing permeability between online and offline victimisation, where harassment extends beyond the school environment into teachers’ personal lives. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and the National School Safety Framework, the study conceptualises teacher victimisation as a multi-layered ecological phenomenon. It highlights the need for more inclusive and responsive school safety policies.

How to Cite

Venketsamy, R. T. (2026). Permeable boundaries of pedagogy: Investigating the online and offline victimisation of South African teachers. International Journal of Studies in Psychology, 1(1si), 32–39. https://doi.org/10.66434/ijspsy.v1i1si.492
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX

References

  1. Adewusi, A. G. (2021). Learner-teacher targeted bullying in South African high schools. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 26(4), 412–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2021.1984100
  2. Amali, N. A. K., Ridzuan, M. U. M., Rahmat, N. H., Seng, H. Z., & Mustafa, N. C. (2023). Exploring the learning environment through Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(2), 144–162. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v12-i2/16516
  3. Antanovich, K. (2025). Belarusian Chameleons: Teachers Teaching, Resisting, and Surviving in an Authoritarian State (Unpublished PhD thesis). Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University, United States.
  4. Badimo, T. P., & Masisi, I. M. (2025). Educators' experiences and coping strategies in response to learner violence in Mopani district, Limpopo. The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa, 21(1), 1527. https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v21i1.1527
  5. Baxen, J. (2021). Teacher-targeted bullying and harassment in South African schools (Unpublished PhD thesis). Bloemfontein: University of the Free State, South Africa.
  6. Berkowitz, R. (2025). Teacher-to-student victimisation: The role of teachers' victimisation and school social and organisational climates. Education Sciences, 15(9), 1090. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15091090
  7. Bradshaw, C. P., Waasdorp, T. E., O'Brennan, L. M., & Gulemetova, M. (2013). Teachers' and education support professionals' perspectives on bullying and prevention: Findings from a National Education Association study. School Psychology Review, 42(3), 280–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2013.12087474
  8. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Can I use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern‐based qualitative analytic approaches. Counselling and psychotherapy research, 21(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12360
  9. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674028845
  10. Burton, P., & Leoschut, L. (2013). School violence in South Africa: Results of the 2012 National School Violence Study. Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention.
  11. Campher, R. P. (2023). Constructing an information base on teacher-targeted bullying towards policy formation (Unpublished PhD thesis). Bloemfontein: University of the Free State, South Africa.
  12. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315456539
  13. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
  14. De Wet, A. (2016). Understanding harassment and bullying of learners in school: An education law perspective. Child abuse research in South Africa, 17(1), 24-35.
  15. De Wet, C., & Jacobs, L. (2013). South African teachers' exposure to workplace bullying. TD: The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa, 9(3), 446-464. https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v9i3.190
  16. Department of Basic Education (DBE). (2016). National school safety framework. Government Printers.
  17. Department of Basic Education (DBE). (2025). DBE and partners implement measures to prevent bullying and violence in South African schools. Government Printers. Retrieved from https://www.education.gov.za
  18. Department of Basic Education. (2025). Safe School Protocol. DBE and SAPS launch Safe Schools Protocol, ensuring that the safety of our children is a non-negotiable. Government Printers. Retrieved from https://www.education.gov.za/ArchivedDocuments/ArchivedArticles/SafeSchoolsProtocol.aspx
  19. Diržytė, A., Indrašienė, V., Jegelevičienė, V., Merfeldaitė, O., Prakapas, R., Railienė, A., & Gušauskienė, M. (2024). Teacher victimisation by students, their parents, and school staff: Prevalence and links with teachers' life satisfaction in a Lithuanian sample. Education Sciences, 14(2), 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14020163
  20. Evans, O. G. (2025, May 6). Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/bronfenbrenner.html
  21. Ghanamah, R. (2025). Teachers' perspectives on the impact of community violence on the educational climate in Arab society schools in Israel. Societies, 15(11), 306. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15110306
  22. Goldberg, J. (2024). Trouble in Censorville: Teachers describe trauma inflicted in the war on education. PEN America.
  23. Hansen, Å. M., Garde, A. H., Nabe-Nielsen, K., Grynderup, M. B., & Høgh, A. (2021). Health consequences of workplace bullying: Physiological responses and sleep as pathways to disease. In P. D'Cruz, E. Noronha & E. Baillien (eds.), Pathways of job-related negative behaviour (pp. 129–152). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0935-9_6
  24. Heung, S., Weizenegger, C. F., Houtti, M., Consolvo, S., Kelley, P. G., Matthews, T., ... & Marie Walker, A. (2026, April). Who is at Risk? Examining the Prevalence of Digital-Safety Attacks and Contextual Risk Factors in the United States. In Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1–30). https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3791463
  25. Holt, A., & Birchall, J. (2023). Student violence towards teaching assistants in UK schools: A case of gender-based violence. Gender and Education, 35(1), 53–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2022.2142532
  26. Huang, F. L., Eddy, C. L., & Camp, E. (2020). The role of students' perceptions of school climate and teacher victimisation. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 35(23-24), 5526–5551. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517721898
  27. Kollerová, L., Květon, P., Zábrodská, K., & Janošová, P. (2023). Teacher exhaustion: The effects of disruptive student behaviours, victimisation by workplace bullying, and social support from colleagues. Social Psychology of Education, 26(4), 885–902. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-023-09779-x
  28. Majong, N. S. (2022). Exploring leadership practices of addressing learner-on-teacher violence in secondary schools (Unpublished Master's thesis). Bloemfontein: University of the Free State, South Africa.
  29. Maree, K. (ed.). (2020). First steps in research (3rd ed.). Van Schaik Publishers.
  30. Masoka, P. N. (2024). A qualitative exploration of teachers' experiences of bullying by learners: A job demands-resources perspective (Unpublished Master's thesis). Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
  31. Modise, J. M. (2025). Understanding Violent Crime in South Africa: A Study of Perpetrators and Victims. MRS Journal of Arts, Humanities and Literature, 2(5), 27–33.
  32. Moon, B., Kim, J., & McCluskey, J. (2023). Teacher victimisation patterns: Establishing a group-based trajectory approach to assessing predictors of connectedness to school, job satisfaction, and depression. Victims & Offenders, 18(4), 607–622. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2021.2014007
  33. Mthiyane, S. E. (2013). Dynamics of school-based violence: Exploring school governing bodies in addressing violence in post-conflict South African schools (Unpublished PhD thesis). Durban: University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
  34. Munk, T., & Kennedy, M. (eds.). (2024). Victimisation in the digital age: An online/offline continuum approach. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032714202
  35. National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT). (2025, March 4). Abuse towards school staff must stop, says NAHT Cymru. Retrieved from https://www.naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comments/Press-room/ArtMID/558/ArticleID/2654/Terms-and-conditions-of-membership
  36. Nwoko, J. C., Anderson, E., Adegboye, O. A., Malau-Aduli, A. E., & Malau-Aduli, B. S. (2025). From passion to pressure: Exploring the realities of the teaching profession. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1505330. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1505330
  37. Office of Justice Programmes. (2024). Many teachers are victimised by students, and the school's response matters for their well-being. National Institute of Justice.
  38. Reddy, L. A., Martinez, A., Perry, A. H., McMahon, S. D., Espelage, D. L., Anderman, E. M., & Worrell, F. C. (2024). Violence directed against teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A social-ecological analysis of safety and well-being. School Psychology, 39(5), 510–522. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000562
  39. Sakroni. (2025). Bullying in education from the perspective of ecological systems theory: A systematic literature review. Journal of Family Social Work, 28(2), 55-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/10522158.2025.2464961
  40. Sambo, J., & Govender, S. (2023). Influence of teacher-targeted bullying behaviour on teachers in selected schools in South Africa. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 22(6), 20–44. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.22.6.2
  41. Sibisi, N. N., Ngubane, L., Mpofu, Z. F., & Nyambuya, V. P. (2025). Exploring the perceptions and experiences of learners and educators on bullying and cyberbullying in selected schools in KwaZulu-Natal. Perspectives in Education, 43(4), 113–134. https://doi.org:10.38140/pie.v43i4.8482
  42. South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU). (2018). SADTU condemns violence against teachers and learners. Retrieved from https://www.sadtu.org.za/content/sadtu-condemns-violence-against-teachers-and-learners
  43. Sullivan, J. (2025). Children growing up digital: Applying Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory to technology and play. International Journal of the Whole Child, 10(2), 32–39.
  44. Treurnich, J. M. (2014). A secondary school teacher's experiences as a victim of cyberbullying (Unpublished Master's thesis). Pretoria: University of Pretoria, South Africa. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/45897
  45. Venketsamy, R. (2024). Teachers' experiences of violence in South African schools: A Gauteng case study. Perspectives in Education, 42(1), 162–176. https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v42i1.7168
  46. Venketsamy, R., Smart, L., & Singh, N. (2020). Teachers' perceptions in creating an invitational learning environment in culturally diverse foundation phase classrooms. Perspectives in Education, 38(2), 118–137. https://doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/pie.v38.i2.08
  47. Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.