Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology of the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2007. / In essence this study investigated educators' perceptions of the prevalence of bullying and the effect it has on the primary school learner. Primary school learners are increasingly coming into contact with bullies and the problem of bullying is escalating in schools. Learners who are being bullied experience difficulty in establishing confidence, forming healthy friendships and developing skills. Bullying has physical, psychosocial and normative effects on the development and well-being of the primary school learner. It is important to acknowledge that bullying happens in all schools. There was a time when society regarded bullying in school as a normal part of school life. However schools in South Africa are beginning to realize that intimidation and violence can no longer be overlooked. Bullying, which is a worldwide problem should never be shrugged off or tolerated - it should be dealt with. For many victims the misery extends over many years and affects every day of their lives. It is important to let the bully know that there will be negative consequences if the bullying behaviour continues. Bullying has short and long term implications for both the victim and the aggressor. Individual approaches, whereby the educator acts in isolation to resolve bullying are often short sighted and ineffectual for the school as a whole. Shared vision and action on anti-bullying strategies can transform a school's ethos, to one that is conducive to teaching and learning in a safe and secure environment. The literature review and the empirical study undertaken, point in the direction that bullying is a reality in schools, and it is something we need to combat. All relevant stakeholders need to take bullying seriously. A whole-school approach that tackles bullying from as many angles and across a broad spectrum of the school community which includes all stakeholders including learners, is recommended. Ignoring bullying sends a message of approval to the bully and is not conducive to creating a warm, safe and secure environment for our learners. The message sent to bullies must be loud and clear, bullying will not be tolerated in schools. Bullying awareness, prevention and intervention must become all pervasive in the climate of the school. In the light of the findings some of the following recommendations that were made: s The Department of Education in collaboration with teacher unions, school management teams and governing bodies advocate that we follow a program of interventions which must be targeted at three levels: individual, classroom and school level. This type of program was found to be highly effective in reducing bullying in other countries. s The department of education takes a more active role in mandating national and provincial guidelines on an anti-bullying policy/plan for schools.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts in Community Work in the Department of Social Work at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2014 / The previous researchers suggested that school bullying is high in South Africa, especially in high schools. The researcher is motivated by seeing a large number of schools in South Africa who experience school bullying in different forms. The researcher of the study reviewed previous dissertations and thesis which indicated that schools with high levels of reported incidents of bullying have lower passing rates when compared with schools with less reported cases of bullying. This study is built on the groundwork of reviewing the findings of previous researchers about school bullying; so it is due to those regards that made the researcher decided to conduct the study of this nature. The research was designed to investigate school bullying of learners at Mshini High School in KwaZulu-Natal: South Africa. The sample was taken from grade 10 learners at Mshini High School and a simple random sample of 30 participants was used. A questionnaire with 40 closed-ended questions was used as a tool for gathering information from participants. The participants were both males and females. A quantitative programme of data analysis was used in the study. Data was analysed and presented through the use of descriptive statistics which involves tabulations and graphs; thus to find the results of the study. The name of the school that the researcher used was a pseudo name. The researcher used the pseudo name “Mshini High School” to maintain confidentiality. The researcher discovered the answers for the key questions of the study, and the objectives of the study had been achieved since the researcher discovered what was being investigated. According to the findings of the study school bullying is defined as a psychological attack that cause distress and fear, demanding the lunch box from other learners, an intimidation intended to cause harm, a repeated aggressive behaviour and a physical attack on the school ground that includes an imbalance of power. The findings suggest that school bullying did exist at Mshini High School because of the evidence and facts that the majority of participants stated that they did know of schoolmates who had been bullied. The researcher ascertained that school bullying had been reported at Mshini High School since a high percentage of participants confirmed that they knew someone in their school who had reported the incident of being bullied. The findings indicates that school bullying at Mshini High School had been reported to different people by learners and the high rate of participants had reported school bullying to their friends. Lastly, the researcher discovered that the most common type of bullying that occurred at Mshini High School was pushing.

There are evidently high incidences of bullying among learners in schools. The problem is that victims and perpetrators, as well as teachers do not understand what constitutes bullying and are unable to take appropriate action when it occurs. Because of the poor understanding of bullying, incidences remain unreported, and if they are, teachers are unable to deal with them effectively. This study aimed to examine the teacher's and learner' s understanding of bullying and its prevalence in a Durban Primary School, and how they cope with bullying incidents. It investigated the different forms that are commonly found among the boys and girls. Because victims of bullying tend to be boys more than girls and the perpetrators boys, gender socialization theories (Connell, 1996; Fitzclarence 1995) were used to analyse the ways in which the boys and girls understand and cope with bullying. Particular attention was given to the experiences of the grade 7 learners. The study utilised a descriptive survey design, in which qualitative methodologies were used to address the identified research questions. Data was collected through observations, questionnaires, unstructured interviews and conversations. The major findings confirmed that bullying is a problem at the Durban primary school. Firstly boys and girls experience different forms of bullying. Girls experience more indirect forms of bullying, whilst boys experience more direct forms. Secondly, bullying has affected some of the learners to an extent where they stay away from school. The learners are more comfortable speaking to their peers about bullying than their parents and teachers. However, the teachers seem to be largely unaware of the extent and consequences of bullying. One of the major implications of this study is that policies that specifically address bullying in the school need to be developed to curb the problem. In addition, initiatives should be taken to raise the teachers, parents and learners awareness of the phenomenon of bullying and appropriate strategies developed and implemented to curb it. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 2002.