A new tool contributing to the management of bullying and harassment in higher education institutions

Bullying and harassment in higher education sector impacts negatively on wellbeing of those who participating in these episodes and also gives wide-ranging negative consequences for every institution and for whole sector. It is necessary to develop an instrument that can reliably identify incidents of bullying and harassment and would contribute to setting targets for intervention and provide a basis for effective management of this phenomenon. The purpose of this research was to verify the dimensions and the methodological characteristics of the new tool. The survey employed a specially constructed questionnaire, which covers the following dimensions: communication, personal reputation, student’s reputation, experienced harm, intervention measures at higher education institution. Psychometric properties of the questionnaire were assessed in a sample of 623 studets. Verification of the methodological and psychometric characteristics of the questionnaire Bullying and Single Cases of Harassment in Higher Education Institutions (B-SCH-St) confirmed its validity and reliability. Also study revealed that in Lithuanian higher education institutions effective bullying and harassment management activities are not carried out