Carolina and Dublin City University collaborate on antibullying research

Carolina football might be playing in Ireland for the first time, but the University has a long history of collaboration with an Irish researcher on the important topic of bullying.

Carolina’s Dorothy Espelage, William C. Friday Distinguished Professor at the UNC School of Education, and James O’Higgins Norman of the Dublin City University Anti-Bullying Centre have worked together for about 10 years on antibullying research on various projects.

They are both part of the UNESCO bullying and cyberbullying program, with O’Higgins Norman serving as UNESCO chair. The international research center he leads in Dublin focuses on bullying, online safety, cyberbullying and overall student well-being.

“Although UNC and DCU are far apart in many ways, they are quite similar in terms of our approach to education,” O’Higgins Norman said. “We understand that teachers need to do more than just deliver knowledge; they are agents of social change and care for students. It’s easy for Dorothy and myself to work together because UNC and DCU work from a similar vision of teacher education. Both universities are forward-looking with issues like school bullying, climate and online safety.”

DCU hosted the biennial World Anti-Bullying Forum in Dublin in 2019, and Carolina hosted the 2023 forum in Raleigh. The forum lets researchers share their latest findings and reflect on what’s been achieved to then have an impact on policy and practice in the future.

A UNESCO-led session at the 2023 forum introduced a new definition of bullying based on work done by Espelage and O’Higgins Norman. The two took a deeper look at the definition of school bullying, working together with researchers from across the globe to refine the term’s meaning.

“Bullying is complex — there’s no easy solutions,” said Espelage. “As the world’s changing, as the experiences of children and schools change, we need to remember that. We need to keep understanding what we need to target in interventions to move the needle.”

Espelage has over 30 years of research experience in bullying, cyberbullying and bias-based bullying.

O’Higgins Norman became interested in bullying during his time as a high school teacher. He wanted to research it because he realized it’s a multifaceted issue that occurs in different settings.

“Teaching made me wonder why some children in school were more prone to being bullied than others,” said O’Higgins Norman. “Why were some more likely to bully than others? And why is bullying more prevalent in some societies than others?”

Dublin City University hosted the biennial World Anti-Bullying Forum in Dublin in 2019, while Carolina hosted the 2023 event in Raleigh. (UNC School of Education)

Last year, through the DCU PARTICIPATE fellowship, Espelage traveled to Dublin to teach an in-person master class for 10 doctoral students from European universities. The goal was to prepare the next generation of antibullying researchers through the partnership and expertise of Espelage and O’Higgins Norman.

The two plan to keep collaborating for many more years to come.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Espelage said. “Technology and social media have changed the ways we think about childhood and even young adulthood. There’s some great prevention and intervention work.”

O’Higgins Norman’s goal is to “have an impact and bring about change,” he said. “What every parent wants when their child leaves to go to school in the morning is that the child is happy and safe. To achieve that, UNC and DCU recognize that you have to impact different levels — even leading up to policy and law.”