The main aim of this study was to investigate and explore how the emotional, verbal and or physical abuse of teachers by learners could impact on the general well-being of high school teachers in the Port Elizabeth region.This study asked how does the emotional, verbal and or physical abuse of teachers by learners impact on the general well-being of teachers? It also set out to find out what types of abuse teachers experience the most, how frequently teachers are exposed to abuse by learners and if there are any solutions to teacher abuse that can be offered. A teacher should be seen as someone who imparts knowledge, a person that creates an atmosphere for learning, a facilitator. Teachers are there to teach, although this is sadly not the case in schools anymore. Teachers are being abused by their learners in the classrooms and very few incidents are ever reported as teachers fear the repercussions of perhaps being told that because a class is misbehaving that they lack the necessary skills to be proficient teachers. There is limited literature available on the topic especially with regards to teacher abuse by learners in South Africa as the main focus used to be how teachers could be abusive to the learners and not the learners being abusive towards their teachers. This situation as is in South Africa at the moment can be seen as a silent epidemic. This study made use of a pragmatic paradigm that included both quantitative and qualitative research and data collection methods and an explanatory design was used to display the findings.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Afknouery is ’n algemene verskynsel onder laerskoolkinders. Alhoewel afknouery dikwels as ’n normale deel van die grootwordproses beskou word, dui verskeie ondersoeke op die negatiewe sosiale, sielkundige en fisiese gevolge wat daarmee gepaard gaan. Wanneer ’n kind geboelie word, raak dit noodwendig die hele gesin. Elke gesin het egter unieke eienskappe of maniere om krisisse (soos afknouery) te hanteer en daarby aan te pas. Gesinsveerkragtigheid verwys na die gesin se vermoë om weerstand te bied teen, en te herstel na, ontwrigtende lewensuitdagings. Die doel van hierdie ondersoek was om vas te stel watter gesinskenmerke geassosieer kan word met goeie aanpassing van gesinne waarvan ’n kind geboelie word. Die studiepopulasie was gesinne met laerskoolkinders wat vir ses maande of langer geboelie is in die voorafgaande drie jaar, en wat in die Suid-Kaap woon. Ma’s het as verteenwoordigers van hul gesinne opgetree en namens die gesinne aan die ondersoek deelgeneem. Agt-en-veertig verteenwoordigers van gesinne het elk sewe selfvoltooiingsvraelyste asook ’n biografiese vraelys met twee oop einde-vrae voltooi. Die resultate van die kwalitatiewe data het getoon dat gesinne veral deur die afknouery geraak is deurdat die kinders wat geboelie is, negatiewe emosies soos hartseer ervaar het. Die meeste gesinne het die afknouery hanteer deur met ’n onderwyser, skoolhoof of die beheerliggaam te gaan praat, of deur raad te gee aan die kind wat geboelie is. Die resultate van die kwantitatiewe data, wat met behulp van korrelasies en regressie-ontledings verkry is, het die volgende gesinsveerkragtigheidskenmerke geïdentifiseer: die kwaliteit van gesinskommunikasie, positiewe kommunikasiepatrone wat omgee en ondersteuning oordra, standvastigheid en duursaamheid van die gesinseenheid, die gesin se gevoel van interne sterk punte, betroubaarheid en die vermoë om saam te werk, die gesin se pogings om vernuwend en aktief te wees, om nuwe dinge te probeer en om te leer, die mate waartoe die gesin roetines gebruik en handhaaf, die gesin se klem op die vasstelling van voorspelbare kommunikasie tussen ouer en kind, die gesin se klem op die vasstelling van voorspelbare roetines om ’n kind se gevoel van selfbestuur en orde te bevorder, asook die gesin se klem op saamwees. Die bevindinge van hierdie ondersoek vul ’n leemte in die literatuur oor gesinne waarvan ’n kind geboelie word. Dit kan nuttig aangewend word in die beplanning en ontwikkeling van intervensies om hierdie gesinne te versterk en meer veerkragtig te maak. Die geïdentifiseerde gesinskenmerke laat ook die moontlikheid oop vir verdere navorsing om hierdie kenmerke in meer besonderhede te ondersoek en te beskryf. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Bullying is a common phenomenon among primary school children. Although bullying is often seen as a relatively normal part of growing up, various studies have indicated its negative social, psychological and physical effects. When a child is bullied, the matter inevitably concerns the whole family. However, every family has unique characteristics or ways of handling and adapting to a crisis (such as bullying). Family resilience refers to the family’s ability to withstand and rebound from disruptive life challenges. The goal of this study was to determine which family characteristics can be associated with positive adaptation in families of which a child had been bullied. The study population consisted of families with primary school children that had been bullied for six months or longer over the past three years, and reside in the Southern Cape. Mothers acted as representatives and participated in the study on behalf of their families. Forty eight family representatives each completed seven self-completing questionnaires as well as a biographical questionnaire containing two open ended questions. Results from the qualitative data, which was analysed using content analysis, showed that families were affected by the bullying, especially in the sense that the children that were bullied experienced negative emotions such as sadness. Most of the families coped with the bulling by talking to a teacher, principal or governing body, or by giving advice to the child that had been bullied. Results from the quantitative data, which was analysed using correlations and regression analyses, indicated positive correlations between family adaptation and quality of family communication, positive communication patterns that convey caring and support, fortitude and durability of the family unit, the family’s sense of internal strengths, dependability and the ability to work together, the family’s efforts to be innovative and active, to experience new things and to learn, the degree to which families use and maintain routines, the family’s emphasis on establishing predictable communication between parent and child, the family’s emphasis on establishing predictable routines to promote a child’s sense of autonomy and order, as well as the family’s emphasis on togetherness. The findings of the study fill a gap in the literature about families in which a child has been bullied. The findings can be utilised in the planning and developing of interventions to strengthen these families and to make them more resilient. The identified family characteristics also leave the possibility of further research to investigate and describe these characteristics in greater detail.

A Master’s Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, School of Human and Community Development, Discipline of Psychology, for the Degree of Master of Education (Educational Psychology), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, July 2017. / Bullying is a problematic phenomenon in South African schools, affecting victims and bullies in various ways. These can have far reaching consequences that can last for years. This research sought to investigate bullying in rural schools. It sought to investigate the existence of bullying in rural schools and to explore the nature of bullying in rural schools, with regards to gender. Using a cross-sectional survey research design, 200 learners from high schools in the Eastern Cape completed the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. Data obtained from the participants was analysed using Chi-Square Test of Independence for each question in the questionnaire. The results confirmed the existence of bullying in rural schools. All three forms of bullying (physical, verbal, psychological bullying) and cyberbullying were present in the schools. Both boys and girls are experiencing bullying. The implications of this study include feelings of a lack of safety in the school environment, which will invariably affect learners’ academic and social progress. As such, more interventions should be designed to combat adverse effects of bullying. / XL2018

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Work in the field of Occupational Social Work, September 2017 / School violence over the years has been on an increase. It has been particularly known and researched that learners have been affected by such a persistent phenomenon (Burton & Leoschut, 2013). Notably, teachers themselves are increasingly becoming victims of school violence. It has been said that much of the school violence stems from the violent nature of society; violence in society being complex in nature (Mncube & Harber, 2012). Limited research has been directed towards exploring victimisation of teachers by their learners, hence the interest in the topic. In order for one to gain knowledge and insight in this topic, the qualitative approach and a case study design was used. The unit of analysis consisted of 5 high school teachers within the Johannesburg South Region. Snowballing, which is a type of non – probability sampling was used to identify participants. A semi – structured interview scheduled was used as a data gathering tool, during the face – to face interviews. The thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data collected, so as to find common themes and topics relevant to the study. As predicted, the study helped in gaining insights in understanding the consequences of school violence and bullying on teachers. It helped in understanding teachers’ experiences of school violence and the consequences it has in the workplace. Additionally, it assisted in gaining insight on what may contribute towards the creation of a healthier work environment. / XL2018

Many cardiovascular psychophysiological studies have found evidence of lower arousal states in aggressive individuals and hyper-arousal states in individuals exposed to chronic stress. However, most of these studies have relied on clinical diagnoses or self-reports to identify aggressive and victimized individuals. The present study used peer nominations to identify aggressive, victimized, and non-aggressive or victimized adolescents (mean age = 12.09 yrs.) to examine if any psychophysiological differences exist during resting and startle conditions. ANOVAs revealed that high aggressive/low victimized adolescents had a lower resting heart period/rate compared to high victimized/low aggressive adolescents. Further analyses revealed a statistical trend of lower resting heart period variability in high victimized/low aggressive individuals compared to non-aggressive non-victimized controls. Due to evidence suggesting that individuals with high self-reported empathy display less aggression, empathy as a moderator for aggression was investigated. Although gender differences w3ere found across measures, empathy ws not found to moderate aggression. / by Christopher Aults. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

The current study investigated the change in relationship between an aggressor's attachment style (avoidant or preoccupied) and a series of characteristics in their victims' over a school year. Once a semester, participants rated themselves and their classmates on 16 personality characteristics and their aggression levels against other students. Only avoidant girls significantly refined their targets over the course of a school year. They increased their aggression towards girls with low appearance self-efficacy, a high avoidance attachment, high depression, high cross-gender typed behavior, high internalizing behavior, and low global self-worth. / by Ashley M. Miller. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Numerous studies examining bullying among elementary school students and anti-bullying curricula and programs are available in educational literature. However, little research examines the perceptions of elementary teachers and guidance counselors regarding implementing the curriculum. To address this gap in the literature, my case study focused on three elementary schools and 21 participants (18 teachers and three guidance counselors) in South Florida and their perceptions on bullying and the antibullying curriculum implemented during the 2011 school year. The data collected included approximately 50 hours of interviews and the disaggregation of each school’s discipline summary report. There were two major themes that emerged from the study. The first theme (elementary school bullying) addressed the individuals responsible for addressing bullying, the outcomes of bullying, the characterisitcs of a bully, the locations of bullying, and the reasons why bullying occurs. The second theme (elementary school anti-bullying curriculua) addressed the professional development offered and what is needed, the components within an anti-bullying curriculum and what is needed, and the ways in which special needs students are addressed through an anti-bullying curriculum. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Peer aggression and bullying are significant problems for children in American schools. While a large body of research has been conducted in this area, none to date has examined the combined roles of temperament (behavioral activation system, or BAS, and behavioral inhibition system, or BIS), and empathy in predicting participation in bullying interactions. Previous research has found that low empathy facilitates aggressive behavior, while high empathy inhibits it, and has linked poor emotion regulation to conduct disorders. Thus, if these factors can predict behaviors towards peers, they may also predict (independently and in combination) involvement in bullying, specifically the roles assumed in those interactions - that is: bully, victim, bully-victim (a child who is both bully and victim), or defender/protector. The present study tested 226 middle school students on a measure of empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index), and a measure of temperament (BIS/BAS Scales). The students also completed a Peer Nomination Inventory to identify children who were aggressive toward others, victimized by peers, and/or protected peers from bullies. Although not all predictions were supported, results showed that certain sub-components of empathy, such as empathic concern (affective empathy) and personal distress (a measure of emotion regulation) predicted the behavior of "pure bullies" (bullies who are not themselves victimized), but not of other aggressive children such as bully-victims. High BAS drive and low BIS were significant predictors of aggressive behavior, and BAS reward responsiveness predicted protective behavior. Victimized children had higher fantasy (ability to identify with fictional characters) and lower perspective-taking (cognitive empathy) skills, and tended not to have overlapping characteristics and behaviors with protective children. / These characteristics did not interact significantly with each other or with age, gender, ethnicity, or SES of students. It was concluded that pure bullies lack affective empathy, and victims lack cognitive empathy. That is, empathy is multidimensional and empathy deficits vary in type, but all lead to some form of socioemotional impairment. Furthermore, aggressive victims are a unique sub-group of children with unique characteristics. / by Chantal M. Gagnon. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2012. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

M. Tech. Education / This ethnographic study investigated the nature of bullying in selected primary schools in the Pretoria inner city as experienced by learners, parents, teachers and principals. A review of the existing literature formed the basis for the offered description of the phenomenon. The work examined concise definitions of bullying, including the existence of bullying, the effects of bullying, the perceptions of learners who are bullied, the frequency of bullying, the School Management Team's reaction to incidents of bullying, the school policy on bullying, teachers' experience of bullying of learners, the parents' experiences of bullying of their children and how other countries handle bullying. The research describes various forms of bullying, reasons for bullying, the effects of bullying and measures against bullying.

A surge of interest on bullying and violence has emerged as precursors for aggression become ominously present on a global level. There is growing evidence of these phenomena among school children· and anecdotal proof of their consequences. Despite frequent reporting of the same in the popular media little empirical research is available in the South African context. More specifically in the discipline of social work, the issue remains largely neglected. Social workers are considered to be well placed in their capacity-building, therapeutic and facilitative roles. If they are to provide holistic and inter-related services to learners both within and outside of the school, it is vital that they become familiar with the dynamics of this public health scourge. The thrust of this effort was to examine the nature and extent of bullying and violence in Durban South high schools, to glean childrens' lived experiences in this regard and to investigate the structural/procedural impediments to systematic, mandatory, school wide responses. A survey was conducted with 251 grade 8 and 9 learners, where quantitative data was obtained on a range of issues relating to the nature and extent of school bullying. Additionally, four key informants were interviewed and two focus groups were conducted with an average of 10 members in each group. Interviews and group sessions allowed for a more spontaneous, meaningful and in-depth account from educators and group members. In this way, contextually and culturally rich information was obtained. Focus groups were deemed to be valuable as learners possessed 'insider' knowledge of the school and shared emotions in a less threatening environment among their peers. The reporting of bullying and violence was concluded to be problematic as current school procedures are ad hoc. The frequency with which bullying occurred was reported as alarmingly high. There was overwhelming support for curriculum changes, the services of a social worker/counsellor and for more stringent punitive measures for bullies. Educators confirmed the need for social services and indicated that the school ethos has deteriorated considerably, with general disregard by learners for authority. Recommendations include the development of an anti-bullying school policy as well as comprehensive schooVcommunity efforts that monitor and address bullying and violence systematically. This study also recommends the integration of social and academic services in promoting learner well being. The recommendations are aimed toward extinguishing any notion that predatory or aggressive behaviour is normal, in the minds of youth. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.