DOI: https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2025.19.02.20
Eduweb, 2025, abril-junio, v.19, n.2. ISSN: 1856-7576
Cómo citar:
Zamsha, A., Dushka, A., Omelchenko, I., & Kobylchenko, V. (2025). Motivational aspects of bullying of children with special needs in the educational process. Revista Eduweb, 19(2), 296-311. https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2025.19.02.20
Aspectos motivacionales del acoso a niños con necesidades especiales en el proceso educativo
Anna Zamsha
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology, Head of the Research Center of General and Special Education Science, Ukrainian Academy of Social, Humanities, and Health Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8843-035X
Alla Dushka
Doctor of Sciences in Psychology, Professor of the Department of Psychology, Bogdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University, Legal Address: Melitopol, Ukraine.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0805-7813
Iryna Omelchenko
Doctor of Sciences in Psychology, Chief Researcher of the Department of Psychological and Pedagogical Support for Children with Special Needs, Mykola Yarmachenko Institute of Special Education and Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4698-0273
Vadym Kobylchenko
Doctor of Sciences in Psychology, Chief Researcher of the Department of Education of Children with Sensory Development Disorders, Mykola Yarmachenko Institute of Special Education and Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7717-5090
Recibido: 07/05/25
Aceptado: 20/06/25
Abstract
This study examines the key motivational factors that lead to bullying against children with special educational needs in both inclusive and special educational environments. The present study empirically examines the motivational aspects of bullying. The research employed a structured survey involving 40 participants with relevant experience in inclusive education: teachers, psychologists, school administrators, and parents of children with special educational needs. The thematic analysis method was used to analysis the data. The analysis revealed that aggressive behaviour in school settings is often shaped by external social influences, particularly peer dynamics and exposure to digital media. Additional contributing factors include psychological maladjustment among perpetrators and inadequate responses from adults in educational contexts. Victimization is frequently associated with the limited self-defence capacity and social integration challenges faced by students with special needs. The study found no significant difference in the prevalence of bullying across educational models, suggesting that school culture and institutional support are more influential than the type of classroom setting. Effective prevention requires systematic communication among stakeholders and the early identification of bullying behaviours by trained professionals. The findings underscore the necessity of addressing the underlying motivations behind bullying in order to design sustainable intervention strategies. Hence, the are important for improving school policies and teacher training programs, as they contribute to the formation of a safer and more inclusive educational environment for children with special educational needs.
Keywords: bullying motivation, special education, inclusive education, children with special educational needs, family and school prevention.
Resumen
Este estudio examina los principales factores motivacionales que conducen al acoso escolar contra niños con necesidades educativas especiales, tanto en entornos educativos inclusivos como especializados. La investigación empleó una encuesta estructurada en la que participaron 40 personas con experiencia relevante en educación inclusiva. El análisis reveló que el comportamiento agresivo en el entorno escolar suele estar condicionado por influencias sociales externas, en particular la dinámica entre compañeros y la exposición a los medios digitales. Otros factores que contribuyen a este fenómeno son la inadecuación psicológica de los agresores y las respuestas inadecuadas de los adultos en el contexto educativo. La victimización se asocia frecuentemente con la limitada capacidad de autodefensa y los retos de integración social a los que se enfrentan los alumnos con necesidades especiales. El estudio no encontró diferencias significativas en la prevalencia del acoso escolar entre los distintos modelos educativos, lo que sugiere que la cultura escolar y el apoyo institucional son más influyentes que el tipo de entorno escolar. Para una prevención eficaz es necesaria una comunicación sistemática entre las partes interesadas y la identificación temprana de los comportamientos de acoso por parte de profesionales cualificados. Los resultados subrayan la necesidad de abordar las motivaciones subyacentes al acoso escolar para diseñar estrategias de intervención sostenibles.
Palabras clave: motivación del acoso escolar, educación especial, educación inclusiva, niños con necesidades educativas especiales, prevención familiar y escolar.
Introduction
Inclusive education, which is actively developing in the modern world as a separate pedagogical trend, involves providing education to children with special educational needs, including through joint learning with their peers in regular general education institutions. This approach is a common practice and an optimal step towards the humanization of society and the implementation of the principles of equal access to educational services. At the same time, along with the quite objective positive consequences of using this approach, such changes are accompanied by several challenges that must be overcome. One of the most common challenges is the problem of bullying, i.e., targeted, systematic harassment that manifests itself in psychological, physical or social influence (Filipenko et al., 2022; Kondratyuk et al., 2025). This challenge has become most acute in connection with the need to integrate children with special educational needs into normal society, as they are most vulnerable to discrimination, various kinds of stigmatization and negative social influence (Dovhopola et al., 2024). According to a number of international studies, children with special educational needs are 2–3 times more likely to be bullied than their peers without such needs. This indicates the critical vulnerability of this group (Fissel & Bryson, 2024). In addition, in the context of the Ukrainian education system, according to empirical research, more than 40% of parents of children with special needs report cases of social exclusion or aggressive behavior by peers (Byrko et al., 2022). This indicates the importance of analyzing the motivations of the aggressor. Moreover, according to some estimates, children with special needs are more likely to become victims of school bullying than their peers (Kapitanoff & Pandey, 2024). First, this situation is due to their behavioral characteristics, needs, and possible external manifestations of their health condition. However, more often than not, the reason is more prosaic: the lack of readiness of the educational environment (peers, teachers, and school administrators) to accept their differences. Conversely, an important gap in the current research literature is that researchers primarily focus on the practical field of bullying prevention (including victim protection mechanisms). At the same time, a deeper study of the motivation of perpetrators often does not become the subject of special scientific attention. The relevance of the scientific study of the motivational aspects of bullying is due to the need to understand the internal motivations and complex value orientations, individual social attitudes and psychological needs of those who initiate, carry out or join the bullying. The study of such mechanisms will allow not only the formulation of certain preventive measures but also the creation of a healthy microclimate in the school community in the future to adhere to the mood of empathy, social responsibility and tolerance among all participants in the educational process.
The purpose of the study is to analyze the main motivational factors that contribute to bullying among children with special needs in inclusive and special education and to develop specific recommendations for preventing and correcting this phenomenon. This goal involves the following tasks:
Literature Review
The issue of bullying in the modern educational environment has become a subject of active research discussion in contemporary pedagogy, psychology, and sociology. In particular, bullying is now understood as aggressive and often repeated, systematic behavior aimed at humiliating another person, dominating them and their feelings, and isolating them from other members of the team. Such cases often occur among children or adolescents, including within school groups. A classic and well-researched study demonstrated the existence of a solid theoretical basis for understanding and further studying this phenomenon (Thornberg et al., 2012). Defining the role of teachers and school administrators in preventing bullying (Liu et al., 2024) and analyzing the tangible long-term consequences that are important for the mental health of victims.
Much attention in modern scientific sources is focused on identifying and analyzing manifestations of bullying committed against children with special educational needs. This category of schoolchildren is the most vulnerable group, as they often have psychophysical characteristics, social stigma, or limited opportunities for self-defense. According to research, students with developmental disabilities, including those with various manifestations of the autism spectrum, language skills, intellectual development, or any other physical disabilities, are much more likely to become victims of systemic bullying by their peers (Hartley et al., 2015; Berchiatti et al., 2022). For example, international measurements have made it possible to confirm that the statement of compliance with inclusion norms in the school environment does not automatically guarantee that it will be implemented qualitatively (Berchiatti et al., 2020), especially without proper psychological and pedagogical support. The research emphasizes that the manifestations of aggressive students' social or psychological behavior are extremely important for effective counteraction to school bullying (Fissel & Bryson, 2024). First, such manifestations of negative behavior as unmet need for recognition, need for social comparison, frustration, lack of empathy, need to assert themselves at the expense of others, etc., were noted. Important aspects are manifestations, such as the reproduction of behavioral models projected by the family environment or external models (social networks, media, movies, etc.). In this context, the emergence of bullying in the educational process often acts as a reaction to the inability of children or adolescents to properly adapt to social norms or to the otherness of other students (to perceive it properly).
For example, bullying could often be a way to assert one's social status in the school community or another social group, a demonstration of strength or other influence, a means of transferring negative emotions, or even a consequence of a lack of knowledge about the norms of social communication. The study of children with special educational needs noted that their difference is sometimes perceived as a weakness or belonging to a "different nature" (Malisiova & Folia, 2024). This creates conflicts and provokes aggression in those students who themselves have several internal complex psychological problems, lack attention or experience an extreme lack of emotional support. In the Ukrainian scientific context, the problem of bullying has been considered mainly from the standpoint of counteracting bullying and legal regulation (Chabursky et al., 2024; Moroz et al., 2023).
Moreover, Cabrera et al. (2022) compared traditional bullying and cyberbullying in rural and urban schools (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain). The authors used a survey method and interviewed students from urban and rural schools. Accordingly, the authors indicated that the frequency of roles in bullying (victims, aggressors, bullies/victims) is the same in urban and rural schools. However, physical bullying and victimization are more common in urban schools.
Gimenez et al. (2024) indicated the relationship between victimization of bullying and academic performance. In particular, they processed data from students from different countries and indicated that, as a rule, victims of bullying demonstrate low results in mathematics, reading and natural sciences.
Zapata-López et al. (2024) indicated the relationship between physical inactivity (sedentary lifestyle) and bullying among adolescents in Colombia. Accordingly, the authors' results showed that there is a connection between a sedentary lifestyle and a higher probability of becoming a victim of bullying. Accordingly, this indicates that there is a correspondence between a healthy lifestyle and the detection of bullying.
At the same time, Sarancha et al. (2022) identified the existence of mutual supportive parental support and socialization of children with special needs in rehabilitation centers. Accordingly, the study indicated that mutual emotional and methodological support of parents improves the socialization of their children and promotes the development of empathy.
The emphasis in such studies is on the formation of safe, educational environments, the creation of separate anti-bullying programs, and increasing the levels of psychological competence of teachers and school administrators. In addition, the research works of Ukrainian researchers usually focus on the needs for the socialization of children with special needs, the creation of appropriate tolerant environments in general classes, or the formation of inclusive classrooms. Such research works primarily focus on the mechanisms of adaptation of children with special needs to study and continue their studies at universities. The psychological aspects of bullying are often on the margins of such research. However, some studies that focus exclusively on the motivational aspects of bullying against children with special educational needs are still relatively few (Byrko et al., 2022). In particular, in the modern scientific discourse there are few works that deal with the empirical verification of the state of the problem of bullying. This situation creates prerequisites for a broader disclosure of the issues proposed in the article, which ultimately led to the scientific novelty of the proposed study.
Thus, the study of the current state of scientific research on the proposed topic indicates the need to form both a theoretical and empirical basis in the field of general analysis of the issues of bullying and inclusion. It is worth noting that the motivational component of such bullying in inclusive educational environments will require a deeper study, which has determined the main direction of further research.
Methodology
The present study empirically examines the motivational aspects of bullying of children with special educational needs in the modern educational environment. The basis for collecting empirical material was a survey of people directly involved in inclusive and special education, including teachers, psychologists, school administrators, and parents of children with special educational needs. This approach made it possible to identify the underlying motives, social and psychological preconditions, and barriers to preventing bullying against children.
Sample
The purposive sampling method was used to implement the proposed study. This method made it possible to involve respondents with relevant experience working with children with special educational needs. A total of 40 respondents from the above categories participated in the survey. At the same time, special criteria for inclusion in the sample were used (see Table 1).
Table 1.
Criteria for including respondents in the survey
This sample size is optimal for a qualitative study, the purpose of which is to identify typical behavioral patterns, motivational factors, and contextual features, rather than to form statistical generalizations.
The number of 40 people allowed to ensure professional and functional diversity of respondents (teachers, psychologists, administration, parents of children with special needs) and at the same time to maintain analytical depth when conducting thematic analysis. According to recommendations in the field of qualitative research, a sample of this size is sufficient to achieve data saturation - the moment when new interviews do not add new significant themes or categories. This indicates sufficient completeness and representativeness within the framework of a qualitative approach.
Thus, the sample size of 40 people provides a balance between the variability of responses and the possibility of their analysis.
Data collection procedure
The collection of empirical data took place in several important stages. First of all, it was important to collect permission from the administrations of educational institutions to conduct a socio-psychological study with the participation of employees. The survey was supposed to be conducted in person or remotely, lasting up to 45 minutes. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed to collect data, containing 10 open-ended questions grouped into four thematic blocks:
The questions were as follows:
The survey was conducted in person or remotely, depending on the capabilities and wishes of the respondents. The average duration of participation was 45 minutes. Before the start of the study, official permissions were obtained from the administrations of educational institutions to conduct a socio-psychological survey among employees and parents. The survey was conducted from December 2024 to January 2025 in three inclusive educational institutions located in Kyiv and Poltava.
Data analysis
The thematic analysis method was used to further work with the collected material. The thematic analysis, was carried out in six stages:
After transcribing the text, key themes repeated in the responses were identified: motivational factors of aggressive behavior, the role of the school environment, practices for preventing and responding to bullying, and barriers to implementing inclusive approaches. The data obtained were manually codified due to the conscious use of open and axial coding.
The selected categories included, in particular:
To increase the reliability of the analysis, the transcripts were checked by two independent researchers, after which the final structure of the categories was agreed.
After transcribing the interviews and discussing them, key themes repeated in the responses were identified: motivational factors of aggressive behavior, the role of the school environment, practices for preventing and responding to bullying, and barriers to implementing inclusive approaches. The data obtained were manually codified due to the conscious use of open and axial coding. Individual recurring patterns and content blocks were summarized into categories, which were then interpreted based on the needs of conducting the study and solving the proposed research questions. To increase the reliability and validity of the analysis, all transcripts were analyzed by two independent researchers. Each researcher conducted the open and axial coding stages separately, after which the codes and themes were compared and discussed, which allowed to eliminate subjective interpretations and achieve a consistent category structure. In cases of disagreement, additional verification of the primary sources (interview texts) was carried out to ensure that the codes corresponded to the context of the responses.
This approach allowed to ensure transparency of the procedure, tracing the analytical process (from the statements of the participants to the conclusions)
Ethical aspects of the study
The principles of compliance with all modern ethical standards were laid at the heart of the study. Participants completed an appropriate questionnaire, thanks to which the inclusion criteria were applied to the number of respondents. Later, they filled out the appropriate informed consent (before the survey began). All respondents were guaranteed anonymity (personal data, names or place of work are not subject to publication). Everyone was guaranteed the right to refuse to participate in the experiment at any stage of its conduct, with the ability to completely delete previously provided information. The data obtained are stored in a protected environment and used exclusively for research.
Results and Discussion
The relevance of analyzing the motivational aspects of bullying against children with special educational needs is due to the need to better understand the socio-psychological factors that cause aggressive behavior in the school environment. Despite the active use of inclusive education, bullying is quite common, which can significantly complicate the process of socialization and education of children (Murillo-Moraño et al., 2024). The peculiarity of the study is that it aims to identify the opinions and experiences of teachers, psychologists and parents about the causes, forms and mechanisms of bullying, as well as to identify effective pedagogical interventions to counteract such phenomena. First, the socio-psychological factors of bullying against children with special needs were noted. In particular, during the analysis of the responses of 40 respondents (teachers, psychologists, parents of children with special educational needs), several main factors contributing to the emergence of bullying were identified. In particular, borrowing models of aggressive behavior from the social environment became important. According to the responses, one of the main causes of bullying is the influence of external models of behavior that children adopt in informal school groups, among friends, as well as from social networks and the media. Such influence forms aggressive patterns, which are then embodied in the bullying of children with special educational needs. A school psychologist with 8 years of work experience said: “Children often copy what they see on social networks or among friends, where aggression has become the norm. This also gets into the school environment, especially towards children who are different.” The second important factor is the psychological problems of the bullies themselves — a feeling of insecurity, fear of social rejection, the need to assert themselves. Bullies often use aggression as a means of confirming their status in the team. Teacher 3 indicated: “Some children who bully feel isolated themselves, and therefore try to show their strength to others.” Respondents also noted that the lack of appropriate response or intervention from adults (parents, teachers, administration) increases the aggressive behavior of bullies. The school administrator indicated that “Bullies often feel impunity because they do not see the consequences of their actions due to the passivity of adults.” Other important factors were the low ability of children with SEN to protect themselves. In addition, the lack of support from peers and problems in establishing friendships contribute to the isolation of children and increase their risk of bullying.
Table 2.
Factors of bullying against children with special needs