Teachers’ responses to student bullying: A systematic literature review

Teachers' roles in preventing and mitigating school bullying have garnered more attention throughout the past decade. However, teacher responses and practices in secondary schools are not understood systematically. This study thus synthesises and discusses 74 identified empirical studies to explore how teachers respond to bullying and what influences their intervention strategies across secondary education contexts. The systematic review methodology following PRISMA 2020 guidelines was employed to translate findings into an integrated framework of teacher strategies and contribute evidence-based insights that bridge existing theoretical and practical gaps. The findings show teachers adopt authority-based and unresponsive approaches while supportive strategies at individual, classroom and school levels are less employed. These responses are informed by teacher characteristics, interpersonal dynamics, school contexts and broader societal factors. This study proposes a socio-ecological framework of teachers’ responses that might anchor in theories and practices to provide implications for policymakers, practitioners and stakeholders in dealing with bullying. • Teachers tend to adopt authority-based and unresponsive approaches to bullying. • Supportive strategies at individual, classroom and school levels are less employed. • We propose a socio-ecological framework of teacher responses to bullying.