Adam Klocek and Lenka Kollerová are the authors of the chapter on the Czech Republic in the publication Bullying: Global case studies in policy and prevention for young people (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2026). The book compares how different countries approach bullying, from research traditions to available prevention programs to legislative frameworks.
This chapter summarizes how Czech research on bullying has evolved over the past thirty years. Pavel Říčan introduced Olweus’s definition to the Czech context in the 1990s, but subsequent studies have used different definitions and methods, so estimates of bullying prevalence in the Czech context vary widely and are difficult to compare with one another. While traditional bullying appears to be on the decline according to the latest available data, research suggests the opposite trend for online bullying. Among the strengths of Czech research are studies on attitudes and norms regarding bullying, as well as research on victim defense mechanisms, the consequences of victimization, the role of teachers, and cyberbullying. The chapter identifies the analysis of social networks and complex systems methods as promising areas of research.
The more practical part of the overview is somewhat more critical. Of the programs available to Czech schools, only two can be considered empirically validated, namely KiVa and Dobronauti: Zpátky v čase. A randomized study of the program KiVa yet has not demonstrated significant effects in reducing bullying or victimization, although promising trends have emerged in schools with higher fidelity of implementation. In practice, therefore, schools are turning to programs based more on experience than on evidence.
The situation is similar with regard to policy and teacher training. Although the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports’ methodological guideline imposes a duty of prevention on schools, its concept of bullying is largely based on Michal Kolář’s five-stage model, which was developed from pedagogical practice and has not been empirically validated. The authors therefore outline the main task for the future: to shift teaching methodologies and teacher training toward models and programs grounded in research. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Citation: Klocek, A., & Kollerová, L. (2026). Czech Republic. In J. S. Hong, R. Thornberg, V. J. Llorent, & Z. Han (Eds.), Bullying: Global case studies in policy and prevention for young people (pp. 556–563). Edward Elgar Publishing.
