AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

TEACHER MADE
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL IN
Inquiries, Investigations &
Immersion (Research Project)
(Qualitative Method)

Writer:
ELSA A. LAQUINDANUM
Master Teacher I San Isidro HS (Bacolor)
Reviewers: Chapter 1
Sheila Marie Ann M. Galura – Teacher II
Ellaine D. Gososo - Teacher II

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction (Trends, Issues, Objective, and Contributions)

Bullying is a widespread social phenomenon. It is also typically defined as

“harassing, offending socially excluding someone, negatively affecting someone’s work

task. It is a concern in the society that affects mostly the adolescents. Bullying is

characterized by repeated behavior with the intension to harm the victim, and an

imbalance in power between the bullies and their victims, making it difficult for the

victims to defend themselves. It may be direct or indirect aggression; it may be verbal,

physical or emotional.

Although evidence correlating incidences of bullying is present, there is still a

need for search on how to work with the incidences knowing this could be a big issue in

the development of child’s quality of life.

The question of asking if the world a safe place or is it full of uncontrollable

events and things happen to wait. Erikson's first psychosocial crisis happens during the

first year or so of life the crisis is one of trust vs. mistrust. In the present stage, the infant

is uncertain about the world in which they live. To give solutions to these experiences of

uncertainty the infant feels the first person who can give them comfort for stable and

consistent care.

Statement of the Problem (2 to 4 problems that can be broken to subproblems when

making the guide questions)

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

This study aimed to find out the possible cause of bullying from among the

elementary pupil offenders. This further determined the preoccupation of the offenders

more specifically it sought to answer the following.

1. What are the reasons why offenders resort to bullying?

2. What are the experiences that the offenders encountered in dealing with

peers?

Significance of the Study

The study has valuable importance in analyzing the reasons _________________.

The data that were gathered will benefit the following significant person involved:

Administrators.

Teachers.

Guidance Counselor.

Learners.

Parents.

Future Researcher.

Scope and Delimitation

This study focused on the ____________________________________.

Definition of Terms

Bullying.

Guidance Counselor.

Offenders.

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

Acronym

PBO

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED

Studies with relation to your study ideally 15 years old but not older, preferably

with international and national scope.

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

CHAPTER 3

METHOD

This chapter presents the research design, participants of the study, instrument,

data generation, data gathering procedure and data analysis which shall be utilize in this

study.

Research Design

A qualitative research method, utilizing phenomenology was applied to

investigate the experiences of grade 6 pupils in dealing with what went through their

escapades in bullying. Qualitative research seeks to provide understanding of human

experience, perceptions, motivation, intention and behaviors based on the description and

observation in utilizing a naturalistic interpretative approach to a subject and its

contextual setting (Encyclopedia.com, 2009). Furthermore, this gives an in-depth

understanding of the social world of the participants by learning about their social and

material circumstances which include their experiences, perspective and histories (Ritchie

& Lewis 2003).

The phenomenological approach, on the other hand is based on the paradigm of

personal knowledge and subjectivity, and emphasizes the significance of personal

perspective and interpretation. It is powerful for understanding the experience, gaining

insights into people’s motivations and actions, and cutting through the clutter of taken-

for-granted assumptions and conventional wisdom (Lester, 1999). Ary, Jacobs and

Resavich (cited in Rivera, 2011) articulated that: it is a philosophy of research that

focuses on understanding the meaning events have for people in particular situations.

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

Phenomenology is design to gain an understanding how participants experience and give

meaning to an event concept or phenomenon.

Participants

According to Merriam (2002), the group of participants in qualitative research is

usually small, non-random and purposeful. A specific sample is selected to provide or

yield the most information about a phenomenon of interest. The sampling for this study

will be purposive. Creswell and Plano Clark (2007) wrote that in purposeful sampling,

the researcher intentionally select participants who have experience with the central

phenomenon or the key concept being studied. Thus, this study focused on the ten

intermediate pupils that were selected by the researcher based on the criteria: (1) Pupils

who have been reported to the school guidance counsellor for a number of offenses.

Table 1 shows the participants in this study.

Table 1
Frequency and Percentage of the Participants

Grade Level Key Point Frequency Percentage

IV PBO1, PBO2 2 20%
V PBO3, PBO4, PBO5 3 30%
VI PBO6, PBO7, PBO8, 5 50%
PBO9, PBO10
Total 10 100%

The Participants

Hoffman and Riem (cited in Usman, 2011, p.4) held forth that “a sample is

selected on purpose to gather the most information about the phenomenon or field of

interest under study”. The researcher believes that twelve participants will be adequate to

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

provide the necessary data since Boyd (cited in Groewald, 2004) regards 2 to 10

participants or research subjects as sufficient to reach saturation for a phenomenological

study.

Instrument

The unstructured interview was used as an instrument. The researcher looked one

of the major qualitative instruments in this type of research, as he/she is a large part of a

progress. A question developed by the researcher was asked before the study began, as

the aim of the qualitative research is to get a personal look at the subject, or subject being

studied.

Data Collection

The researcher obtained the permission of the school head to conduct interviews

with the participants. The researcher asked the guidance counselor about the different

cases of bullying occurred in that school. In order to ensure ethical consideration, the

researcher asked the consent of each participant and informed them of the confidentiality

of the study, the responses will be secured.

The interviews were scheduled at a given time and venue to be decided by the

participants. The deeper way interviews to a certain kind of conversation between the

researcher and the interviewee that required active questioning and listening. The

interview was used as a good way of accessing participants’ experiences on bullying.

Ethical Considerations

The researcher observed ethical consideration during the entire research period.

Ethical rules observed are as follows: The researcher explained about confidentiality of

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

the study; the researcher respected the participants’ decisions and views during the

interview. Also, all the information remained confidential throughout the study. To

ensure the confidentiality and to protect each participants’ images during the interview

was blur using a software application.

Data Analysis

Qualitative data analysis was based on an interpretative data. The researcher used

this process to make sense of or explain the data collected during the research process.

Richards (2009) upheld that suitable data analysis requires one to stay close to his data

and interpret it from a position of empathic understanding. It is imperative that there

should be a preliminary understanding of the meaning of the research data when the data

analysis stage was reached. Thus, during this stage, engagement and absorption of all the

material was completed.

Data analysis in this study commenced with the researcher carefully reading the

transcribed data line by line. Data were divided into meaningful analytical units. Key

point coding was used to apply key terms through the detailed examination of passages of

text. Codes to be assigned for key points were in the form of words or phrases (Usman,

2011).

Coding involves going through the data for themes, ideas and categories and then

marking similar passages of text with a code label so that they can easily be retrieved at a

later stage for comparison and analysis (Gibbs & Taylor, cited in Nicdao, 2015). Codes

with commonalities were grouped into concepts since they share certain qualities that

signify a pattern.

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

Themes or categories was formed from similar concepts. The constant

comparative method, which involves repeatedly comparing one unit of data with another

(Merriam, 2002), be used to create themes. De Santis and Ugarriza (cited in Saldaña,

2009) proposed that a theme is an intangible unit that brings meaning and identity to an

experience which is repeatedly manifested. The function of a theme is to categorize a set

of data into a subject that covers a group of repeating ideas (Auerbach & Silverstein,

2003).

To illustrate the flow in which this study was conceptualized, the emergent

themes or categories and their relationships were presented in a figure. In qualitative

research, categories are drawn diagrammatically to show their connections (Allan, cited

in Usman, 2011). Finally, conclusions and recommendations were developed based on

the findings.

Figure 1 presents the data analysis process which shall be applied in this study.

Using key point The researcher

The researcher
coding the will group
will transcribe the
Gathering of researcher will codes with
data line by line
apply key terms commonalities
Data and then divide the
to each to form them
data into
analytical unit. into concepts.
meaningful
analytical units.

Illustration of the The researcher

data will be will create
Established the
presented by the categories from
Participants researcher by similar concepts.
presenting the
themes in a figure

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

The Concepts/Theories

Figure 1. Data Analysis Process

CHAPTER IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

This chapter presents, analyzes and interpret the responses of the participants

relatively to the different reasons of offenders in bullying. It includes their different

experiences that trigger them to bully.

The following tables below show some part of the responses of the participants regarding

their different reasons behind bullying.

The objective is to identify why pupil resort to bullying.

Table 2

Key point Coding of PBO1

Inductive
ID Participant Responses Categories
PBO1 Minsan mapanginis ako sometimes bully

Napapasama ako sa masama peer influence

Barkada kaya natutunan ko ang pagiging bully influence by peer

Inuutusan ako ng mga kasama kong bata commanded by peer

Sasabihin niya ililibre niya ko gives me a treat

Hindi niya naman ako ililibre kaya binubully ko did not treat me

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

Minsan pikon ako sa laro easily angered by jokes

Kapag magkaaway ang magulang ko parental conflict

Dahil inaaway ng mama niya ang mama ko argue with my mom

In Table 2, Pupil bullying offender 1 (PBO1) stated his reason for bullying.

Accordingly, the choice of friends plays a big role in bullying. In growth and

development people that surrounds the child will always give a big impact in his/her life.

People at young age tend to imitate what they see in order for them to feel belong to a

group. When he was asked by the researcher on what might be the reason why child like

him tend to bully, he bowed his head in shame and hesitant to answer, after a while he

said in a voice, “I was enjoined by my friends that why I learned how to bully”. He even

added that most of the time he bullied due to a command coming from his friends. The

reason of being easily angered by jokes gives him also the reason to bully others. Child

by nature is a great imitator. He tends to imitate what he sees. It is also by nature that if

you have seen your parents being offended by someone, the instinct of fighting for them

is always be your first move. Pupil bullying offender 1 stated in an angry voice that

“sometimes when my mom argues with my friend’s mom, I bully my friend”, this

statement shows how parental conflict from others plays a big impact in a child’s

development. It resorts a child to bully. The participant is kind but by the above factors

that were mentioned provokes him to bully.

Table 3

Key point Coding of PBO2

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

Inductive
ID Participant Responses Categories
PBO2 May problema sila sa pamilya family problem
Napapasama lead to astray
Masamang barkada wrong group
_______________________________________________________________________

Behind every child’s thoughts lies an experience that sometimes they don’t have

the courage to share. Pupil Bullying Offender 2 indirectly stated his reason why he thinks

pupil or student would resort to bullying “Maybe child bully because they have problems

in the family” this indirect statement gave the researcher the idea of what might be

happening at home. The researchers’ co teacher ones told him that there are children who

are not vocal on their experiences. They try to keep it by themselves. Due to lack of

confidence to share it to others pupil end to do things which are unnecessary in order to

cope up with his environment and find for a way in which he can feel secured and

accompanied. The participant of this study also stated that pupil become offender due to a

wrong choice of group “sometimes I am lead to join a wrong group” – as he stated. As

the saying goes “tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are” explaining

last statement of a child that he turned to become a bullying offender due to the group of

friends that he has that made a big contribution in his attitude’s development. That the

choice of peers influences him to be what he is today – a bullying offender. Family

problems and the wrong choice of peers/group matters why he was described now based

on the behavioral component of his attitude on how he acts towards the people he gets

along with.

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Table 12

Deduction Concept

Code ID
Influence by peer PBO1, PBO2, PBO3
Family Problem PBO1, PBO2, PBO3
Get easily upset PBO1, PBO4, PBO7
They bully me PBO4, PBO7, PBO8
Lead to astray PBO2, PBO3, PBO7
I am unhappy PBO3, PBO10
Revenge PBO4, PBO5, PBO6
Looking for belongingness PBO4, PBO5
They humiliate me PBO4, PBO7
Feeling envy PBO3
Bullying others PBO3, PBO4, PBO6
Jealousy PBO3
________________________________________________________________________
Table 12 presents the result of the deduction concept. The codes drawn based on

the gathered data on issue on, why offender resort to bullying are the following: Influence

by peer, Pupil Bullying Offender (PBO) 1, 2, and 3. According to them, the reason they

tend to bully most of the time was due to the influence of peers. Through their peers they

learned to bully. Three out of ten of the responses stressed that peer influence serves as

one of the reason why offender resort to bullying. Problems in the family play also a big

impact why pupil resorts to be an offender. It is said that family is the basic unit of the

society and it is where guidance to our children start. Based on the result and responses

given by the participants of this study, problems in the family made the offenders to what

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

they are today. The parental conflict, and the different attitudes they see at home and the

different problems in the family were provocative factors that leads the child to be an

offender.

Some family problems encountered by the offender which longing for a family

care lead offender to look for belongingness. During the follow up interview made by the

researcher he found out that the search for parental care was substituted by grandparents.

The feeling of envy and jealous serve as factor as well why offender resort to bullying.

The incidences of not having one when others have all what they want provoke them to

bully someone. This was an encouraging result for future researcher and for the readers to

have an interest to study the behavior of the child before reprimanding them. People are

going through different problems in which they need someone to understand, and so

much more our children, that if not, these problems will always be the major reasons why

a child resort to become a bullying offender.

The result of the deduction concept give emphasis on the different Saga of the

offenders and give the researcher a clear understanding on the different reasons why

offenders resort to bullying, that these certain issues or result give also the researcher an

in-depth understanding to understand the comings of these marked bullying offender

pupils and made a clear view on the different concept on what made the Pupil Bullying

Offenders in the present time.

Table 13

Conceptualization and Theorizing

Similar Concept Emerging Theory Theory
Influence by peer One of the reason why offender
Lead to astray Peer pressure resort to bullying is due to peer

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Looking for belongingness pressure and such peer pressures are

brought about by the influences of
peer, the search for belongingness,
and leading to astray.
Get easily upset
They humiliate me
Feeling envy Provocation leads to bullying;
Provocation is described as
Provocation getting easily upset, humiliated,
They bully me enviousness and jealousy.
Bullying others

Table 13 (continued)
Similar Concept Emerging Theory Theory

Parental conflict family problem and this family

Argue with my mom Problems in the family
roots to parental conflict, parents’
I see likewise at home argument, and what child sees at
home is another contributing factor.
________________________________________________________________________
One of the reasons why offender resort to bullying is due to peer pressure brought

about by the influences of peer, the choice of group they have as a child seem to have a

big influenced to them whether this will be of good or bad influence, the kind of friends

they get along with lead them astray that lead them to go off the right path or away from

what is right and desirable that due to choice of peers they tend to do it even with their

knowledge that they are on a wrong direction, their experience of being bullied by others

made them to look for belongingness that later result to child becoming an offender. The

search for a companion or a group in which a child feel the belongingness give him the

idea to join any group that will accept him and feel that he is not isolated.

Provocation, on the other hand, triggers when “when is enough, really enough?”

every individual has their own limits and in return when being provoke will take revenge

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

in form of bullying. The one feels humiliated by others due to their physical attributes or

appearance that no one would like to feel humiliated by others believing that we all have

the equal rights and no one have the rights to judge others, the feeling of envy due to

seeing that their classmates have the things they can’t have lead them to be jealous that in

return that in order for a child not to show his real feeling and show them that he/she is

strong enough despite of the scarcity of school materials that a child must have then,

child tend to bully just to show that he do not care at all.

Problems in the family, includes parents’ argument somehow give the child the

feeling of thinking that there is something wrong with their family and more of trying to

imitate arguments to others because this is what they see at home, and what they see at

home are the reasons of the participants why they bully. Family is said to be the basic

unit of the society and where the very best foundation of a child must start. According to

the Center for Family Change, common family problems include communication

breakdown lack of discipline, lack of respect, parenting concern, frequent arguments, and

triggers problem within a family. These problems of the family lead pupils to become a

bullying offender.

Influence by
peer
Lead to astray
Looking for
belongingness
Getting easily upset Parental conflict
The Saga of an
They feel humiliated
Offender Parents’ arguments
SAN Feeling
ISIDROenvyHIGH SCHOOL (BACOLOR) Things child sees at
Bullying others home
AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

Figure 2. Theoretical Framework

The diagram illustrated the different reasons why offender resorts to bullying. The

three sides of the triangle represented the three concepts in the study. The first arrow is

peer pressure, this influenced by peer, lead to astray, and looking for belongingness sum

up the first concept. The second arrow is provocation which means getting easily upset,

humiliated, feeling envy and jealousy are reasons why offender is provoked. Lastly the

third arrow represents the problems in the family that reveal parental conflict, parents’

arguments and what they see at home are reason.

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

Chapter 4
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents the summary of findings, conclusions drawn from it and

the recommendations formulated by the researchers about the findings of the study.

Summary of Findings

After a careful analysis on the results and discussion, the following findings were

hereby drawn.

1. The offenders are led to by influence by peer, lead to astray, and look for

belongingness are considered as a result of peer pressure.

2. That provocation is another caused that lead to being offender, caused by getting

easily upset, being humiliated, the feeling of enviousness and they bully others

were similar concepts drawn in the study.

3. Family Problems such as parental conflict, parents’ argument, and what they see

at home have impact on the offenders to cause trouble that led to become

offender.

Conclusion

Based on the findings; the conclusion is hereby inferred.

The study concludes that offenders cause to create troubles due to

1. peer pressure,

2. provocation, and

3. problems of the family.

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

Recommendations

Based on the summary and findings, and conclusion drawn, the following

recommendations are hereby presented.

1. The school may put up an organization for the recorded bullying offenders to give

them different activities that will divert them from being offenders.

2. The teacher may strengthen the teaching of values in the ESP (Edukasyon sa

Pagpapakatao) subject and invite a catechist to teach catechism and values

formation.

3. The teacher must have a regular consultation to parents through a portfolio to

inform the parents about what are the daily activities of the child and to monitor

their behavior.

References:

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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON BULLYING

Development Team of the Module

Writer: ELSA A. LAQUINDANUM – Master Teacher I San Isidro HS (Bacolor)

Reviewer: SHEILA MARIE ANN M. GALURA – T-II San Isidro HS (Bacolor)
ELLAINE D. GOSOSO – T-II San Isidro HS (Bacolor)

Management Team

EDWIN Q. DIZON – Principal II, SIHS (Bacolor)

ROGELENE P. VERGARA – SHS Focal Person, SIHS (Bacolor)

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