We Are Still Human: Lived Experiences of Verbally

Bullied Learners in GAS 12

Sentinellar Airah Robelyn M.

Lopez, Precious

Ferrer, Ejie

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ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..1

Chapter 1.....................................................................................................................................................4
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY.....................................................................................................................4
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY......................................................................................................................6
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY..............................................................................................................................7
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM....................................................................................................................8
BENEFITS AND BENEFICIARIES.....................................................................................................................8
SCOPE AND DELIMITATION..........................................................................................................................9
DEFINITION OF TERMS...............................................................................................................................10
Chapter 2...................................................................................................................................................11
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE.............................................................................................................11
Chapter 3...................................................................................................................................................15
METHODOLOGY.........................................................................................................................................15
RESEARCH DESIGN.....................................................................................................................................16
SOURCE OF DATA.......................................................................................................................................17
INSTRUMENTATION AND DATA COLLECTION............................................................................................18
In-depth Interview.....................................................................................................................................18
Administer- Research Instrument..............................................................................................................19
TOOLS FOR DATA ANALYSIS.......................................................................................................................20

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 Chapter 1

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BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Verbal bullying to learners has become one of the concerns of this generation.

Nowadays, many people, especially young people, have experienced some form of

verbal bullying. It usually happens in school. Many learners received verbal abuse from

their peers, classmates, schoolmates, and other people on a global scale, including

insults, name-calling, mocking, and other forms of verbal abuse. Verbal bullying is one

of the reasons why countless students were having depression, anxiety, and other

problems because this was affecting them emotionally and psychologically.

Verbal bullying appeared to be statistically significant compared with other forms

of bullying, and females were most likely to be the victims of it. According to Ruwayda

Jacobs (2006), the experience of verbal bullying at school may cause a female

adolescent much distress. This distress can result in the adolescent experiencing life as

traumatic and may negatively influence her sense of well-being. Verbal bullying usually

takes the form of name-calling, put-downs, and insults. This can be very traumatic for

adolescents and can lower their self-esteem, which may eventually lead to mental

illness.

The victims of verbal harassment experience significant effects on their academic

performance. According to Billa and Shahria (2016), verbal bullying is regarded as a

severe issue in academic settings all around the world. They discovered that verbal

abuse had a detrimental effect on academic achievement. Bullying had a greater impact

on females than on males.

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 Verbal bullying is the most common type of bullying in schools, communities, or

other countries. It is a problem that affects all students, whether they are bullies or

victims. Jovan Daljevic (2014) asserts that words have more power than we can ever

comprehend. Some claim that bullying that occurs verbally is much better than bullying

that occurs physically because it leaves no physical scars and no one is aware that the

targeted individual is being bullied. However, they are also conscious of the fact that this

form of bullying makes the victim feel alone, unwell, hopeless, depressed, and afraid.

The witnesses experience dread and anxiety because of this kind of bullying. Verbal

bullying may cause someone to start doubting their own talents. Because they were

demoralized and worried that they wouldn’t be able to live up to expectations and

succeed, they might be reluctant to take on new challenges.

Alison (2016) stated that verbal bullying is considered a global problem that

affects the emotional, social, and physical well-being of school-age students worldwide.

That is why bullying was difficult to stop and eliminate in schools because it was used

by students. Thus, the objective of this study is to look for the gaps that this research

will explore. And, to deliver more information towards this problem in verbal bullying.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

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 This study aims to spread awareness for those learners who are experiencing

verbal bullying, considering that it is one of the most widespread phenomena. The more

learners are aware of the impacts and effects of verbal bullying on other people’s lives,

the more they will prevent themselves from doing this to others. Furthermore, the

learners’ lived experiences that they will share can be a motivation for other learners

who are still experiencing verbal bullying, and the results of this study will be able to

stop this kind of bullying in the students. This study will guide the learners of Salapingao

National High School on what they should do to prevent the spread of verbal bullying.

For the researcher, the study will help them to learn from the other learners’

experiences and to explore more about the issue of verbal bullying in Salapingao

National High School.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Having examined the problem to be investigated in the study, it is necessary to

state the purpose of this study, which includes the following:

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 1. To find out the effects of verbal bullying on the academic performance of

learners in Salapingao National High School

2. To find out the impact of verbal bullying on students’ ways of communicating

and socializing with others

3. To make recommendations based on the lived experiences of learners on

ways to stop verbal bullying.

4. To spread awareness among the bullies’ learners about the impacts and

effects of verbal bullying on their fellow students.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Major problem: One of the forms of bullying is verbal bullying. According to the

researchers, verbal bullying is the most common type of bullying happening in schools.

In this problem, students usually get bullied verbally, which involves insults, threatening,

teasing, and calling names that are meant to degrade or ruin the victim.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What are the lived experiences of verbally bullied victims at Salapingao

National High School?

2. How do those experiences impact students’ ways of communicating and

socializing with others?

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 3. What were the students’ observation about the effects of verbal bullying on

their academic performance?

4. How did the verbally bullied learners overcome this challenge in their lives?

BENEFITS AND BENEFICIARIES

The beneficiaries of the research about the lived experiences of verbally bullied

learners in Salapingao National High School are:

• Students- the study will benefit the students by making them more aware of

the possible effects of bullying on others’ lives. The students may be able to

improve their knowledge about the importance of preventing verbal bullying,

and it will also improve their behaviors and attitudes towards others.

• Teachers- teachers will become more aware of the happenings in their

students, and they could also understand the behaviors of some of them. This

study will benefit the teachers by helping them improve their methods of

teaching and consider those learners who are experiencing verbal bullying.

• Salapingao National High School- This study will benefit our school by

letting them know what actions or solutions they need to take to solve this

problem. It can also improve the rules and regulations at Salapingao National

High School.

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 • Community- the study will benefit all young people in the community. It will

encourage community members to participate in the awareness campaign

against bullying.

• Future researchers- future researchers can use this study as a reference for

conducting their own research.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

This study aims to determine the different experiences of verbally bullied learners
among GAS 12 students in Salapingao National High School for the school year 2023-
2024, focusing on how verbal bullying affects their way of communicating and
socializing with others. Moreover, to identify the effects of verbal bullying on the
learner’s academic performance. The scope of the study is limited to only seven
respondents, and the researcher only conducted an interview with those willing to share
their experiences.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Bullying- refers to the actions of an individual where they point something out to their
victims.

Verbal bullying- a kind of bullying where the bullies verbally bully others or use word to
harm the people.

Victims- this involved people who suffer from bullying.

Bullies- the main reason behind bullying. The people who abuse or bully some of the
people around them.

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Insult- the act of saying something that is offensive or rude to someone by words.

Name-calling- the act of using unpleasant names to insult others.

Depression- one of the most common types of mental health condition and often
develops alongside anxiety.

Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter includes the ideas, finished thesis, generalizations, or conclusions

from similarly conducted studies about verbal bullying of students. Those that were

covered in this chapter aid in acquainting one with knowledge that is pertinent and

related to the current study.

These are the study publications that were previously published on verbal

bullying. These articles typically concentrate on the impacts of verbal bullying on

learners’ self-esteem, mental health, and academic achievement. Here, we list the

various repercussions of verbal bullying on learners.

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 For clarity, as defined by Berger (2007), Isernhagen & Harris (2018), and Wang

et al. (2012), “verbal bullying” is a form of intimidation that involves using words like

threatening, taunting, and calling people names with incorrect language to humiliate the

victims. Numerous studies have demonstrated that persons who are bullied, particularly

in schools, suffer from psychological and psychosocial disorders as well as worse

academic attainment. (Kibriya, Xu, & Zhang, 2015; Oliveira, de Menezes, Irffi, &

Oliveira, 2018; Ponzo, 2013). According to Chirila (2012), experiencing bullying

repeatedly over an extended period from timeframe outcomes to psychosocial effects

As said by Bhana (2015), According to Mayeza (2015), Reygan (2016), and Zuze

et al. (2016), the excessive levels of violence that children experience in their

communities are frequently reflected in the violence and bullying that is present in South

African schools.

A startlingly high percentage of students have admitted to being bullied (Brito &

Oliveira, 2013). Bullying is becoming more prevalent in schools (Koonce & Mayo, 2013).

Interparental violence experiences might cause students to have low self-esteem, feel

unhappy and worried, and be less forceful (Baldry, 2003). In comparison to peers who

had not been bullied, students who had experienced bullying frequently exhibited poorer

self-esteem and more depressive symptoms.

Several studies have said that the most common forms of bullying are physical

abuse and verbal abuse (Aulia, 2016). Bullying among students might result from

feelings of envy (Ahmed, Hussain, Ahmed, & Tabassum, 2015). Furthermore, bullying

was frequently caused by dominance (Jan & Hussain, 2015). Students who are bullied

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are more prone than students who are not to experience mental and emotional issues

(Gini & Pozzli, 2013).

Peer bullying is associated with increased risk of physical health problems, long-

term emotional behavioral and mental health problems, self-harm, suicide, and poorer

educational attainment (Mundbjerg, 2014). According to Bonell et al. (2014), bullying

has long-term impacts on students who are subjected to it early on. Bullies also risk

developing depression and anxiety in the future. Furthermore, José (2017) noted that

peer victimization is a major cause of anxiety, despair, and low self-esteem.

Bullyingstatistics.org (2019) states that verbal abuse can have a variety of

emotional and psychological effects, such as depression, low self-esteem or self-image,

cutting or self-harm, substance misuse (drinking and/or drug usage), and, in severe

cases, teen suicide.

Seslar (2022) asserts that verbal bullying has a significant impact on students’

mental health. Also, she mentioned that victims of bullying are more likely to experience

sadness, anxiety, and self-harm. She also stated that bullying victims also tend to

perform lower academically and are more likely to drop out of school, which has an

impact on their education. This may have a long-term effect on academic and

professional success.

According to Hurley’s (2018) research, bullying can have several short- and long-

term psychological effects on victims. She claims that the victims of verbal bullying

suffer from social isolation, feelings of humiliation, poor academic performance, low self-

esteem, and other short-term effects. The long-term effects include post-traumatic

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stress disorder, chronic depression, anxiety disorders, and an increased risk of suicidal

thoughts, plans, and attempts.

In the research study of Nadine (2014), she investigated the effects of verbal

bullying on students’ capacity for academic success. According to Nadine, bullied

students experience anxiety upon arriving at school because they believe they are in

danger. As a result, they are unable to focus, which has a detrimental effect on their

academic success. Mundbjerg et al. (2014) examined the connection between bullying

in elementary schools in Denmark. They discovered through bullying in the ninth grade

that students perform less well academically, and the effects are greater if the bullying is

more severe.

Bullying is regarded as a severe issue in academic settings all around the world,

according to Shahria et al. (2015). They discovered that bullying had a negative effect

on academic success. Like bullies, students who experience bullying may experience

comparable effects on their academic performance (Raqqad, Barini, & Talahin, 2017).

Al-Raqqad et al. (2017) evaluated a study that attempted to analyze the impact of

bullying on students’ academic development from the perspective of teachers.

According to the findings of a study conducted on pupils in Jordanian schools, both

bullies and the victims of their behavior influence children’s academic achievement.

Bullying tactics eventually deter pupils from wanting to go their academic performance

suffered significantly because of missing a lot of school. (Tiauzon and Malquisto, 2019;

Fernandez and Abocejo, 2014).

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 In her study, Michela Ponza (2013) explores the causes of bullying in schools

and how it affects student achievement. Italian kids in grades 4 and 8 participated in the

study, and the empirical findings show that bullying at school considerably affects a

student’s academic performance in both grade levels.

In the Philippines, Cythia (2014) examined the short- and long-term effects of

verbal bullying on students’ academic performance. According to her research, the

degree of bullying and academic performance has different relationships depending on

the student’s academic success.

According to the students in Region III of the Philippines, calling someone

names, saying hurtful things about them, and making fun of them were thought to be the

most frequent forms of bullying at their school (Sanapo, 2017). According to Laus

(2016), the most prevalent forms are direct verbal and relational of bullying in Cebu,

comparable to Sanapo’s (2017) research in the Western Visayas. While this was going

on, Tiauzon and Malquisto (2019) shown that cyberbullying was more common among

students in Leyte’s public secondary schools.

In conclusion, we have found that these articles are more focused on the effects

of verbal bullying on self-esteem, mental health, and academic performance of learners.

With, there’s a research gap on how the bullying occurred and the impact of verbal

bullying on students’ ways of communicating and socializing with others. And that is

what this study aims to explore.

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 Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter is focused on the explanation of the research methods and design

that the researcher used for this study in order to systematically answer the specific

problems for investigation. Particularly, the research design, sources of data,

instrumentation and data collection, and tools for data analysis that were used to

deepen the understanding of this study were explained in this chapter. The last part of

this chapter discussed the study’s research questions, and the selected respondents

provided the answers.

RESEARCH DESIGN

According to Wilson (2015), phenomenological research is a method with deep

philosophical roots that might occasionally be difficult for new researchers. But gaining

an understanding of these philosophical roots can improve and support the research

design. Understanding the variety of philosophical and empirical techniques to conduct

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one’s own study is a basic difficulty. The degree to which it is acknowledged that a

researcher can produce objective accounts of, or interpret, actual experience is

frequently what distinguishes such phenomenological approaches. The data in a

phenomenological research design is based on the observed respondents’ actual

experiences rather than being controlled or created by the researcher. This is used in

the qualitative research method.

For the study, the researchers employed phenomenological questionnaires and

the research method of interviews. A questionnaire is a tool used in research to gather

data. It consists of written questions and other prompts that participants fill out to

provide information. The other tool we had employed is an interview, which is a direct

face-to-face conversation with the respondents in which the researchers asked them to

answer prepared questions to gather data. To evaluate the results, the researchers

compiled all the information they have gathered and distill it.

SOURCE OF DATA

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The respondents to the study are the selected learners of senior high school at

Salapingao National High School.

Table 1. Number of Selected Respondents from Senior High School Students

Section Number

MALIKHAIN 4

MAAGAP 4

Total 8

The researchers in this study assessed data from various students using

comprehensive enumeration. A method of sampling where the researcher uses their

own discretion to select people from the population to take part in the study. The senior

high school students who were verbally bullied at Salapingao National High School

made up the responses.

INSTRUMENTATION AND DATA COLLECTION

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In-depth Interview
The researchers used interviews to determine the actual experiences of senior

high school students at Salapingao National High School who have been verbally

bullied. Researchers used the in-depth interview to gather information for the study. For

learners to freely share their lived experiences of verbal bullying, the researchers

included open-ended questions in their questionnaire. Researchers ensure that during

interviews, data is recorded and noted for analysis. Thematic analysis is used to

analyze the collected data from a focus group discussion, associating patterns, themes,

and classifications in the data.

Here are the guide questions for the study about the lived experiences of verbally

bullied learners among senior high school students at Salapingao National High School:

1. As a learner who has already experienced bullying, how will you define

bullying?

2. How can you say that you are already experiencing bullying?

3. How do you think verbal bullying occurred?

4. How do you think verbal bullying is harmful for students?

5. What are the effects of verbal bullying on your academic performance that

you have observed?

6. What are the changes in the way you communicate and socialize with others

that you noticed when you experienced verbal bullying?

7. Since this is verbal bullying, what are the words that you usually get from the

bullies?

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 8. Do you think these words did something good for you? How can you say so?

9. What did you do to surpass these challenges in your life?

10. If there is a chance to say a word to a person who is currently experiencing

verbal bullying, what is that one word?

Administer- Research Instrument

We submitted a request for permission to conduct research titled “We Are Still

Human: Lived Experiences of Verbally Bullied Learners in Salapingao National High

School” to the school principal. After the approval, we began interviewing the chosen

participants who have encountered verbal bullying. When the chosen students felt

uncomfortable answering the questions, we allowed to choose not to. After we

interviewed all the respondents, we started to analyze them according to their themes.

TOOLS FOR DATA ANALYSIS

The data are analyzed using a thematic analysis to identify the similarities and

differences in the lived experiences of verbally bullied learners. At the end of this

chapter, researchers incorporated some of the phrases used by respondents to make

the statements made in the study more realistic.

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 Chapter 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS OF DATA AND INTERPRETATION

OF FINDINGS

The information acquired, the outcomes of the analysis, and the conclusions are

all presented in this chapter. The real experiences, opinions, and understandings of the

participants as well as any ideas that resulted from the knowledge gleaned from the

focus group discussion and in-depth interviews.

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PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS

In-depth interview. In this study, there were 8 significant participants. These 8

students were the people who experienced verbal harassment at Salapingao National

High School. They were selected to engage in our study as responders since they are

the ones who are willing to do so. The experiences of these victims of verbal abuse

were used to address the issue of bullying among learners at Salapingao National High

School. The chosen respondents were given aliases for privacy purposes, as indicated

in Table 1.

Table 1.
Respondent’s Information

Acronyms Gender Grade Age Institution Study

Level Group

BJB Male 11 17 Private Interview

VSA Female 11 17 Private Interview

MJA Male 11 17 Private Interview

DGC Female 12 18 Private Interview

CJP Male 12 18 Private Interview

SAB Female 12 18 Private Interview

MJD Female 12 18 Private Interview

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 VEM Female 11 18 Private Interview

The eight respondents who participated in this study were the victims of verbal

abuse. These participants in our study are students from various sections and grade

levels at Salapingao National High School. They were chosen in the same manner as

the other study participants.

The same set of inquiries was made of each chosen respondent. During our

interview, these participants were residing in the Salapingao area.

The responses of the participants to the general questions will be shown below,
but the most personal ones will be kept private for privacy purposes.

1. How do the participants describe their experiences of verbal bullying?

Provided in the tables that follow are the responses of the participants on their
lived experiences

Interview Question 1: As a learner who has already experienced bullying, how will you
define bullying?
Table 1.1 illustrates the responses of the participants on their own definition of
bullying.

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 Table 1.1
Explanatory Note on Participants’ Interpretation of Bullying

Acronyms Responses

BJB “…your human rights have been violated,

when you know that you are being insulted…”

VSA “…saying hurtful words to learners or the

youth.”

MJA “…it affects students' mental and behavioral

health…”

DGC “…insulting the physical appearance.”

CJP “Saying hurtful words.”

SAB “…by insulting physical appearance.”

MJD “…a mockery.”

VEM “Bullying is harmful for students...”

Table 1.1 shows that our selected participants have similarities on how they

define bullying

The respondents answered the question with honesty despite their difficulty

understanding the first question.

These responses from the participants revealed the different interpretations of

bullying by the learners.

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Interview Question 4: How do you think verbal bullying is harmful for students?

Table 1.2 illustrates the responses of the respondents’ perceptions on how verbal

bullying is harmful for students.

Table 1.2
Explanatory Note on Participants’ Perceptions on How Verbal Bullying is

Harmful for Students

Acronyms Responses

BJB “…it lowers their self-confidence and

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 sometimes they lose the desire to go out

because they are ashamed…”

VSA “For me, verbal bullying isn’t harmful for

students if you just ignore it…”

MJA “…they will start to neglect their studies and

lose their focus...”

DGC “It loses their confidence.”

CJP “It loses their confidence”

SAB “…it lowers self-confidence.”

MJD “…they couldn’t focus because of what was

being said to them.”

Table 1.2 shows the respondents’ perceptions on why verbal bullying is harmful

for students

At this part, the participants mostly said that verbal bullying is harmful for

students because it causes them to lose confidence. This is what we also observed in

our surroundings: many learners were afraid to show everything about themselves

because they thought society would judge them. Instead of doing what makes them

happy, they would rather do what makes others happy to please them. And that is one

of the issues that we need to solve immediately.

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Interview Question 5: What are the effects of verbal bullying on your academic

performance that you have observed?

Table 1.3 illustrates the responses of the participants about the effects of verbal

bullying on the academic performance of the learners.

Table 1.3
Explanatory Note on Participants’ Perceptions About the Effects of Verbal

Bullying on the Academic Performance of Students

Acronyms Responses

VSA “It lowered my self-confidence a little, and

sometimes I don’t want to go to school

because of that.”

MJA “I can’t focus…”

DGC “I felt that I lose the will to study because of

bullying that is why sometimes I don’t want

to go to school”

SAB “I cannot focus because I was distracted of

thinking about what is said to me.”

MJD “The effect of this in my studies is that I

can’t attend class because I am ashamed to

show my face and I can’t focus because the

bullies are there so I just isolate myself.”

VEM “I can’t focus because of thinking about the

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 words they told me.”

Table 1.3 shows the learners’ perceptions about the effects of verbal bullying to

their studies that they have observed

Some of the participants seemed to not understand the question, and we didn’t

notice it instantly. That is why we just included here the responses that were accurate

for the question.

We observed that these 5 participants have similarities in the effects of verbal

bullying on their academics, which are that they can’t focus and want to not go to school

sometimes because of their experience of verbal bullying. We realized as researchers

that verbal bullying does really affect any aspect of the lives of the victims, and this was

a serious case.

Interview Question 6: What are the changes in the way you communicate and

socialize with others that you noticed when you experienced verbal bullying?

Table 1.4 illustrates the responses of the participants about the changes on how

they communicate and socialize with others that they observed.

Table 1.4
Explanatory Note on Participants’ Changes in Their Way of Communicating and

Socializing from Their Experience of Verbal Bullying

Acronyms Responses

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 BJB “I stopped dealing with others…”

VSA “There are no changes to how I

communicate and socialize with others.”

MJA “I have changed the way I communicate

and socialize and distanced myself from

others since I don’t want to experience

being bullied by the people around me

again.”

DGC “I started to be scared to trust others

again.”

CJP “I lose my trust in others.”

SAB “I became elusive to people.”

MJD “I stay away from them.”

VEM “…I started to avoid them.”

Table 1.4 reveals changes in the learner's way of communicating and socializing

with others because of their experience of verbal bullying.

We observed in their answers that the common change in their ways of

communicating and socializing with others is how they deal with those people. Some

have stopped talking to those learners who made them feel bad, while others lost their

trust and ignored or just avoided the people who bullied them.

The participants shared their observations about themselves without hesitation.

They think deeply before they said those words to us. With those responses of our

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participants, we got ideas on what we should do if we do not want to be victims of

bullying for much longer, and that is to stop dealing with them, distance yourself, ignore

them, and stay away from them. These are different words but have the same meaning.

2. What themes emerged from the responses of the participants?

The following themes that emerged based on the qualitative data analysis

conducted: Insult, Lose and Lowered the Self-Confidence, Avoidance of People, and

Distraction.

The Emerging Themes

Meanwhile, the tables that follow present the themes that emerged from the

various responses of verbally abused students at Salapingao National High School.

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 Table 2.1
Major Theme Thematic Statements

Your human rights have been violated

Insult
and when you are being insulted.

They insult others to make the people

they’re with to laugh.

I was insulted by what they said about

me.

I stopped dealing with other people

because they insulted me.

I define bullying as saying hurtful words to

learners or the youth.

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 They say that I’m like this or like that.

I will define bullying as by insulting the

physical appearance.

They are insulting me physically.

They insult me about my physical

appearance.

I was told that I’m like this or like that

When they were asked to define bullying since they had already experienced it,

their usual responses were that it was an act intended to offend or to make others feel

awful. The participants’ responses emphasize insulting others with words.

Based on the comments of the chosen responders, it is intended to demonstrate

to others what bullying genuinely entails. And raising awareness among people to

assess themselves whether they are currently being bullied and to avoid it promptly.

“You can only identify it if you know that your human rights have been violated,

when you know that you are being insulted, it means that you are being bullied. They

insult others to make the people they’re with to laugh. I was insulted by what they said

about me.” (BJB, 2023)

“I will define bullying as saying hurtful words to learners or the youth. When they

say that you are like this or like that.” (VSA, 2023)

“I will define bullying as by insulting the physical appearance. They are insulting

me physically.” (DGC, 2023)

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 “For me, I can identify bullying by insulting the physical appearance. They insult

me about my physical appearance.” (SAB, 2023)

“I was told that I’m like this or like that.” (VEM, 2023)

Table 2.2
Major Theme Thematic Statement

Lose and Lowered the Self-Confidence It changes me. Because of what they are

telling me, I forced myself to change my

own appearance.

It lowers learners’ self confidence

My self-esteem and confidence were

destroyed.

I just changed my physical appearance to

stop it.

It lowered my self-confidence a little.

It loses their confidence.

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 They became my reason to want to lose

weight.

It made me look down on myself.

It lowers self-confidence

I am ashamed to show my face

These are the themes that have emerged from some of the questions posed to

research participants. We discovered that verbal bullying has a significant impact on

students' self-esteem and is the primary cause of losing their belief in themselves.

These statements of the respondents are the things that they have observed about

themselves and the people around them that got affected by their experience with

verbal bullying.

“It changes me. Because of what they are telling to me, I forced myself to change

my own appearance. It lowers learners’ self-confidence. I just changed my physical

appearance to stop it.” (BJB, 2023)

“It lowered my self-confidence a little.” (VSA, 2023)

“It loses their confidence. They became my reason to want to lose weight.”

(DGC, 2023)

“It made me look down on myself.” (CJP, 2023)

“It lowers self-confidence.” (SAB, 2023)

“The effect of this in my studies is that I can’t attend class because I am

ashamed to show my face.” (MJD, 2023)

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 Table 2.3

Major Themes Thematic Analysis

Avoidance of People I stopped dealing with other people.

I just ignored it

I distanced myself from others.

I simply ignored them and let them say

whatever they want.

I just ignored them and focused on myself

even more.

Just don’t mind them.

I became illusive to people.

I just ignored them and laugh at what they

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 say.

I stay away from them so I don’t get

bullied by them again.

Just ignore them.

Avoidance is the most effective approach for the chosen participants to cease

bullying. Most of their answers are to just ignore what is happening to them, claiming

that it will cease when the bullies tire. However, students should still learn how to

defend themselves if the situation worsens.

“I stopped dealing with other people because they insulted me.” (BJB, 2023)

“I just ignored it because if you let yourself be affected, it will affect your

confidence for yourself.” (VSA, 2023)

“I distanced myself from others since I don’t want to experience being bullied by

the people around me again. And I also simply ignored them and let them say whatever

they want” (MZA, 2023)

“I just ignored them and focused to myself even more.” (DGC, 2023)

“Just don’t mind them.” (CJP, 2023)

“I became illusive to people and I just ignored them and laugh at what they say.”

(SAB, 2023)

“I stay away from them so I don’t get bullied by them again.” (MJD, 2023)

“Just ignore them.” (VEM, 2023)

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 Table 2.4
Major Theme Thematic Statement

Distraction Sometimes I don’t want to go to school

because of bullying

You can’t focus

I felt that I lose the will to study

I cannot focus because I was distracted

Because of the words that the participants are getting from the bullies, they can’t

focus anymore on their academics because of thinking about it. While some of them

gradually lost their determination to study.

“Sometimes I don’t want to go to school because of that.” (VSA, 2023)

“You can’t focus so you can’t answer teachers or activities properly because

you’ll think of the words that have been thrown at you.” (MJA, 2023)

“I cannot focus because I was distracted from thinking about what is said to me.”

(SAB, 2023)

Table 2.5 will show the words from the respondents that they want to be delivered

to those learners who are currently experiencing verbal bullying.

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 Table 2.5
Acronyms Words of Motivation

BJB “Every person has their

imperfections.”

VSA “Just don’t mind them because they

will stop if they get tired.”

MZA “Keep looking forward.”

DGC “Focus on yourself more.”

CJP “Focus on yourself.”

SAB “Be confident.”

MJA (None)

VEM “Just ignore them.”

These words from the respondents are included in the study to motivate their

fellow students who are still experiencing verbal bullying to just keep going, even with

those challenges in their lives. Don’t mind or just ignore what other people say about

you; as long as you’re happy with what you're doing and you don’t step on other people,

do it. Be confident and embrace your imperfections, because that is what makes you

more beautiful. Always look forward and don’t even glance at your back, for the reason

that you will see those people who are insecure about you. Lift your chin up and face

their words with belief in yourself, because if they get tired, they will stop.

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 Chapter 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter includes a summary of findings, a conclusion, and some

recommendations. This chapter concludes with recommendations for additional study

and research. These are issues that can be investigated more in the future to expand

understanding and study on verbal bullying among students.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

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 This study on the lived experiences of verbally bullied learners among senior

high school students at Salapingao National High School provides crucial insights into

the negative impact of verbal bullying on students' well-being. The study's findings

reveal that verbal bullying has a significant and long-lasting impact on students' mental

and emotional health, as well as their academic performance and relationships with

others.

The respondents in this study shared their own stories of how they have been

affected by verbal bullying. They defined verbal bullying as the act of using words to

hurt or humiliate someone, which has led to a negative impact on their mental and

emotional well-being. Their experiences have shown that verbal bullying can lead to low

self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems.

Moreover, the respondents shared the harmful effects of verbal bullying on their

academic performance. Verbal bullying has been found to cause distractions, reduce

concentration, and negatively affect students' participation in class, leading to poor

academic performance. The findings of this study also highlight the negative impact of

verbal bullying on the students' relationships with others. Verbal bullying can cause

social isolation, feelings of loneliness, and a lack of trust in others.

The study findings also emphasize the importance of support and coping

mechanisms in overcoming the trauma caused by verbal bullying. The respondents

emphasized the role of their families, friends, and teachers as sources of support in

dealing with the negative effects of verbal bullying. Many respondents identified coping

mechanisms such as positive self-talk, physical exercise, and engaging in hobbies as

effective ways of dealing with the emotional and mental stress from verbal bullying.

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 Overall, this study underscores the importance of addressing verbal bullying to

support healthy and positive environments for students to thrive. There is a significant

need for interventions and support, such as counseling services, education programs,

and school policies, to effectively address verbal bullying. By recognizing and

addressing the negative impact of verbal bullying, we can create a more supportive and

inclusive environment that fosters the well-being and success of our students.

CONCLUSION

This study was carried out to explore the similarities and contrasts in the lived

experiences of verbally bullied learners at Salapingao National High School. To

accomplish this objective, the researchers employed focus groups, in-depth interviews,

and qualitative approaches. For this study, eight people were interviewed. Participants

in this research had to have experienced verbal abuse. In this study, thematic analysis

was employed to evaluate all the participant data.

1. According to the findings of the study, there are certain similarities in the lived

experiences of students at Salapingao National High School who have been

verbally bullied. They were all in circumstances when they had to call something

improper. Bullies, according to the interviewees, have used statements such as

"You're so thin," "You're stupid!" "You're dumb," and "You're worthless" to target

40
 individuals. By looking at these sentences, you may understand that this was

harsh and hurtful, especially for the learners, and you can react accordingly.

Participants in the research said that verbal bullying happened both inside and

outside of schools, and that victims suffered because of the bullies' remarks. This

is because it is an established fact that people pay little attention to the problem

of verbal abuse. Additionally, it was stated by the participants that verbal bullying

refers to insults, hurtful words and is harmful for students.

2. The study also investigated the influence of verbal bullying on learners' way of

communicating and socializing with others. Most of their responses indicate that

they withdrew themselves and began to avoid persons that bullied them, which

we as researchers believe is a smart approach to immediately cease the verbal

bullying. Because if you continue to engage with folks who have made you feel

horrible about yourself, you will never find the tranquility that you want.

3. Furthermore, the data demonstrate that the impacts of verbal bullying on

learners' academic performance diminish their self-confidence in school, and

they are unable to focus on their academics because of the words that have

been thrown to them. Verbal bullying has a significant influence on students'

academic performance, with some even preferring to be absent in order to avoid

hearing the bullies' remarks again.

4. The study also illustrates how verbally bullied students deal with those

challenges in their life. Their most typical response is that they just ignored it

since, according to them, the bullies would tire of it.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

1. For future researchers who are intending to conduct a similar study about the

lived experiences of verbally bullied learners, we recommend that they include 10

to 15 participants because that is what we failed to do due to the fact that there

are only a few who are willing to participate in our study.

2. Since this study only focused on the negative impacts of verbal bullying on

students and there are no acts or laws included in this study to stop verbal

bullying, I suggest that future researchers look for those and incorporate them

into the study they will conduct.

3. Considering that this study concentrated on the learners who are being verbally

bullied, we advised that future researchers include in their study the reasons and

lived experiences of verbal bullies to see their sides too.

4. Another perspective that future researchers may take a look at is the participants'

choice of words and how they understood the questionnaires during the

interview. It is because when the researchers conducted an interview, they didn’t

42
 notice that some of the participants didn’t understand the questions, which is why

they had a hard time in categorizing the data according to their themes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, we would want to express our feelings of gratitude to God,

who is always on our side no matter what happens, for his never-ending love and

guidance that helped make this research possible.

We would also like to express our greatest appreciation to Flores Janice Delos

Reyes, our research instructor, for her significant advice and support during the entire

conduct of the study. We also want to thank her for her understanding, persistence, and

knowledge. Her opinions and ideas were very helpful in determining the focus and

direction of this research.

We also want to express our thanks and appreciation to our respondents for

willingly giving up their time to answer the research questionnaire and entrusting the

researchers with the personal information that they provided in order to conduct this

study.

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 Lastly, we would also like to acknowledge the people who never left our side by

doing this research: our family and friends. Your unending motivation and support for us

are all appreciated.

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