Bullying is a prevalent issue that continues to affect students, families, schools, and societies. The impacts of bullying on an individual’s health can be grave, and it is, therefore, essential to recognize and establish interventions that will bring bullying to an end and make schools a safer environment for learning. This paper aims to address the issue of bullying concerning students and how the problem is prevailing, its causes, impacts as well as the available standard policies that have been put in place to help with fighting against the problem. The research paper thus assesses the available works of literature and studies aimed at understanding the pervasiveness of the issue and addressing the ways to stop bullying in schools. The document starts by identifying the problem and addressing it as a phenomenon that still lacks explicit definition. After which, it determines how bullying happens in different levels of education based on the selected studies. The levels of education that the paper addresses are elementary, high school and universities, and identifies that it in high school, bullying is rampant compared to the other stages of learning. Once these are identified, the next step is assessing the causes of bullying and how they affect students while in school and even in their lives after school. The last part is evaluating the three approaches commonly applied in schools to reduce the cases of bullying, which includes zero-tolerance policy, playground peacemakers, and restorative justice. The presented steps then help in identifying the best intervention that schools can use in helping the students and make the institutions safer learning environment. The selected approach is restorative justice because its benefits outweigh the burdens associated with ending bullying in schools.
Introduction
Bullying in schools is not something new in this era, and as a matter of fact, it has been an issue that hinders proper schooling and well-being of many adolescents. In general, bullying extends beyond learning institutions and the youth. It is also prevalent later in life, and this is often characterized by the side-effects triggered in the early years of growth. Different researchers and scholars have offered various definitions on bullying, and though these understandings may differ in one way or another, most of the existing definitions follow the pioneering works of Olweus published in 1978, 1999, and 2001 (Hymel and Swearer 293). Bullying is any form of aggressive behavior aimed at oppressing an individual characterized by an imbalance of power.
In as much as bullying dates back to the early 1900s, it received the desired attention recently. This is primarily because the problems associated with bullying are prevalent among many adolescents, as it continues to cripple their manners of development. Studies reveal that at least one out of every three children report to at least have been bullied or at least witnessed bullying by the time they turn 18 (Sinkkonen et al. 153). In turn, it has become a serious problem that not only needs addressing but also demands an efficient intervention policy. There have been numerous suggestions aimed at bringing bullying in schools to an end. Nevertheless, none of the proposed interventions have been successful in achieving the desired goal. The typical solution practiced by numerous institutions is the zero-tolerance policy (Sinkkonen et al. 153). However, the policy has not been successful, and thus it only means that there should be new policies that will reduce the rates of bullying in school, with hopes of ending the menace. The new or effective solution should achieve the goal of helping both the bullies and the victims while promoting a healthy environment for learning and developing. This paper focuses on bullying in schools while offering a comprehensive review of existing studies and works of literature on the prevalence of bullying, its impacts, and the current understanding of the existing policies aimed at stopping bullying by carefully addressing the significance of zero tolerance policy and establishing the best solution to stop bullying in schools.
Bullying as a Phenomenon
The definition of bullying is not universal. The way different people describe bullying often depends on their viewpoint, as well as the context in which the action happens. Research papers define bullying as the persevering, repeated, direct or indirect aggressive act focused on the targeted individual (Sinkkonen et al. 154). Bullying can take various forms, such as verbal or physical, but in the long run, it always has to be systematic and deliberately performed (Sinkkonen et al. 154). Additionally, there is evidence bullying whether physical or verbal can negatively impact an individual’s well-being. This paper adopts the standard definition of bullying as proposed by Owleus in 1993 where he defined bullying as a circumstance where “one student ends up as a victim of repeated adverse actions performed by one or more persons, or member of the teaching personnel” (Hymel and Swearer 293). The actions can take various forms such as physical like hitting, kicking, beating, shoving around, hiding objects or blocking the way; or verbal whereby there is the calling of the names, blackmailing, negative comments, threatening, ridiculing or gossiping. However, in the current society, bullying has evolved into new forms since the advent of social media and hence can be indirect where the student would post humiliating comments or photos concerning another student.
The prevalence of bullying in schools has led to the increased attention and the pervasiveness of its effects on the learning institutions, which has forced many states and local systems to consent that it is high time the school administrators and professionals go through mandatory training on how to respond to safety threats within the school environments (Teasley and Nevarez 1). Verbal or relational bullying is much more common in girls while overt bullying entailing both physical and verbal abuse is prevalent among male students. Teasley and Nevarez (1) extend to explain that students who receive exceptional services such as those with disabilities or exceptional students who are talented and academically gifted are often vulnerable and targeted mostly by the bullies. Exposure to bullying remains to be a personal experience where the bullied have his or her life controlled and prevailed over both in context and situation. The viewpoint of bullying entails typically the parties involved while embracing the fact that the bully and the victim are never on equal terms. It is a common thing that the senior individual never views the committed deed as bullying but a standard way of socializing where there have to be people controlling the social environment.
School as a Context of Bullying
When students are admitted to schools through entrance examinations, especially in higher education, they seek to develop their expertise in numerous fields that they selected to pursue. Many students hope to finish school with intentions of excelling in education, and this only means that both the students and their parents anticipate high-quality education besides amicable and equal treatment (Sinkkonen et al. 155). Psychological researchers regarding bullying in schools as a form of victimization indicate that the motives behind this behavior are attributable to things such as age, sex, ethnic background, or some form of handicap.
At the school level, bullying can increase if there are inadequate resources, which triggers the competition to acquire the available resources. With limited resources, the ability to offer quality education reduces. Such an event inevitably means that there will be institutional alterations that in turn affect the students' lives and planning. The inadequacy of resources not only applies to the materials needed for studying but also the human resource who take time to listen to complains and challenges of the students in the school environment. Students can face problems when the staffs are too busy to attend to them, and this is one of the risk factors for bullying in schools.
Bullying in schools tends to vary based on the level of education. Ahmed et al. (17) discovered that the habit tends to increase through the elementary classes, and then peaks in high school before it drops off again in universities and college. In middle and high school, bullying frequently entails teasing and social exclusion, and sometimes involves physical violence, threats, public humiliation, in addition to sexual and racial harassment (Ahmed et al. 18). In elementary, bullying is highly likely to involve intimidation, physical aggression, and social exclusion (Ahmed et al. 18). However, Sinkkonen et al. (156) stated that bullying is less frequent in universities, but this can be partly because there is inadequate research in this framework. Teasley and Nevarez (2) hence highlighted that there is a significant need to recognize the occurrence of bullying in different levels of education as the first step to understand the best strategy of creating and establishing a valid form of intervention.
Causes of Bullying
Numerous things and ideas might trigger bullying, and sometimes it can be a challenge to assess what caused bullying. Hymel and Swearer (294) explained that the reason for this is that bullying tends to happen in the absence of adult supervision and in turn, it can often go unnoticed until the impacts are severe. Nonetheless, Ahmed et al. (19) highlighted the various causes of bullying as evident in most schools, and these are as follows:
a. Cultural causes: In a community where there is a fascination with winning or power, many students tend to embrace an attitude of seeking power or authority over others. Sometimes, these are habits that go unnoticed because it is the teachers who practice them and the students pick up the same perspectives towards each other. Winning or power is highly likely to happen where there is the inadequacy of resources and the teachers, as well as the student, have to compete for the available resources aggressively.
b. Institutional character: If a school where bullying happens lacks high standards concerning how people treat and respect each other, then there is a high chance that bullying will be prevalent as well. Sometimes the institution can be homes, where the bullies pick up the habits of oppression and violence from the parents or siblings and then apply them to their peers.
c. Social issues: Based on the idea that a person achieves more social recognition from bullying others can also contribute to the behavior as well. Entertainment media like TV shows and movies, besides real-life situations, can influence how students interact with each other. Therefore, some students will try to practice what they see on their peers without necessarily realizing the adverse effects accompanying their negative behaviors.
d. Family background: Families that are not welcoming or loving are most likely to have children who lack the aptitude to interact with others well. Wölfer and Scheithauer (312) explained that most of the bullies tend to come from hostile families, where they witness the parents continually fighting because of numerous social problems such as poverty, lack of love or even drug involvement. It is this pressure that forces these children to want to exercise hostility towards others because they are not familiar with the ideals of love.
e. A child’s personal history: students who face social rejection have the habit to pass this on to others too. Such students tend to exhibit deviant characters such as involvement in drugs or other risky habits. Additionally, often experience academic failure, and view harassment as the only way of controlling the other students.
Impacts of Bullying
Bullying can have negative physical, emotional, and psychological effects on a student's life (Vreeman, Aaron and Carroll 78). Most of the victims of bullying report that they have trouble sleeping, abdominal pain, feelings of depression and anxiety as well as enuresis. An interesting and most ignored idea is the fact that bullies, just as the victims also have increased the risk for depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts (Vreeman, Aaron and Carroll 78). Therefore, in recognizing the effects of bullying, it is essential to consider how the behavior affects both the oppressors and the victims. Vreeman, Aaron, and Carroll (78) added that many of the victimized students are 3 to 4 times more likely to report suffering from anxiety compared to the bullies. The emotional impacts of bullying tend to be the worst because they cripple one's perspective towards the society and can even push one to commit suicide if not addressed early.
Furthermore, bullying tends to increase absenteeism as most of the victimized students developing a negative attitude towards school. It is because of this that studies often associate bullying with poor academic performance. Teasley and Nevarez (1) stated that the effects of bullying are often felt by the individual, the families, and society as a whole. In their study to understand the long-term effects of bullying on students, Sigurdson et al. (1) indicated that there is a close association between bullying and increased mental health problems. The research continued to suggest that there is a clear relationship between bullying in adolescents with elevated externalized symptoms in young adults (Sigurdson et al. 2). In a circumstance where there is victimization characterized by aggression and harassment, there are always cognitive and biological vulnerabilities, and these can lead to the development of psychopathology in the future. Therefore, bullying is an adverse life event that cripples the individuals involved, and it becomes costly to the families and society who have to learn how to accommodate and treat the people involved in the behaviors. Mental health issue continues to be a significant challenge today, and if the effects of bullying can be stopped before they develop by diminishing the cases of bullying, then there is a high chance of encountering the problems will be less.
Intervention
As bullying in schools continues to be on the rise, there is a dire need to address and establish school-based interventions aimed at reducing bullying (Vreeman, Aaron and Carroll 79). Despite the fact that the existing methods have been thoroughly assessed, the analyses reveal mixed up results that do not point to a specific intervention as the best available to handle the problem (Vreeman, Aaron and Carroll 79). This section of the paper will thus evaluate three different interventions frequently sorted and used with the goal of suggesting, in the end, the best option that schools can apply in diminishing the cases of bullying.
Zero-Tolerance
Zero tolerance policy is the most common policy practiced for a decade now, and it entails having a similar form of punishment concerning bullying regardless of the extent and biography of an individual (Teasley 131). The zero-tolerance policy has been used in the United States since the 1990s as a way of maximizing and enhancing the quality of learning environment by promoting a get-tough approach as a form of discipline. The procedure often embraces harsh penalties such as suspension, expulsions, alternative school and juvenile justice referrals for a range of problems relating to bullying in schools. Though this model was often perceived as the most efficient in solving the problem, it continues to face numerous criticizing by stating that it does not embrace the goals of education.
Schools from a general perspective are institutions helping to make people better, and not casting out people who cannot fit in the system. However, with zero tolerance policy, the learning institutions embrace the fact that there are people who are unfit to be part of the curriculum, and this only worsens the existing problem. Teasley (131) mentioned that there had been worst cases involving this approach and such included kindergartners facing suspension for minor offenses such as bringing toy guns, paper clips and cough drops to school. The issue with zero tolerance is the fact that schools have a mandated guideline that outlines how to deal with the problems that threaten the safety and climate of academic performance. These guidelines follow the same protocol in handling different issues, irrespective of the nature of the concern and the parties involved.
Teasley (131) added that zero tolerance policies negatively affect the students’ behaviors and increases the likelihood of the same students taking part in future oppression. It is to mean that, by suspending or expelling the bullies, you disengage them from a learning environment and convincing them that they are outcasts thus encouraging them to practice the same behaviors in the society. Zero tolerance thus urges the students to engage in disciplinary problems, noncompliance, and disrespecting the authority. Therefore, the key weakness of this model is that expelling students does not solve the problem but instead puts them at a greater risk of becoming drop-outs.
Playground Peacemakers
A playground peacemaker is an approach that aims to engage students in fighting against bullying by through methods such as school-based peer mediation. Many studies endorse this as among the best form intervention as it promotes the chances of stopping bullying before it happens. Playground peacemakers entail asking the senior students to patrol the playground to prevent and report any form of bullying.
Unlike the other available interventions, this model does not ask the students to report the cases but to take part in stopping the events of bullying. Students will thus always be on the watch, and once they recognize any activity relating to bullying, they step in and discourage the bullies from advancing with their intention. In turn, it promotes the sense of responsibility among the individuals and promotes a safer environment for learning. Sinkkonen et al. (161) cited that playground peacemakers exhibited less anti-social patterns among student because of the people involved find the reason to constantly socialize while making schools a safer environment for every student. Additionally, the policy offers the students the courage to defend and intervene both in and out of the school environment. The strategy is also efficient in the sense that it covers it promotes safety even in the absence of the teachers. However, it requires training and teaching the students on how to intervene and solve the conflicts without worsening the situation. Besides this, there is always a low chance of students reporting cases of bullying, and so even when it happens, the teachers will not be aware of the situation beyond their sight making it challenging to control the problem.
Restorative Justice
Restorative justice is the system of criminal justice centered on rehabilitating the offender through reconciling him or her with the victim, and the community (Teasley 131). Restorative justice is an opposite direction from zero tolerance because it is based on developing a set of values that entails building and strengthening the relationship among the students, by showing respect and encouraging a sense of responsibility. The policy of restorative justice looks at the incidences of bullying as a learning opportunity to repair the misguided and harmed students.
Where zero tolerance is more of a vengeful approach, restorative justice is a system used in building relationships. The reason for this is that restorative justice fosters socially responsible relationships and habits that put others' perspective into account. Restorative justice achieves this by creating opportunities for the students to understand the impact of their actions while recognizing their social responsibilities and making amends to the affected parties. With restorative justice, both the bully and bullied take part in the decision to repair the damages and holding the students accountable. Therefore, this policy emphasizes the students' attitudes towards respect, responsibility, repairing the harm, and restoring the community instead of punishing and excluding the oppressors (Teasley 132). Restorative justice hence is a no-blame society where the students learn to work through the events and challenges that they encounter in their environments. Irrespective of these positive attributes, it essential that the conference is held appropriately and in the right circumstances so that the victim should not end up shaming the offender. Besides this, the challenge that faces restorative justice is making the bully believe that this is the right method to solve the existing problem since restorative justice embraces and encourages equality.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Bullying is a problem that demands attention both from scholars and school administrators. There needs to be increased awareness regarding the prevalence of bullying, as well as the various forms of this behavior and its impacts on students, schools, families, and society. Though there are numerous proposed interventions aimed at reducing bullying, there is a need for less-punitive approaches that will diminish the problem and make schools safe learning environments. The present paper reveals the need to teach and train school administrators on ways to identify and neutralize cases of aggressive behaviors and harassment among students as most of these activities tend to go unnoticed until impacts are adverse. Additionally, it is essential to understand that bullying is not an activity that only affects the victims but also the bullies. In recognizing how to handle the problem, the professionals should often start by addressing the cause of the problem and then selecting the appropriate approach to handling the situation. Nevertheless, the paper recommends that restorative justice is the essential method of decreasing the cases of bullying as it seeks to build relationships while promoting the sense of community among students in schools to prevent future conflicts.
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