Co-teachers’ Perspective on the Exposure of Disabled Students to Peer Aggression in Integrated Schools

Disabled children are more often isolated or rejected by their social group. They tend to have fewer friends, which makes them an easier target of hostile behaviour from their peers. A concern for an appropriate school climate and a sense of security of the vulnerable students are strong reasons to conduct research in this regard. The research based on interviews with 20 co-teachers from integrated classes has not provided unequivocal evidence on the scale and intensity of peer aggression directed towards students with special educational needs. However, almost every teacher has experienced such occurrences. Every fi fth interviewee confi rmed online victimization in the form of electronic aggression/cyberbullying of disabled students and approximately half of the teachers revealed that disabled students fell victim to face-to-face bullying. The study indicated the need for taking measures to protect students with special educational needs and preparing teachers to deal with the issues of aggression and social isolation of vulnerable students