Jēkabpils 2.

Vidusskola

Cyberbullying
Zinātniski pētnieciskais darbs aņglu valoda sekcijā

Darba autors:

Artjoms Harkovs, 11.a klase

Darbavadītājs:

Natalja Dogurevič

Jēkabpils 2. Vidusskolas

angļu valodas skolotāja

Jēkabpils, 2021
 Abstract
The topic of the Research paper is” Cyberbullying ”

Analysis in this work – definition of cyberbullying, types of cyberbullying,

characteristics of a bully, victim and bystander, effects of cyberbullying, cyberbullying
prevention.

Goal of this work – answer on the question “Can be Cyberbullying

avoided?”

Tasks of this work:

 Learn about definition of cyberbullying;

 Learn about the difference between forms of cyberbullying;

 To ascertain the characteristics of all roles involved in cyberbullying;

 Learn how cyberbullying affects both sides;

 Learn how prevent bullying from happening;

Key words: Cyberbulling ,bullying, bully, victim, bystander, affects,

bullying prevention.
 Anotācija
Iebiedēšana

Analīze šajā darbā - Iebiedēšana definīcija. Iebiedēšanas veidi. Iebiedētāja, upura un

skatītāja cilvēka raksturojums. Iebiedēšanas sekas.

Šī darba mērķis - atbilde uz jautājumu “Vai iebiedēšana ir tik sarežģīta?”

Šī darba uzdevumi:

• Uzzināt par iebiedēšanas definīciju;

• Uzzināt par atšķirību starp iebiedēšanas veidiem;

• Noskaidrot visu lomu, kas iesaistītas iebiedēšanā;

• Uzziniet, kā iebiedēšana ietekmē abas puses;

• Uzziniet, kā novērst iebiedēšanu;

Atslēgas vārdi: Iebiedēšana, iebiedētājs, upurs, skatitajs, sekas.

 Content

Abstract......................................................................................................................................0

Anotācija....................................................................................................................................1
Content.......................................................................................................................................4
Introduction................................................................................................................................5
1. Bullying Defined....................................................................................................................6
2. Types of bullying...................................................................................................................8
2.1. Physical bullying.............................................................................................................8
2.2. Relational bullying..........................................................................................................9
2.3. Verbal bullying................................................................................................................9
2.4. Cyberbullying................................................................................................................10
3. Characteristics of a typical bully, victim and bystander......................................................11
3.1. Bully..............................................................................................................................11
3.2. Victim............................................................................................................................12
3.3. Bystander.......................................................................................................................13
4. Effects of bullying................................................................................................................14
4.1. Effects on Victim...........................................................................................................14
4.2. Effects on bully..............................................................................................................15
4.3. Effect on bystanders......................................................................................................15
5. Bullying Prevention.............................................................................................................17
5.1. Five Tips to Help Principals Prevent Bullying..............................................................18
5.2 Five Tips to Help Teachers Prevent Bullying................................................................18
5.3 Five Tips to Help Parents Prevent Bullying...................................................................19
6. Questionnaire.......................................................................................................................21
6.1 The Analysis of the Questionnaire.................................................................................21
6.2 Results of the Questionnaire...........................................................................................26
Conclusions..............................................................................................................................28
APPENDIX..............................................................................................................................29
Appendix 1...........................................................................................................................30
Sources.....................................................................................................................................32
 Introduction
Bullying became a big problem nowadays. A lot of students suffer because of it.
They can start to hate school or any place where they are getting bullied.

Bullying is not a new act; it was here all the time. Thanks to Dan Olweus and his
work «Bullying at school: what we know and what we can do» (1993), bullying has finally
gotten attention. There are many researches and studies that helped to understand the problem
of bullying and how to prevent it.

But why bullying is so widespread? What anyone experience after they get bullied?
Why it even happens? Maybe people just are just overreacting?

This topic was chosen because of its actuality and the fact that not many people can
spot bullying right away. A whopping 30.6% Latvian schoolkids report being bullied,
according to a recent OECD study. The OECD average is 18.7%. Latvia is the second worst-
performing country in this regard, behind Hong Kong. Meanwhile 20.2% of Estonian
schoolkids said they've been bullied several times a month, and the figure is 16.4% in
Lithuania. (23)

Goal of this research paper is to try to answer to a question “Is bullying that
complex?”

The tasks of this research paper are:

 Learn about definition of bullying;

 Learn about the difference between forms of bullying;

 To ascertain the characteristics of all roles involved in bullying;

 Learn how bullying affects both sides;

 Learn how to prevent it from happening;

The material that is used in this work is mostly from internet articles.

5
 1. Bullying Defined
Modern definition of bullying written on Wikipedia is: “Bullying is the use of force,
coercion, or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behaviour is often
repeated and habitual.” (2)

Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus defined bullying in his “Bullying at school: what
we know and what we can do” work this way: “A student is being bullied or victimized
when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or
more other students”. (1, 9. Lpp.)

And both definitions are right. The most important thing is that bullying in most
cases does not happen only once. It is a repeated action.

Quoting Dan Olweus again: “If a single instance of more serious harassment can be
regarded as bullying under certain circumstances, the definition given above emphasizes
negative actions that are carried out "repeatedly and over time." (1, 9. Lpp.)

The second important thing is what considered as “negative” action. It is negative

action if a person intentionally wants to inflict, discomfort or injury another person to
increase self-esteem and feel powerful. That can be described as aggressive behaviour.

Negative actions can be:

 Threatening, taunting, teasing, calling names;

 Hitting, pushing, kicking, or restraining another by physical contact;

 Making faces or dirty gestures, intentionally excluding someone from

a group, or refusing to comply with another person's wishes;

The third important thing is that bullying can be carried either by one person or by a
group. (1, 9. Lpp.) That applies to the victims as well. Group bullying one person is called
mobbing.

Bullying can develop anywhere where people interact with each other. This includes
school, work, neighbourhoods, playgrounds, etc. Social medias too are a platform for
cyberbullying.

Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through

repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or
psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or
perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from
happening.

Bullying can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices
and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the
potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital records).

Bullying of any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term
effects on those involved, including bystanders.

Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online,
are not defined as bullying.

What bullying is not:

 Single episodes of social rejection or dislike;

 Single episode acts of nastiness or spite;

 Random acts of aggression or intimidation;

 Mutual arguments, disagreements or fights;

These actions can cause great distress. However, they do not fit the definition of
bullying and they’re not examples of bullying unless someone is deliberately and repeatedly
doing them. (21)

As was said, the most important thing about bullying is that it is a repetitive action.
Without consistency it would not considered as bullying. It can happen anywhere where
human interaction is present and that is why it is so widespread.
 2. Types of bullying
This chapter discusses types or forms of bullying.

Bullying can be expressed by different forms. It can involve physical contact, calling
names or just ignoring like person does not exist. Bullying can be divided into 4 groups, such
as:

 Physical;

 Relational;

 Verbal;

 Cyber;

2.1. Physical bullying

Physical bullying is any bullying that involves hurting someone’s body or damaging
their belongings:

 Hitting;

 Kicking;

 Tripping;

 Pinching;

 Pushing;

 Damaging property;

 Fighting;

Often bullying will begin in a different form and progresses to physical violence.
The main weapon the bully uses is their body, or some part thereof, when attacking their
target.

This type of bullying can occur in any school scenario, from kindergarten to college.
In kindergartens and primary schools, for example, children can make fun of slower
classmates or push smaller ones out of the lunch line. In high schools, victims can easily end
up in the hospital or even dead. (5)
 2.2. Relational bullying

Relational bullying, known as social aggression, is the type of bullying that uses
relationships to hurt others. Can be used as a tool to harm someone’s social reputation and
cause humiliation. It can include:

 Spreading rumours and lying;

 Making fun and teasing;

 Exclusion from activities the rest of the group is involved in;

 Sharing secrets that they have promised to keep;

 Eye rolling around the victim when they speak;

Relational bullying is often used to improve bully’s social standing and control
others. Unlike physical bullying which is obvious to spot, this type of bullying can continue
for a long time unnoticed. (2)

2.3. Verbal bullying

Verbal bullying is one of the most common types of bullying. This is any bullying
that is conducted by speaking or other use of the voice and does not involve any physical
contact. It includes:

 Derogatory name-calling;

 Spreading rumours or lying about someone;

 Threatening someone;

 Yelling at or talking to someone in a rude tone of voice;

 Mocking someone's voice or style of speaking;

 Laughing at someone;

 Making insults or otherwise making fun of someone;

Verbal bullying can affect one’s self image, and affect someone in emotional and
psychological ways. This can lead to low self-esteem, as well as depression and other

does not touch victim physically at all. (2)

 2.4. Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying, which is also known as online bullying, is the use of technology to

harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person. It can harm the online reputations of
everyone involved – not just the person being bullied, but those doing the bullying or
participating in it.

The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:

 Social Media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter;

 SMS (Short Message Service);

 Instant Message;

 Email;

Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or

mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information
about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the
line into unlawful or criminal behaviour. (8)

Bullying can develop in many ways. It can progress from one type to other. For
example, from physical to verbal. It can happen with growing up.
 3. Characteristics of a typical bully, victim and bystander
This chapter discusses various behaviour and traits of bullies, victims and bystanders
involved in bullying.

3.1. Bully

Dan’s Olweus in his work “Bullying at School: What we know and what we can
do” claims that bullies usually have the following traits:

 Strong need to dominate other students and to get their own way;

 Impulsive and easily angered;

 Can be aggressive toward adults;

 Show little empathy toward victims;

 For boys that bully, they’re usually physically stronger than boys in general;
(1)

Studies have shown that envy and resentment may be motives for bullying. Bullies
are usually arrogant and narcissistic; they can use bullying as a tool to hide anxiety or to
boost self-esteem. They are frequently offended by criticism.

In one study of youth, a combination of antisocial traits and depression was found to
be the best predictor of youth violence, whereas video game violence and television violence
exposure were not predictive of these behaviours. (2)

Bullying may stem from underlying psychological issues. Mental health issues, like
anxiety. Other teens begin to bully after they've been abused or experienced a traumatic
event.

Another research has found that children who bully are more likely than their non-
bullying peers to have certain characteristics in their homes such as:

 Lack of Warmth and Involvement on the Part of Parents;

 Overly Permissive Parenting;

 Lack of Parental Supervision;

 Harsh, Physical Discipline;

  Chaos and Conflict;

Children who frequently bully their victims are more likely to:

 Get into fights;

 Be injured in a fight;

 Vandalize or steal property;

 Drink alcohol;

 Smoke;

 Drop out of school;

 Carry a weapon; (10)

3.2. Victim

Victims of bullying display the opposite characteristics. It’s important to note that
these traits may also be caused or amplified by being bullied:

 Cautious, sensitive, quiet and shy;

 May be anxious, insecure, unhappy and have low self-esteem;

 Are depressed and likely to engage in thoughts of suicide more often;

 Often do not have a single good friend;

 For boys, they may be physically weaker than peers;

Overprotecting parents may be a reason of these characteristics. Parents tend to

avoid open disagreements with their child and try to create a sense of harmony in the
household at all costs. Unfortunately, this makes the child less able to deal with conflict and
more likely to be victimized by peers. In addition, parents of victims often become socially
over-involved with their child to make up for peer rejection. This only makes the child's
problems with peers worse rather than better. (11)

Victims of bullying can become bullies too. They believe that by bullying others
they will become immune to being bullied.
 3.3. Bystander

Often, bullying takes place in the presence of a large group of “relatively”

uninvolved bystanders. They are just watching the act and do nothing.

Bystanders may experience the following:

 Be afraid to associate with the victim for fear of becoming victims

themselves;

 Fear reporting bullying incidents;

 Experience feelings of guilt and helplessness for not standing up to the bully
on behalf of their classmate;

 Be drawn into bullying behaviour by group pressure;

 Feel unsafe, unable to take action; (12)

Youth who are bullied often feel even more alone because there are witnesses
who do nothing. When no one intervenes, the person being targeted may feel that
bystanders do not care or they agree with what is happening.

Each side have their reason why they picked their role. Often it is not a choice.
 4. Effects of bullying
This chapter discusses how bullying can affect all three sides – victim, bully and
bystander.

Bullying can have negative short and long-term consequences for both the victim
and the bully. The impacts of bullying are often psychological and behavioural, but they may
also be physical. While traditional intervention for bullying tends to include getting help for
the victim and establishing consequences for the bully, both the victim and the bully benefit
from psychosocial support. (13)

4.1. Effects on Victim

The experience of bullying can cause lasting damage to victims. This is supported
by an increasing material of research. As different forms of bullying exist, it is not necessary
to be physically attacked in order to get lasting damage. Words and gestures are enough:
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never harm me" saying but in
backwards meaning. Physical damage can be healed fast but mental damage not so much. It
can last a long time, may even entire life. Words can hurt victim’s personality, their self-
identity. That is more important. (15)

Victim can experience these problems in short term:

 Anger;

 Depression;

 Anxious avoidance of settings in which bullying may occur;

 Greater incidence of illness;

 Lower grades;

 Suicidal thoughts and feelings.

In long term:

 Desire for revenge;

 Difficulty trusting people;

  Interpersonal difficulties, including fear and avoidance of new social
situations;

 Increased tendency to be a loner;

 Perception of self as easy to victimize, overly sensitive;

 Self-esteem problems;

 Increased incidence of continued bullying and victimization. (15)

Many victims of bullying are feeling guilty that they were bullied. They believe that
it’s their fault or if they had been a bit braver it wouldn’t have happened.

However, not thinking about many negative effects of bullying, Helene Guldberg,
associate lecturer in child development at the Open University suggests that “bullying can
help students to learn how to manage disputes and boost their ability to interact with others”.
She said that the "obsession" with bullying among teachers and politicians was depriving
children of the "experiences they need to develop". (16)

4.2. Effects on bully

Bullies can experience increased negative outcomes. They are more likely:

 To get in trouble with the law;

 To abuse alcohol, drugs;

 To have depression, anxiety;

 Be abusive in relationships;

 To have children that become bullies;

 To leave school early.

Some students bully for a short time and then they start to understand that bullying is
wrong and change their behaviour. Some still keep doing so over many years. (18)

4.3. Effect on bystanders

Bystander watching another person being bullied can have a huge impact. Most
people are bothered when they see someone insulted or injured.
 Bystanders to bullying can be affected by what is known as the bystander effect,
which happens when a group of people watch a bullying incident and no one responds.
During a bullying incident, if there is only one witness, that one person is likely to help the
victim. But in a group of three or more people, no one person feels like it is their
responsibility to take action. So as a group, they are less likely to step forward and help the
victim. (20)

Bystander can experience:

 Uncertainty;

 Fear;

 Guilt;

 Avoiding of conflict;

 Anxiety.

There are many, many unexpected routes how damage of bullying can develop in the
future. It can be short term; it can be long term.
 5. Bullying Prevention
This chapter discusses multiple ways how to prevent bullying from happening.

Approximately 32 percent of students report being bullied at school. Bullied students

are more likely to take a weapon to school, get involved in physical fights, and suffer from
anxiety and depression, health problems, and mental health problems. They suffer
academically (especially high-achieving black and Latino students). And research suggests
that schools where students report a more severe bullying climate score worse on
standardized assessments than schools with a better climate.

This is all common sense to educators. They have known for decades that students
need to be in safe, supportive learning environments to thrive. And the vast majority care
deeply about keeping children safe. But especially given that commitment to student safety,
why do so many children experience bullying?

In Principal magazine, elementary principal, now retired, James Dillon writes that in
bullying prevention trainings, he asks participants to choose the one group they believe is
most responsible for addressing school violence and bullying: parents, students, school, or
community. Inevitably, he gets a wide variety of responses. He suggests perhaps bullying
problems are not addressed because "people think bullying prevention is someone else's
responsibility."

A large-scale study by the NEA and Johns Hopkins University that examined school
staff's perspectives on bullying and bullying prevention somewhat refutes that hypothesis,
finding 98 percent of participants (all teachers and education support professionals) thought it
was "their job" to intervene when they witnessed bullying. But just 54 percent received
training on their district's bullying prevention policy.

Without such training, some of Dillon's other suggestions as to why bullying is so

prevalent -- that adults don't recognize some behaviours as bullying and that bullying is often
ineffectually addressed using the traditional discipline system of applying punishment to a
perpetrator -- make sense. So whom should we blame for the state of bullying?

As Dillon puts it, "The reality is that no one is to blame, yet everyone is
responsible." We all can work to prevent bullying, be it on a school- or classroom-wide basis,
or even at home. (21)
 5.1. Five Tips to Help Principals Prevent Bullying

According to Dillon, effectively addressing a bullying problem requires a culture

change. A true culture change takes time, but a few key steps to help principals get started:

 Practice What You Preach - Don't use your status as the school leader as the
lever for change; instead, "listen before talking and reflect before acting" to
ensure your staff feel valued (this is backed up by the NEA survey, which
found an important predictor of adult willingness to intervene in bullying
was their "connectedness" to the school, defined as their belief they are
valued as individuals and professionals in the learning process).

 Assess the Extent of the Problem - Survey students, staff and parents to find
out how much and what type of bullying is going, as well as where and
when, to target prevention efforts.

 Develop a School-wide Code of Conduct - that reinforces school values and

clearly defines unacceptable behaviour and consequences. Empower
bystanders -- teachers and especially students -- to help enforce it by training
them to identify and respond to inappropriate behaviour.

 Increase Adult Supervision - Most bullying happens when adults are not
present, so make sure they are "visible and vigilant" in hallways, stairwells,
cafeterias and locker rooms, as well as on buses and the way to and from
school for students who walk.

 Conduct Bullying Prevention Activities - such as all-school assemblies,

communications campaigns or creative arts contests highlighting school
values to bring the community together and reinforce the message that
bullying is wrong.

(These tips were adapted from articles by James Dillon from Principal magazine,
Sept/Oct 2010 and Ted Feinberg from Principal Leadership, Sept. 2003.) (21)

5.2 Five Tips to Help Teachers Prevent Bullying

Even when a school leader doesn't have a formal bullying prevention agenda,
teachers can create safe, bully-free zones in their classrooms:
  Know Your School and District Policies on Bullying - Do your part to
implement them effectively.

 Treat Students and Others with Warmth and Respect - Let students know that
you are available to listen and help them.

 Conduct Classroom Activities around Bullying - Help your class identify

bullying in books, TV shows and movies, and discuss the impact of that
bullying and how it was/could be resolved. Hold class meetings in which
students can talk about bullying and peer relations.

 Discuss Bullying with Colleagues - As a group, you will be better able to

monitor the school environment. Discuss both bullying in general and
concerns regarding specific students.

 Take Immediate Action Failure - to act provides tacit approval of the

behaviour and can cause it to spread.

(These tips were adapted from NEA's Bully Free: It Starts With Me and AFT's See
A Bully, Stop A Bully campaign resources.) (21)

5.3 Five Tips to Help Parents Prevent Bullying

Parents and guardians are among a school's best allies in bullying prevention:

 Talk with and Listen to Your Children Everyday - Ask questions about their
school day, including experiences on the way to and from school, lunch, and
recess. Ask about their peers. Children who feel comfortable talking to their
parents about these matters before they are involved in bullying are more
likely to get them involved after.

 Spend time at School and Recess - Schools can lack the resources to provide
all students individualized attention during "free" time like recess.
Volunteer to coordinate games and activities that encourage children to
interact with peers aside from their best friends.

 Be a Good Example - When you get angry at waiters, other drivers or others,
model effective communication techniques. As Education.com puts it, "Any
 time you speak to another person in a mean or abusive way, you're teaching
your child that bullying is ok."

 Create Healthy Anti-Bullying Habits - Starting as young as possible, coach

your children on both what not to do (push, tease, and be mean to others) as
well as what to do (be kind, empathize, and take turns). Also coach your
child on what to do if someone is mean to him or to another (get an adult, tell
the bully to stop, walk away and ignore the bully).

 Make Sure Your Child Understands Bullying - Explicitly explain what it is

and that it's not normal or tolerable for them to bully, be bullied, or stand by
and watch other kids be bullied.

(These tips were adapted from materials by the National PTA and Education.com.)
(21)

Teachers or parents should teach children that bullying is not normal as soon as
possible. They should know that bullying can hurt other person very badly.
 6. Questionnaire
This part of the research paper aims to show experience of young students with
bullying. The case study had taken place in Jekabpils secondary school Nr.2 among 5th, 6th
and 8th grades students with the aim of figuring out what is their attitude to bullying, their
experiences with it and what they think about it.

6.1 The Analysis of the Questionnaire.

25 students were asked to complete questionnaire that consisted of ten question.

Some of them had some options to choose from, some required to write your own opinion
(Appendix 1).

25
21
20

15

10

5
2 2

0
Yes No A bit

Figure nr.1. Students’ answers on question “Have you heard of the

term “Bullying”?”

In the beginning of the questionnaire respondents were asked if they ever heard of
bullying. As the chart shows, the majority (21) indeed have heard of it. Only 2 respondents
answered no and 2 answered a bit.
 25
22

20

15

10

5 3

0
Yes No

Figure nr.2. Students’ answers on question “Do you know the definition of the term
“Bullying”?”

The second question was asked in order to find out if the students actually know the
definition of bullying. Again, majority (22) responded yes, while only 3 respondents don’t
know the definition.

1615

14

12
10
10

2
0
0
YesNoOther
Figure nr.3. Students’ answers on question “Have you ever witnessed bullying?”

The third question was asked about if they ever had witnessed bullying themselves.
Unfortunately, 15 respondents answered yes, while only 10 responded no.
 14 13

12

10 9

4 3

0
Yes No A bit

Figure nr.4. Students’ answers on question “Do you think bullying is an actual
problem in your school or class?”

The fourth question was asked in order to learn about how common is bullying in
their class or school, and, sadly, according to chart. 9 respondents chose yes, it is a problem,
12 chose that it is a bit of a problem and only 3 chose no.

12 11 11

10

4
3

0
Yes No Other

Figure nr.5. Students’ answers on question “Have you ever been a victim of
bullying?”

The fifth question was asked in order to find out how many of the respondents
themselves were victims of bullying. Half (11) responded yes, they were bullied, other half
(11) responded no and only 3 respondents chose other.
 After that question the students were asked if they have told anyone about them
being bullied. As chart below shows, most of them (13) have told others. 10 respondents have
not and 2 chose other.

14 13

12
10
10

4
2
2

0
Yes No Other

Figure nr.6. Students’ answers on question “If yes, have you told anyone about it?”

14
12
12
10
10

4 3

0
For a reason For no reason Other

Figure nr.7. Students’ answers on question “What are the reasons of bullying, in
your opinion?”

The seventh question was asked in order to find out if students think that there may
be or may not be a reason for bullying. 12 respondents answered that there is a reason for
bullying, 10 think that there is no reason and 3 chose other.
 12
10
10
8
8 7

Yes No Other

Figure nr.8. Students’ answers on question “Do you just observe when someone
gets bullied or take action?”

The eighth question was asked to find out if students take action if bullying is
happening or they just observe it. 10 respondents answered yes, they observe, 8 take action
and 5 chose other.

25

20
20

15

10

5 3
2

0
Yes No Other

Figure nr.9. Students answers on question “Have you ever bullied someone?”

The ninth question was asked in order to find out if any of the respondents ever
bullied someone. Only two respondents answered yes. Majority (20) responded no, and 3
chose other.
 7
6 6
6
5
5
4
4

2
1 1 1 1
1

0
Educate Be more Don't payAsk for helpCan't beDifficult toTell to stopBe easier on
friendly attentiondecreasedanswerdisadvantages

Figure nr.10. Students’ answers on question “How, in your opinion, bullying can be
decreased?”

The last question was asked in order to learn about students’ opinions and ideas.
Interestingly, they all turned out different. For example, one student wrote that bullying can’t
be decreased because it is human “nature” to bully. Others wrote that people need to be more
friendly. Some wrote that they tell bullies that you should not do it, some that people need to
talk with children about bullying. Some think that you should not pay attention to bullies or
you need to distract them. The most common answers was that people need to be more
friendly with each other or just to not pay attention to bullies.

6.2 Results of the Questionnaire

The results lead to conclusion that bullying is actually prevalent, since 11

respondents out of 23 answered that they were bullied. Besides, 15 out of 25 responded that
they have had witnessed bullying before. Not only that, but also only 2 respondents out of 25
think that bullying is not a problem.

Majority of the students also think that there is a reason for bullying, rather than
none. Considering how many respondents wrote that they know the definition, this may be a
valid explanation. Still, 9 students think that there are no reasons for bullying.

Also, the results show that 8 respondents just observe when bullying is happening
and 7 take action.
 All of this supports the idea that bullying is widespread and something has to be
done. For example, most of respondents suggested that people need to be more friendly with
each other.
 Conclusions
The goal and tasks of this research paper are reached. Bullying is definitely a
complex problem.

It is a repeated action that might hurt physically or mentally. It has many forms –
physical, verbal, relational, cyber. Verbal, for example, affects the person directly, but
relational – through some actions that person can even not notice.

It is widespread because it can happen anywhere, anytime. Any human interaction is

enough.

The nature of bullies some people explain easily – they just want to feel power over
others. But in reality, it is often not like this. They might have a mental disorder like anxiety
or depression; they may have experienced an event that traumatised them. They might have
been bullied too, so they want to do the same to become immune to it.

And there are many unexpected routes how damage of bullying can develop in the
future. It can be short term; it can be long term.

Teachers and especially parents should prevent bullying if they can to do so. They
should teach that bullying can hurt other person and that it’s not normal.

The results of questionnaire support the idea that bullying is widespread. According
to 6th and 8th grades answers, bullying is prevalent.

Again, bullying is a problem that should not be treated lightly. Some think that
people just overreact, but it is important to remember that every person is different and that
not everyone can withstand bullying.
 APPENDIX
Appendix 1

Questionnaire
Hello, I am writing my research paper on topic “Bullying” and I would like to ask you some
questions about it. Please take your time answering.
1. Have you ever heard of the term “Bullying”?
a) Yes
b) No
c) A bit
2. Do you know the meaning of the term “Bullying”?

3. Have you ever witnessed bullying?

a) Yes
b) No
4. Do you think bullying is an actual problem in your school or class?
a) Yes
b) No
c) A bit
5. Have you ever been a victim of bullying?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Other:
5.1. If yes, have you told anyone about it?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Other:
6. What are the reasons for bullying, in your opinion?
a) For a reason
b) For no reason
c) Other:
7. Do you just observe when someone gets bullied or take action?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Other:
8. Have you ever bullied someone?
a) Yes
b) No
 c) Other:
9) How, in your opinion, bullying can be decreased?

Thank you for your time!

 Sources
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