qualitative research, bullying, schools, teachers, pupils
The annual Norwegian national study reports that 40.5 % of the students who are bullied believe that the adults in their schools are unaware of the bullying. Additionally, 16 % report that the school knew - but did not do anything [12]. A growing body of research shows a correlation between an authoritative school climate and lower levels of bullying [4, 6-7]. However, few studies have been performed on how teachers intervene in cases of bullying [31]. The main goal of this study is to reveal whether the pupils having experienced traditional and / or cyber victimization perceive that the class teacher is demonstrating authoritative leadership when intervening in long lasting cases of bullying. Class teacher refers to the teacher that has a special responsibility for the class. The article presents the findings from nine semi-structured interviews with four Irish and five Norwegian pupils. The informants were between 12 – 18 years of age, and had experienced either traditional victimization or both traditional and cyber victimization for 1 – 7 years. The informants were selected because their cases had been reported as resolved. The findings showed no descriptions of the class teacher that appeared to fit with the authoritative style of leadership, both high on warmth and control. The possible practical implications of these findings are discussed.