Faculty Bullying Tendencies: Evidence from a Ghanaian Technical University

Abstract

Bullying in basic and secondary schools has received considerable research attention; empirical investigation of the phenomenon among university students has, however, been overlooked. There is a paucity of such studies in African universities. This study examined the prevalence and forms of bullying in a Ghanaian technical university, as well as victims’ characteristics. Four hundred and eighty-eight students completed self-administered questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the Mann Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The prevalence of bullying was high. Verbal and sexual harassment were commonly reported. Vulnerability to bullying was high among female students. This study adds to the scanty literature on the phenomenon in university settings. University administrators must confront bullying by instituting and subjecting faculty to disciplinary procedures and must punish culprits to create a congenial and non-threatening environment for academic work in universities.

Keywords:

• bullying
• Ghana
• harassment
• lecturers
• students
• university