Bullying Research Paper

Page 1 The Scope and Impact of School Bullying

(INTRODUCTION) School bullying is a major problem that affects the entire school community and has a huge impact on all students. Bullying affects the atmosphere of schools and, ultimately, the capability of all students to learn to the best of their ability. This includes the victims, those who witness the bullying and even the bullies themselves. School bullying is an issue that affects students around the world no matter their gender, race or age.

(STATEMENT OF THE CASE) School bullying is becoming so common and extensive that many people are oblivious by its widespread harm. School bullying consists of verbal aggression such as name calling, humiliation, intimidation, rumor spreading and physical aggression such as hitting, pushing, threatening with weapons, and stealing. It is extremely underestimated the damage bullying can do. School bullying can lead children and teens to feel scared, anxious, tense and suicidal. It can affect their self-esteem, making them withdrawn and feeling depressed. Most of these effects are long-term and will follow them into adulthood.

Many students who are bullied will avoid attending school and have a hard time concentrating on school work due to the bullying. Students, who witness the bullying (also referred to as bystanders) either ignore the situation or become pulled into the action themselves. Vanderbilt (2010) stated “bullying cannot sustain itself without bystander’s active encouragement or passive acceptance” (p.317). Students who bully often deny responsibility for their actions and are unwilling to change their ways. They are only concerned about their own

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needs. Bullies are four times more likely to be involved in delinquent / criminal behavior than non-bullies.

(SUPPORT 1) Bullying occurs more frequently when there is less supervision and in places that are more private with less people around. Hannah Edwards (2007) stated that “one in every six students is being bullied on a weekly basis” (p.75). Many victims of bullying end up having low self-esteem, and are being bullied on such a regular basis, that they begin to have negative feelings about themselves. They can convince themselves that there is no one that they can trust and they turn away help from those who care and want to assist. They are at a much higher risk for physical and emotional disorders. It attacks their confidence, making them more withdrawn and affecting their ability to make friends. Bullied victims also have a hard time with school work, they lose interest and begin to not do their assignments and skip school. For some victims all of their suffering can lead to built up hurt and anger and can cause them to act out in disruptive behavior. These are usually cries for help to loved ones or even teachers. Gender and age play a role in bullying. There are many studies that suggest older children are less likely to talk about the bullying than younger children. Boys tend to be more involved in physical bullying and girls are more involved in verbal bullying. Victims of bullying can show many different signs of being bullied, for example: insomnia, stomach aches, headaches and changes in temperament.

The most tragic outcome of school bullying is when a victim takes his / her own life. Suicide is one the leading causes of death for young people. Bullied victims are 6 to 9 times more likely to commit suicide than non-victims. Many of these students try to stay away from

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their bullies, they will stay home from school, avoid the hallways and bathrooms in schools, quit riding the bus, and even take a different route to or from school. With cyber bullying and texting

bullies now have new easier ways to harass their victims. They will suggest to the victims that they are worthless and should do the world a favor and kill themselves. It is not always obvious that a victim is considering suicide but there are signs that can be looked for. Signs that a bullied victim is contemplating suicide are the following; depression, talking about death or dying, are involved in dangerous activities, giving away possessions, expressing feelings of hopelessness, or make comments that everyone would be better off without them.

Children of school bullying need to become more confident and they need to reach out and get help from a parent, teacher or trusted adult. They need support from their families and from school officials. They will need to learn resilience and should gain the strength and confidence to deal with these types of situations. All school districts should adopt some sort of policy and procedure to help deal with the victims of school bullying.

(SUPPORT 2) Witnesses of school bullying make up the largest group of school children. Vanderbilt & Augustyn (2010) state that, “whether we are aware of it or not, at one time we have all been a part of this group” (p 316). This group of students can be affected just as badly as the victims. Many feel guilty or helpless for not stopping the bullying or for not reporting the incident to someone who could help them. They may feel even more guilt if they are peer-pressured into doing what is known as “group bullying”. They may try to convince themselves that it is the victims fault not theirs, as to not feel any guilt. This is called the “Bystander Effect”. Many will end friendships with their bullied friends for fear of being seen

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with the victim and becoming bullied themselves. Many of the witnesses have an intense emotional fear of what could happen to them if they step in and help out the victim. They could

be embarrassed for standing up for the victim or saying the wrong thing to the bully. Some may be afraid of the bully injuring or harassing them. There is also the fear of rejection, what if their friends turn on them and they become a social reject? It is understandable why children would be afraid to step in and help.The Courier mail indicated that, “85 per cent of bullying incidents at school occur in the presence of other students who influence what is going on”. There are many things a witness can do to help out when witnessing bullying. They can speak up for the victim or back the victim up by standing by them. Getting adult help would be the best solution to helping out the victim. Showing compassion, listening or even trying to cheer up the victim is a very positive thing that a witness can do to help out. Bystanders need to understand that they have a responsibility to help out the victims that they need to be part of the solution not the problem.

(SUPPORT 3) Bullying is usually a warm up for long term relationship problems. Yerger & Cliff (2011) state that, “Bullying behaviors that continue into adulthood can turn into child abuse, domestic violence, and other criminal activities” (p. 315). Bullies make up the smallest percentage of students in school. Bullies typically have a strong need to dominate others and have no sympathy for their victims. Many of them come from homes where there is little or no emotional support and their activities are not monitored by their parents. Children will often take on their parent’s behaviors and actions; if their parents are negative then they likely will be too. Bullies are likely to be victims of abuse or bullying themselves and feel a

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sense of power from harassing their victims. It is a good sign that children and teens who bully are headed for more trouble, even serious violence.

Bullies tend to pick victims who are weaker than themselves, who are less likely to stand up for themselves. The victims are typically bad at schoolwork, have certain possessions the bullies don’t and many are gay or lesbians. The victims will be intimidated, harassed and humiliated by the bully. They get a sense of power from picking on others, and are doing it more and more because they are getting away with it. Bullies have negative feelings of themselves and pick on others to make themselves feel better. The dangerous emotional high a bully can get from harassing a victim can push them to increase their violent behavior. Bullies normally have a high self-confidence and esteem; they have no problem making friends. Bullies tend to get into trouble more at school; they do poorly on school work and often get into fights. Bullies are at a much higher risk of alcohol and substance abuse and are at a higher risk for mental health problems. Bullies are more likely to drop out of high school, carry a weapon, fight and be involved in criminal behavior.

(SUPPORT 4) Bullying in school is one of the most difficult problems educators are facing today. Bullying can be found in any school anywhere. It is happening in the classrooms, the playgrounds, in the lunch rooms and through electronic media. It used to be that schools would not intervene unless there was some sort of physical violence going on. Schools can no longer deal with just an individual and the bully, everyone has to be involved. Schools are now

changing their policies now that anti-bullying laws are being passed and schools are being held accountable for students being victimized.

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Schools are now recognizing the extent and the impact bullying is having on all their students. Most schools are now establishing anti-bullying programs and coming up with many

different strategies to cope with school bullying. Schools need to deal with bullying in a supportive and responsible way. The Australian council for educational research (2001) researched that, “One of the problems for schools is the way they perceive bullying” (p.22). Bullying is no longer just physical violence anymore; it is verbal too, which is just as harmful. Any school’s failure to deal with bullying can endanger their student’s safety and cause a hostile school environment. There are several policies that they should include in their policies such as; how they will attempt to prevent bullying, how to educate the students against bullying, how will the schools supervise the areas more frequently, how they will deal with bullying when it happens and how students and parents can be involved to prevent bullying. No child should ever be frightened to attend school for the fear of being bullied.

(CONCLUSION) In conclusion school bullying is a significant issue in our schools today. School bullying has a negative effect on everyone whether you are the victim of the bullying, witnessing the bullying or doing the bullying. The long-lasting effects of bullying can be very damaging. Hannah Edwards (2007) stated that, “We need to understand that we are never going to get rid of bullying behavior” (p. 75). This is why steps need to be taken by schools to prevent people from victimizing and being victimized at school. Parents need to keep

the lines of communication open with their children, to make sure that it is known that they can come to their parents with any problem. Teachers need to understand what bullying consist s of

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and what signs to look for. Most importantly students need to look out for one another, and have a key role in preventing another student from being bullied.

References

Australian council for educational research (2001), Stop school bullying; Strategies must be in place. The Advertiser / Sunday Mail, News; p.22

Edwards (2007), When push comes to shove. The Sun Herald, July 17, 2007, (p75)

The Courier Mail (2007), Bullies beware. The Courier Mail, Australia, May 1, 2007, Head start, (p40)

Shah (2011), Study finds bullying takes an academic toll on students. Education Week, 31(2), p.7-7,

1/2p

Vanderbilt, D. & Augustyn, M. (2010), The effects of bullying. Pediatrics and Child Health,

20(7), 315-320.

Yerger W. & Gehert C. (2011), Understanding and dealing with bullying in schools. The Educational

Forum, 75(4), p.315-326.

The Scope and Impact of School Bullying

Amanda Buchanan

WRIT 102-70 Research Writing

October 19, 2011