MODEL SCHOOL FOR THE PREVENTION OF BULLYING IN SCHOOLS OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY STUDENTS

Abstract

This research is aimed to investigate the causes, patterns and actions of bullying in schools, to explore the effects of bullying in schools, and to examine the appropriate resolutions and approaches in order to establish the bullying prevention manual for the student. This is considered to be the applicable knowledge management and good practice of bullying issues in schools for teachers, parents, students and the public. Data were obtained through document research, in-depth interviews, and storytelling from a total of 27 participants including students who did bully and had been bullied in schools, teachers, school staffs, parents, child psychologists and experts.

The results revealed that bullying in schools was caused by Thai culture and low-level perception of bullying and its consequences and violence. Most of the participants considered this teasing behavior as a form of child character and fun play. In addition, it was also caused by lack of anti-bullying programs, family problems, jealousy, dysregulation, desire for being an important person with power over others, imitation, advances in technology and online media, lack of teacher and parental monitoring, low peer acceptance, low empathy, unpleasant experience of being bullied and poor peer relationships. 

Four forms of bullying in schools can be categorized: verbal, physical, emotional or social, and online or cyber bullying. Face-to-face bullying was frequently found compared to the cyber bullying.

The effect of bullying in schools was found to be negative on both bullied children and children who did the bully. In particular, severe effects were obviously found in a group of bullied children with a symptom of depression, worry, loneliness, fear, anger, stress, lack of self-confidence, low self-esteem, absence from school, low grades in school, social separation, self-harm, etc.

The preventive measures implemented by teachers in the school were focused on reproving notices to the children who bully others. Moreover, possible approaches include mutual participation for initial solution, attentiveness to student’s problems, consolation to bullied students, implementation of appropriate penalty, resolution and planning in collaboration with teachers or the student discipline office, consultation for resolution under the participation of bullied students’ parents and bullying students’ parents, monitoring of student behavior, and interviewing for the information from bullying incident witnesses.