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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uzulu/oai:uzspace.unizulu.ac.za:10530/107 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Pillay, Sivalutchmee |
| Contributors | Vos, M.S. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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