Citation

Haegele JA, Zhu X, Holland SK. Psychol. Sch. 2020; 57(2): 296-309.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/pits.22314

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the reflections of adults with visual impairments regarding bullying experiences during their school-based education. An interpretative phenomenological analysis research approach was used and 11 participants (aged 20-35 years; seven women, four men) participated in this study. The sources of data were semi-structured audiotaped telephone interviews and reflective field notes. Thematic development was undertaken utilizing a three-step analytical process guided by the research approach. Based on the data analysis, three interrelated themes were constructed: (a) "It would be when they knew there weren't teachers watching": bullying experiences in unowned and unstructured spaces; (b) "Going through the motions": feelings about verbal, social, and physical victimization; and (c) "They had their own insecurities": understanding the bullies and bystanders. The emerged themes provide a unique insight into the way in which those with visual impairments experienced bullying in schools and the meaning they ascribed to those experiences.

Language: en

Keywords

blindness; disability; phenomenology; physical education; victimization