The purpose of this research is to discover the extent to which there is a typology of students’ health risk behaviors and to what extent are those typologies associated with academic achievement using the 2019 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) dataset. This is a secondary data analysis study using a national representative sample (n=11,410) of high school students, grades 9 to 12, in the United States. YRBS is a national school-based, paper-based 99-item survey used to assess 121 health-related behaviors among all high school students in the United States and is biennially conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2020). While research efforts on health and academic achievement is vastly growing, there is a limited number of studies that are analyzing multiple health-risk behaviors concurrently as well as exploring their potential impacts on educational outcomes. Furthermore, previous studies have utilized cluster and/ or factor analyses. However, this statistical approach will show how students are clustered into groups and does not provide information such as the probability that a given student is bullied or suicidal. A 3-step Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was conducted to identify and understand the various profiles of students who experienced and/ or were exposed to certain health-risk behaviors. The health-risk behaviors of interest, the latent variables, were school-related violence, physical activity, screen time, and sleep. Using LCA, results show that there are four significantly different typologies, or profiles, of student health-risk behaviors: Level 1 The Most Support Needed (TMSN), Level 2 Suicide Prevention Needed (SPN), Level 3 Coping Mechanism for Bullying Needed (CMBN), Level 4 Least Support Needed (LSN). In tandem, contextual factors such as age, sex, grade level, race and ethnicity were significantly associated with the odds of belonging to some of the groups. This study is connected to longer-term work. Implications of these groupings on school policies, student health outcomes, and building a school-based coordinated health system will be discussed.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Background: Bullying has been reported to be on the rise in the world. South Africa is no exception. In recent years bullying has been reported to impact severely, resulting in resignations by teachers from the teaching profession. The researcher looked at the school as the workplace for teachers who experienced bullying. The study was about occupational health and safety for teachers, which is an important public health issue. The employer is obliged to create a conducive workplace for teachers as employees working at schools. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to explore and describe high school teachers’ lived experiences of bullying by learners in Limpopo Province. Methods: The qualitative and descriptive phenomenological method was followed. Due to data saturation, ten teachers participated after being selected through purposive sampling from seven high schools. Research ethics were observed. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews using an interview guide. Interviews were audio-taped and field notes were taken. Voice recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using open coding thematic analysis. Findings were confirmed by an independent coder. Results: The findings reveal that bullying is not a new phenomenon in schools in South Africa and globally. Most teachers perceive bullying differently. Some perceive acts of violence amongst learners as bullying. Some interpret noise in the classrooms as bullying, some view overcrowding in the classrooms contributing to bullying. Some perceive substances and drug abuse as causing bullying in schools. Most teachers experience feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness. They are sad, and feel small, embarrassed, intimidated, angry, disappointed etc. Some lack support from school management and governance, and others experience different forms of bullying. Some refrain from their style of teaching as it impacted on their teaching duties. The findings furthermore indicate that bullying affects both males and females but differently. Female teachers were more prone to bullying than male teachers. Conclusion: The outcomes of the study have revealed that bullying is a reality. Teachers are being targeted by learners at schools. They seemed not to understand policies and procedures to intervene when addressing bullying at schools. Interventions were not effective due to lack of knowledge and poor policy implementation. Bullying is not a new concept in the Department of Education. Unions, SGBs and SACE are aware of incidents that happen in schools. The Department of Education should ensure that teachers are protected when rendering their teaching services in schools.

An autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis in childhood comes with inherent vulnerability to adverse experiences. For some, the developmental process of adolescence overwhelms their altered neural system, exacerbating this vulnerability. Adolescence presents an opportunity to mitigate the negative effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on the developing brain. However, little is known about children who have both ASD and a history of ACEs. This study, first sought to understand the prevalence of ACEs among adolescents with ASD and whether those who have experienced ACEs are placed at further risk for other social and emotional challenges, impacting their transition into adulthood. With adolescents being highly sensitized to their environment, opportunities for intervention in their environments may mitigate the long-term consequences of ACEs. Due to adolescents spending a great deal of their time in school, developing interventions to support those with ASD that can be implemented within the school would be beneficial. Thus, the second aim of this study was to understand how schools can serve as a place for trauma-informed intervention. The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model served as the conceptual framework for this mixed-methods study. Data from the 2020 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) were examined to determine the prevalence of ACEs and further risk for social-emotional issues in adolescents with ASD. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with school personnel in public schools to understand how they respond to typically developing and ASD students who have experienced ACEs. The findings showed that 60% of adolescents with ASD had experienced ACEs. Additionally, significant associations were found between the experience of ACEs and a diagnosis of anxiety, depression and ADHD. Furthermore, the experience of ACEs was associated with being bullied, however, no significant association was found with their ability to make friends. Great variability exists in the way schools respond to ACEs, if at all, and lack consistency and clarity in their SEL practices. Therefore, there is a need to identify the school climate components that are needed to provide trauma-informed interventions and determine how to scale these interventions. Further, with the heterogeneity of the ASD profile, identifying which factors are associated with this risk will be helpful in providing tailored interventions, specifically in the school environment.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / This study aimed to determine learners' understanding and experiences of the different types of bullying and to examine the extent of bullying and roles they have been exposed to in various types of bullying. The research question was: What are primary school learners. understanding and experiences of bullying? Literature indicates that bullying can be executed in direct and indirect forms (Olweus, 1993:10; Boulton et al., 2002:354; Hunter & Boyle, 2002:324; Piskin, 2003:556; Lee, 2004:9). Direct bullying can be defined as relatively open attacks on a victim (Boulton et al., 2002:354) that are carried out face to face and may include pushing, kicking and fighting (Lee, 2004:10). Indirect bullying can be defined as being more subtle and less direct (Boulton et al., 2002:354) and will include behaviour such as social isolation and exclusion from a group. This study used the Olweus Intervention Method (1995), which offers a theoretical framework that could help the researcher find meaning in respect of the roles of the bully, victim and bystander. Urie Bronfenbrenner.s ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner,1998:993-1027) of human development was used as a lens for understanding bullying. Bronfenbrenner places child development within four different interacting levels, for example, the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem (Sigelman & Schaffer, 1995:87). The researcher used a mixed-method research design as it could provide a better understanding of how learners understand their experiences of bullying . whether they were the victim, bully or witness. The total sample comprised 296 Intermediate Phase learners. The study began with a quantitative method, testing the understanding of concepts, and using a questionnaire for learners, and thereafter concluded with a qualitative method comprising a small number of learners (interviews with a focus group), exploring their experiences of bullying. The quantitative data was analysed by means of descriptive statistics to present simple summaries about the sample and the measures. The responses were recorded in frequency tables and percentages were calculated to determine general trends. The qualitative data was systematically organised into themes and patterns to bring meaning to the themes by telling a story. Information obtained from respondents was treated as highly confidential and the research findings were presented with integrity. The results indicated that most learners have not been exposed to bullying as victims, although a high number of incidences were reported. Older boys were mostly involved in incidences of physical violence. Of significance is the fact that the main kind of bullying was that of emotional bullying. Table 4.7 shows that mostly boys are teased (37.0%), while Table 4.16 shows teasing others mostly occurs between learners of the same age (30.4%). On the other hand, Table 4.17 reveals that mostly girls are prone to spread rumours about others (17.5%) of the same age as themselves (26%) and fall prey to this type of emotional bullying.

Text in afrikaans / The main object of this research was to present the profile of a child that bullies other children and to place one changeable element, namely self-esteem, within this profile. The description of children that reflect bully behaviour in accordance with the Gestalt approach is absent in most of the familiar Gestalt literature. The Gestalt approach is therefore utilized as a theoretical framework to describe the profile of children that bully others. The empirical research methodology is performed by combining a qualitative and a quantitative research approach. The approach to the research was based on the dominant-less-dominant model whereby the dominant approach, namely the qualitative approach, was utilized. The quantitative approach had a supportive role to the qualitative approach in this research by utilizing a standardized measurement instrument to round off the profile of the child identified as a bully. The profiles compiled of the children that bully others can be utilized as a guideline for Gestalt therapeutic interventions. / Social work / M. Diac.

The research reported in this thesis investigated the reputational orientations and aggressive behaviour of primary school aged bullies. It also sought to determine whether the reputational orientations of bullies who were loners differed to those who had established friendship networks. To achieve the research aims four separate yet inter-related studies were conducted. Study One explored the construct of reputation and its relevance to the bullying behaviours of 23 male and 23 female Grade 5 (10 year old) children from eight separate primary schools. All of these children had been suspended from school because of their bullying. Semi structured interviews revealed that reputation was an important construct to bullies, primarily because of the feelings of strength, power, and social status attributed to them by others as a result of their bullying. They also reported that the type of image and status they attained from bullying others was what they were actively seeking. To achieve their desired image different types of overt and covert bullying acts were perpetrated. The bullies also revealed that they carefully selected the physical locations where they bullied others so as to maximize the visibility of their actions to others. The school oval, playground and toilets were the most popular locations, but the use of new media such as mobile phones and the internet allowed them to bully others without the presence of an audience. The bullies also reported that their victims communicated what had happened to them to others, which disseminated their actions to a wider audience. It was clearly evident from Study One that the construct of reputation was important to bullies and was worthy of further investigation.

Thesis (M.A. (Human Rights))--Mahidol University, 2007. / LICL has E-Thesis 0025 ; please contact computer services.

Thesis (MA(Psychology))-University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Text in afrikaans / The main object of this research was to present the profile of a child that bullies other children and to place one changeable element, namely self-esteem, within this profile. The description of children that reflect bully behaviour in accordance with the Gestalt approach is absent in most of the familiar Gestalt literature. The Gestalt approach is therefore utilized as a theoretical framework to describe the profile of children that bully others. The empirical research methodology is performed by combining a qualitative and a quantitative research approach. The approach to the research was based on the dominant-less-dominant model whereby the dominant approach, namely the qualitative approach, was utilized. The quantitative approach had a supportive role to the qualitative approach in this research by utilizing a standardized measurement instrument to round off the profile of the child identified as a bully. The profiles compiled of the children that bully others can be utilized as a guideline for Gestalt therapeutic interventions. / Social work / M. Diac.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Technology: Public Administration-Peace Studies, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / Since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, the issue of achieving sustainable peace and development has remained a challenge due to a lack of comprehensive approaches to issues of human rights violations. With such a problem, it becomes easy for individuals and society to use violence as a means to an end and, thus, it has become culturally acceptable, not only in political spheres but also in the school sphere. Therefore, this study aims to promote positive attitudes among students to reduce levels of bullying and to enable to realise the prevention mechanisms that exist within themselves through an action research intervention. Action research with a group of ten students was used create awareness on the negative impact of bullying and also the importance of creating and maintaining peaceful schools. Research proved that violent behaviour among students appears to be a serious problem at Prince Edward School and at Cranborne High School. I worked together with students in two schools to design, implement and evaluate a programme designed to reduce bullying behaviour. It is recommended that students, academic staff, police and the Ministry of Education work together to design interventions that include students in reducing bullying in schools. / M