Thesis (MEd(Psych) --Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Bullying seems to be a pervasive problem in most secondary schools and teachers have the daily task of dealing with it. Not only do teachers have to unravel the complex dynamics of bullying, they also often have to navigate a school climate and culture that is not conducive to addressing bullying. In South Africa, there are many unique contextual factors which impact on teachers’ management of bullying, such as community violence overflowing into the school, increased administrative load and limited support from school management, parents and education authorities. Therefore, teachers’ abilities to conceptualise bullying, recognise and respond to incidents of bullying, and their knowledge of the nature and extent of bullying behaviour impact greatly on anti-bullying strategies. The theoretical framework which informed this study is the social context perspective which drew on views from both social constructionism and the bio-ecological framework. The social context perspective emphasises the interactions between individuals and the systems as delineated in the bio-ecological model. Furthermore, this study did not aim to reveal the “truth” about school bullying. The intention has rather been to provide a comprehensive picture as was portrayed by the participants in this study. This picture included the nature and extent of bullying in their secondary school, the teachers’ perspectives and experiences of bullying, and proposed prevention and intervention strategies which they aim to implement at their school. In keeping with the constructionist nature of the process of inquiry, a qualitative, interpretivist research approach was used. Purposive sampling was used to identify potential participants who were then asked to volunteer to be part of the study. Data was generated through semi-structured interviews with individuals and focus groups. Furthermore, the constant comparative method was used to analyse the data. The research findings indicated that the teachers experience and perceive a wide variety of bullying behaviours which take place at various sites, both within and outside the school grounds and that involve a diverse range of individuals within the school community. Furthermore, the teachers conveyed several factors which they experienced as maintaining bullying and highlighted their perceived effects thereof. In addition to this, the participants shared knowledge about their teaching practices and suggested a few strategies on how to deal with bullying more effectively in their school community. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Afknouery word beskou as ‘n deurlopende probleem in hoërskole en onderwysers moet die gevolge daarvan daagliks hanteer. Onderwysers moet nie net die komplekse dinamiek van afknouery ontrafel nie, maar worstel ook met ‘n skoolklimaat en -kultuur wat nie toepaslik is om afknouery te bekamp nie. In Suid-Afrika is daar unieke kontekstuele faktore wat ‘n invloed het op hoe onderwysers afknouery hanteer. Dit sluit onder andere in die geweld wat oorvloei vanuit die gemeenskap na die skool, verhoogde administratiewe werklading asook beperkte ondersteuning van die skool se bestuurspan, ouers en die onderwysowerhede. Daarom speel onderwysers se vermoëns om afknouery te konseptualiseer, insidente van afknouery te herken en daarop te reageer, asook hulle kennis van afknougedrag ‘n groot impak op anti-afknouery strategieë. Hierdie studie word gekonseptualiseer vanuit ‘n sosiaal-konstruktiwistiese en bioekologiese perspektief. ‘n sosiale konteksperspektief beklemtoon die interaksies tussen individue en die sisteme wat uiteengesit is in die bio-ekologiese model. Die doel van hierdie studie was nie om die “waarheid” oor afknouery in die skool te openbaar nie. Dit was eerder om die deelnemers se perspektief in diepte te analiseer en beskryf. ‘n Kwalitatiewe, interpretivistiese navorsingsbenadering is daarom gevolg. ‘n Doelgerigte steekproef is gebruik om potensiële deelnemers te identifiseer en hulle is gevra om vrywillig deel te neem aan die studie. Data is gegenereer deur semi-gestruktureerde individuele en fokusgroeponderhoude. Verder is die konstante vergelykende metode gebruik om die data te analiseer. Die navorsingsbevindinge het aangedui dat die onderwysers ‘n wye verskeidenheid afknougedrag van diverse groepe en individue binne en buite die skoolterrein ervaar. Die onderwysers het verskeie faktore identifiseer wat afknouery moontlik instandhou en het die moontlike gevolge van afknouery uitgelig. Laastens het die deelnemers kennis oor hulle onderwyspraktyke gedeel en voorstelle gemaak oor hoe om afknouery meer effektief in hul skoolgemeenskap te hanteer.

122 Leaves printed on single pages, preliminary pages and numbered pages 1-113. Includes bibliography, list of abbreviations, list of definitions, list of tables and figures and list of appendices. Pdf format (OCR). / Thesis (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Research into bullying has brought with it an awareness of many aspects of this phenomenon. Firstly, it has shown a distinction between various types of bullying and also how these are further delineated by means of gender. Secondly, by mere omission, it has shown the lack of research on bullying amongst girls. Bullying amongst girls is rife, however the research in this area is limited. The aims of this research are to further explore the complex nature of bullying amongst girls and to gain understanding of its impact; to use the perspectives of the participants to drive intervention and preventative strategies; to dispel the myths which support the practice of bullying; and to raise awareness of an invisible problem, thereby rendering it visible. This interpretive study explores bullying amongst girls by using the perspectives of Grade 5 girls in a parochial school in the Western Cape. The process of inquiry is embedded in the ecosystemic approach and constructivism, which emphasises the importance of context and the belief that knowledge is not passively received, but actively constructed on the basis of the experiences of an individual. Data was collected through the use of semi-structured recorded interviews with focus groups, which were then transcribed verbatim and categorised into themes. The themes which emerged include the varied and complex nature of bullying techniques and the effects of bullying. The main finding was that some girls have innate characteristics which help maintain bullying while others have characteristics which protect them from bullying. The environment also plays a large part in either maintaining bullying or protecting girls from bullying. The implication was that intervention and preventative strategies need to be based on these personal and contextual factors in order to effect change. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Navorsing oor afknouery (bullying) het 'n nuwe bewustheid van vele aspekte van hierdie fenomeen na vore gebring. Eerstens het dit 'n onderskeid tussen verskillende soorte geniepsigheid getoon en ook hoe geniepsigheid verder deur middel van geslag bepaal word. Tweedens het dit ook die gebrek aan navorsing oor geniepsigheid tussen meisies onder die aandag gebring, bloot deurdat dit feitlik nie genoem word nie. Geniepsige gedrag tussen meisies is algemeen, maar navorsing binne hierdie veld is beperk. Die doelstellings van hierdie navorsing is om die komplekse aard van geniepsigheid tussen meisies verder te verken en om 'n begrip van die impak daarvan te verwerf; om die perspektiewe van die deelnemers te gebruik om tussentrede en voorkomingstrategieë te bewerkstellig; om mites wat die praktyk van afknouery ondersteun, te verdryf; en om bewustheid van 'n onsigbare probleem te bemiddel en dit daardeur sigbaar te maak. Hierdie interpretatiewe studie verken geniepsigheid tussen meisies met behulp van die perspektiewe van Graad 5-meisies in 'n kerkskool in die Weskaap. Die ondersoekproses wat gevolg is, is op die ekosistemiese benadering en konstruktiwisme gegrond, wat die belangrikheid van konteks en die oortuiging beklemtoon dat kennnis nie op passiewe wyse bekom word nie, maar aktief op die grondslag van die ervarings van indiwidue gekonstrueer word. Data is met gebruik van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met fokusgroepe wat op band opgeneem is, ingesamel, waarna dit woordeliks vanaf opnames getranskribeer en volgens temas gekategoriseer is. Die temas wat na vore gekom het, omvat die wisselende en komplekse aard van afknoutegnieke en die uitwerking van geniepsigheid. Daar is gevind dat sommige meisies ingebore trekke het wat help om geniepsige gedrag te onderhou terwyl ander meisies trekke het wat hulle teen geniepsigheid beskerm. Die omgewing speel ook 'n aansienlike rol in die ondersteuning van geniepsige gedrag of die beskerming van meisies daarteen. Die impliseer dat tussentrede en voorkomende strategieë op hierdie persoonlike en kontekstuele faktore gebaseer moet word om verandering te bewerkstellig.