field research paper

Bullying in Schools

Field Research Paper

EFRT 459

Winona State University

Alyssa Seipel

Introduction

Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or

perceived power imbalance (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2014). Bullying

is often repeated over time, or has the potential to become a repeated behavior (U.S.

Department of Health & Human Services, 2014). Bullying often consists of actions that

include spreading rumors, attacking someone verbally or physically, making threats, and

excluding someone on purpose. Since bullying is continuously prevalent in the world today

I ask myself, “What is the nature of bullying in the school experience?”

Background / Context

There are many different ways in which a child can play a part in bullying. Some

children can bully others, some are bullied, or others may be a witness to bullying. When

kids are involved in bullying, they often play more than one role (U.S. Department of Health

& Human Services, 2014). The roles kids play in bullying cannot solely be limited to those

who bully and those who get bullied. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human

Services, “Some researchers talk about the "circle of bullying" to define both those directly

involved in bullying and those who actively or passively assist the behavior or defend

against it” (2014). Most kids will tend to play more than one role in bullying over time;

however, every situation is often different (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,

2014). They may be directly involved in bullying as the one who is bullying others or being

bullied, and at other times they may witness bullying, in which they can then play a

defending or assisting role (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2014). Those

who bully others and are bullied may be at a greater risk for negative outcomes, such as

suicide ideation or depression (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2014). This

to me highlights the need to engage all kids in preventing this aggressive behavior of

bullying, not just those who are known to be involved.

Bullying is a widespread, and perhaps the most underreported safety problem in

American schools (Batsche & Knoff, 1994). Contrary to popular belief, bullying occurs

more often at school than on the way to school and coming home from school (Mr. Bart,

personal communication, February 1, 2014). Bullying was once seen as a harmless

behavior, but is now known to have harmful and long-lasting effects (Mr. Bart, personal

communication, February 1, 2014). Now in the United States, awareness of the problem is

continually growing, especially with reports that in two-thirds of the recent school

shootings, that attackers had previously been bullied (U.S. Secret Service, 2000). According

to the United States Secret Service, “In those cases, the experience of bullying appeared to

play a major role in motivating the attacker” (2000). Research suggests that bullying is an

extremely common problem beyond elementary school, and in fact occurs at every grade

level (Mr. Angle, personal communication, January 28, 2014). High school freshmen are

particularly vulnerable (Mr. Angle, personal communication, January 28, 2014).

According to Lera & Ortega, studies done in other countries found that between

eight and thirty-eight percent of students are bullied with some regularity, and that

between five and nine percent of students bully others with some regularity (2000).

“Chronic victims of bullying, bullied once a week or more, generally constitute between

eight and twenty percent of the student population” (Lera & Ortega, 2000). In the United

States, a recent study of a nationally representative sample of students found higher levels

of bullying in America than in some other countries (Nansel, 2001). Thirteen percent of

sixth through 10th grade students bully, ten percent reported being victims, and an

additional six percent are victim-bullies (Nansel, 2001). Several smaller studies from

different parts of the country confirm high levels of bullying behaviors, with ten to twenty-

nine percent of students reported to be either bullies or victims (Nansel, 2001). The

percentage of students who are both bullies and victims varies by research study, often

depending on the time frame examined, definition of bullying, as well as other varying

factors. Despite these differences, bullying appears to be a very widespread problem in

schools.

Most students do not report bullying to adults, especially to teachers (Mrs. Cape,

personal communication, February 12, 2014). Surveys from a variety of different countries

confirm that a high number of victims and witnesses never report a bullying incident to

teachers, or even parents (Rigby & Slee, 1999). As a result, some teachers tend to

underestimate the amount of bullying going on in their school, and are likely to only

identify a small portion of actual bullies (Mrs. Cape, personal communication, February 12,

2014).

Research on the dynamics of bullying shows that bullying is often aimed at specific

groups. Findings from three groups have become prevalent: Children with disabilities,

African American youth, and LGBTQ youth.

Students with disabilities are twice as likely to be identified as perpetrators and

victims than are students without disabilities” (Aragon, Elliott, Espelage, Rose, 2011).

According to Mr. White, “After being at the same school for eleven years, the number one

people I see being the victim of bullying is children with disabilities” (Mr. White, personal

communication, March 2, 2014).

Prevalence rates for African American youth are present. The prevalence rate of

bullying victimization varies considerably for African American youth based on the

wording in measures (Mr. Bart, personal communication, February 1, 2014). For example,

“both girls and middle school boys who are African American may report being a victim

with behavior-based measures, but may be less likely to report that these experiences are

frequent with definition-based measures” (Bradshaw, O’Brennan, Sawyer, 2008). This

suggests that African American youth may have differing conceptions of bullying

victimization, therefore causing them to underreport their experiences as a victim.

Bullying is also prevalent among lesbian, gay, and the bisexual community. A larger

percent of bullying among students involves the use of homophobic teasing and slurs

(Basile, Espelage, Hamburger, 2012).

Research Findings

Assertion #1: Bullying is a Pervasive Problem

Bullying is a pervasive problem in all schools and all grades nationwide. Bullying is

observed across race, gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. “The percentages of

students involved in bullying varies widely according to the definition of bullying; however,

one nationally representative survey found that approximately twenty-eight percent of

students ages twelve to eighteen reported being bullied at school during the school year”

(Robers, Snyder, Truman, Zhang, 2012). Other studies have also found that comparably

high percentages of students who admit bullying their peers (Robers, Snyder, Truman,

Zhang, 2012). When both the impact on aggressors and victims and the impact of bullying

on bystanders, it is likely that bullying affects almost all students at some point during the

school year.

Students who are bullied experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, physical

health problems, and social adjustment problems (Robers, Snyder, Truman, Zhang, 2012).

These problems often persist into adulthood (Robers, Snyder, Truman, Zhang, 2012).

Students who are bullied become less engaged in school, and their grades begin to decline

drastically (Mrs. Sipple, personal communication, March 9, 2014). In high school, where

bullying and teasing are prevalent, the student body is seen becoming less and less

involved in school activities, often perform below average on standardized tests, and there

are often lower graduation rates (Robers, Snyder, Truman, Zhang, 2012). Students who

start engaging in bullying become at an elevated risk for delinquency and school

adjustment when necessary (Mr. Angle, personal communication, January 28, 2014).

Cyberbullying has become more and more prevalent, and it raises a high concern

because of its potential to intensify and widely spread bullying and harassment. A larger

portion of students have admitted being cyberbullied at some point in their life (Mrs. Cape,

personal communication, February 12, 2014). Those individuals who are cyberbullied

experience “negative outcomes similar to those experienced by their traditional

counterparts, including depression, poor academic performance, and problem behaviors”

(Robers, Snyder, Truman, Zhang, 2012). Ultimately, bullying covers a range of behaviors

that tend to vary in severity and type, and are continuing to become a pervasive problem.

Assertion #2: A Threshold Problem: The Reluctance To Report

“Studies suggest that children do not believe that most teachers intervene when told

about bullying” (Farrington, 1993). In a survey of American middle and high school

students, “Sixty-six percent of victims of bullying believed school professionals responded

poorly to the bullying problems that they observed” (Hazler, Hoover, Oliver, 1992). The

same is often true of witnesses of bullying. Although many students agree that bullying is

wrong and a problem in the schools, witnesses are rarely seen intervening or reporting the

incident to a teacher (Mrs. Cape, personal communication, February 12, 2014). Witnesses

also appear to have a role in creating opportunities for bullying. In a study of bullying in

junior and senior high schools in small Midwestern towns, eighty-eight percent of students

reported having observed bullying but did nothing about it (Limber, 1998). Failure to

report bullying occurs because there is fear of retaliation, individuals do not want to be a

snitch, they do not want to worry their parents or teachers, shame, fear of losing friends,

bullying can be hard to prove, confidentiality, and a fear of what their parents or teachers

may say (Sakamoto, 2006).

One huge reason students often fail to report being bullied is because they feel like

they deserve it (Mr. Angle, personal communication, January 28, 2014). Individuals are

very much aware of their faults, and if a bully zeroes in on those faults, these individuals

begin to assume that they deserve the treatment they are receiving. As a future health

educator, I see so many students who have a lack of self-esteem and are extremely critical

of themselves. With such low self-esteem and disrespect for themselves, they begin to

agree that they deserve to be bullied for their faults.

Assertion #3: Gender-Related Bullying and Harassment is A Growing Trend

Students with disabilities that are characterized by, or have diagnostic criteria

associated with, low communication skills and low social skills, have a higher likelihood of

involvement in bullying incidents (Espelage, Monda-Amaya, Rose, 2011). A meta-analysis

of one hundred and fifty-two studies found that eight of ten children with a learning

disability were peer-related as rejected; that eight of ten were rated as deficient in social

competence and social problem-solving; and that learning disability students were less

often selected as friends by their peers (Espelage, Monda-Amaya, Rose, 2011). As a teacher

and parent of a child with a disability, Mr. White expressed that bullying is often increased

with the severity of the disability. He has noticed that his son’s friend, who has a more

severe disability, is bullied and harassed during school much more frequently that his son

who has a less severe disability (Mr. White, personal communication, March 2, 2014).

When considering six types of victimization in school, including physical

intimidation, peer physical assault, and relational victimization, researchers found that

African American youth experience more physical assaults than Latino and White

(Bradshaw, O’Brennan, Sawyer, 2008). Victimization and harassment experiences are

related to poorer social and emotional development, peer rejection, substance abuse,

loneliness, below-average grades, and truancy. “In our school, and others in the

surrounding area, we find that African Americans involved in bullying as the victim often

become involved in substance abuse and have low-average grades in school” (Mr. Angle,

personal communication, January 28, 2014). “The bullying we see in our schools regarding

African Americans tends to be much more physical, often leading to poor emotional and

social development, as well as rejection from peers” (Mr. Angle, personal communication,

January 28, 2014).

Bullying and homophobic victimization occurs more frequently among lesbian, gay,

and bisexual youth in American schools than among students who are heterosexual (Basile,

Espelage, Hamburger, 2012). These individuals often report greater amounts of anxiety,

truancy, suicidal tendencies, and depression than heterosexual individuals (Basile,

Espelage, Hamburger, 2012). “Because students do not understand, or reject LGBTQ

students, they are seen as prime targets for bullying and harassment” (Mrs. Belt, Personal

communication, February 27, 2014). Mrs. Belt, a mother of a seventh grade daughter,

shared a story about her daughter’s friend who received horrible bullying in middle school.

Ms. Belt said that her daughter has a best friend, who decided to “come out of the closet” in

sixth grade. Upon doing so, she instantly became the girl most bullied in all of middle

school. She ended up losing her friends and tried to commit suicide on multiple occasions.

The bullying became so bad that the young girl eventually had to become home-schooled

(Mrs. Belt, personal communication, February 27, 2014). This story is a prime example of

the type of bullying some LGBTQ students have to deal with both in school and outside of

the school setting.

Implications

Bullying can threaten a students’ emotional and physical safety at school, and can

have a negative impact on their ability to learn. The best way for me to address bullying is

to stop it before it starts. It is important for me to first determine how prevalent bullying

is, where it happens, how students and adults intervene, and if prevention efforts are

working properly. I find it extremely essential to develop a code of conduct, mission

statement, rules, and a bullying reporting system. I want students to understand that

bullying is not acceptable under any circumstance. Instead I want the culture to be

centered around respect and acceptance that reinforces positive inclusiveness and social

interactions.

Children who are constantly bullied are very unhappy, suffer from low self-esteem,

and find themselves socially rejected by their peers. Victims of bullying tend to be less

powerful than the bully. They begin to blame themselves for being bullies, and they have

little faith in adults helping to solve the problem. When I intervene to help a bullying

victim, it is essential that I ensure the victim is safe from a future bullying attack. When

choosing a target, I now know that bullies choose those who are at the upmost

vulnerability, whether it be age, race, socioeconomic status, sex, or disability. It is my goal

as a teacher to help victims develop positive connections with others. After being bullied

repeatedly, the victim can find it extremely difficult to “stand up” to their attacker.

Teaching victims of bullying how to be assertive can be at the upmost advantage.

Because students rarely tell an adult what they are experiencing, it is essential for

me as an educator to know the warning signs of bullying. It is so important that I

encourage all students that they have the courage to talk about it, and that they can trust I

will find an appropriate solution. Keeping my emotions in check is very crucial since

bullying can make students extremely fragile. It is essential that I don’t get upset or angry,

but instead remain calm and work with the student or students to devise a plan. When an

individual feels like they have options, they are less likely to be overcome by negative

emotions.

References

Aragon, S. R., Elliott, J., Espelage, D. L., & Rose, C. A. (2011). Bullying and victimization among students in special education and general education curricula. Exceptionality Education International, 21(2), 2-14.

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http://www.popcenter.org/problems/bullying/#endref1

Bradshaw, C. P., O’Brennan, L. M., & Sawyer, A. L. (2008). Examining ethnic, gender, and

developmental differences in the way children report being a victim of “bullying” on

self-report measures. Journal of Adolescent Health, 43, 106-114.

Basile, K. C., Espelage, D. L., & Hamburger, M. E. (2012). Bullying experiences and co-

occurring sexual violence perception among middle school students: Shared and unique

risk factors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 50, 60-65.

Espelage, D. L., Monda-Amaya, L. E., & Rose C. A. (2011). Bullying perpetration and

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http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Publications/e07063414-guide.pdf

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