The influence of the physical environment on social behavior, school climate, and bullying in schools

Bullying is a prevalent issue in American schools with short and long-term consequences for the students involved. Across the extensive anti-bullying literature, the emphasis has been on the social and behavioral aspects of bullying, largely to the exclusion of the physical environment. Implementing an ecological psychology framework, this study aims to shed light on the relationship between the spatial environment of schools and the prevalence of bullying. Following a comprehensive review of relevant literature, experienced school architects were interviewed as key informants. Thematic analysis of these interviews was used to investigate how school planning and design might exacerbate or alleviate bullying. The results suggest that there are a variety of ways that the spatial planning and design of the physical settings in schools is related to the occurrence of bullying and that it is essential that there be more research on this issue by planners, designers, geographers, and environmental psychologists.