Hayley Hulley

B.Ed 4

“Which behaviours do young girls in the Foundation Phase (Grades 1 – 3) of a single sex school perceive as constituting bullying?”

An undergraduate dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Education (Foundation Phase) at the Center for Creative Education Cape Town.

Date submitted: 3 March 2006

Proof read by: Bridget Wren [B.Ed (Psych)]

I declare that ‘Which behaviours do young girls in the Foundation Phase (Grades 1 – 3) of a single sex school perceive as constituting bullying’, is my own work, that has not been submitted for any degree or examination in any university, institute of higher education, and that all the sources I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged as complete references.

Hayley Hulley

3 March 2006

KEYWORDS

Bullying - Involves the repeated oppression of a more powerful person (e.g. a perceived authority, strength, or influence) on a less powerful person over an extended period of time.

Intervention – “To enter a discussion or dispute etc. in order to change its course or resolve it”. (Oxford dictionary, 1998: 424)

Perpetrator – Person responsible for carrying out bullying behaviours.

Victim – Person who is subject to bullying from the perpetrator.

Bystander – Person who is not on the giving or receiving end of bullying but who observes it taking place.

Young girls – Girls approximately between the ages of six and nine years.

Foundation Phase – Usually includes reception year (Grade 0), Grade one, Grade two and Grade three but for the purpose of the dissertation only includes Grades one, two and three.

Aggressive acts – Act that intend to harm but do not entail a power relationship and are not repeated.

Direct physical bullying – A directly aggressive physical behaviour used to harass.

Indirect physical bullying – Employs actions used to intimidate and demean individuals without causing direct physical pain

Direct verbal bullying – A directly aggressive verbal behaviour used to harass.

Indirect aggressive bullying - Aggressive behaviours that aim to be subtle and discreet. The victim is not threatened directly and the perpetrator is therefore less easily identified.

ABSTRACT

In the past direct physically aggressive behaviours usually engaged by boys typified bullying (Leckie 1997). It is now accepted that bullying is a behaviour employed by both boys and girls but the types of aggressive behaviour utilised by the different sexes differ. It is therefore important that young learners are able to determine the types of behaviours that constitute bullying to facilitate the recognition that these behaviours are unacceptable. The same holds true for educators and authorities. In order to protect the rights of learners, bullying behaviours need to be understood and detected, and appropriate intervention should be provided. If bullying is undetected or not addressed, its impact on perpetrators, victims, bystanders of bullying and education as a whole, could have grave consequences. According to Jensen (1998: 54) “a stressful physical environment is linked to student failure”. Sylwester (1995: 38) concurs and states that “school environments that cause continual stress reduce the school’s ability to carry out its principal mission.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to express my gratitude to everyone who assisted me with this study:

  • Mrs Julie Womack for all her help, support and encouragement.
  • The Grades one, two and three learners and their teachers for their participation. Without their assistance I would not have been able to complete the research.
  • My mother for her help and support during the undertaking of the dissertation. Her wisdom and guidance have helped me immensely. I really appreciate that I could approach her for help at any time of day or night.
  • Ms Kruger for the hours of effort and guidance that she has given during the development of the dissertation. She guided me through each step of the dissertation process with the utmost professionalism. Her high standard of excellence and competence in everything that she undertakes continues to challenge me to adopt a similar standard in my own work. Thank you for not only being a lecturer, but for being a role model and a great support.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES………………………………………...…IX

INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………….……..1

CHAPTER 1 – BACKGROUND………………………………………………..2

1.1INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………..2

1.2IDENTIFYING THE TERM ‘BULLYING’………………………..………………………….2

1.3SPECIFYING THE PROBLEM……………………………………………………………..2

1.4FORMULATION OF RESEARCH QUESTION AND METHODOLOGY……………….3

1.5CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………..4

CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………….…5

2.1 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………..5

2.2 WHAT IS BULLYING…………………………………………………………………………5

2.3 PAST RESEARCH……………………………………………………………………………5

2.4 FORMS/TYPES OF BULLYING………………………………………………………….…6

2.5 RATIONALE…………………………………………………….…………………………….8

2.6 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………..9

CHAPTER 3 – METHODOLOGY………………………………..…………..10

3.1 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………10

3.2 AIMS OF THE RESEARCH………………………………………………………………..10

3.2.1 GENERAL AIMS………………………………………………………………...10

3.2.2 SPECIFIC AIMS…………………………………………………………………10

3.3 SELECTION OF SUBJECTS FOR SAMPLING…………………………………………11

3.3.1 PITFALLS………………………………………………………………….……..11

3.4 METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………………………….……..11

3.5 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGE OF ANONYMOUS QUESTIONNAIRES.…13

3.6 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………....14

CHAPTER 4 – DATA ANALYSIS……………………………………………15

4.1 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………15

4.2 DATA ANALYSIS……………………………………………………………………………15

4.3 INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH RESULTS PER GRADE…………………………………….16

4.3.1 GRADE ONE…………………………………………………………………….16

4.3.2 GRADE TWO…………………………………………………………………….18

4.4.3 GRADE THREE…………………………………………………………………19

4.4 COMPARING RESEARCH RESULTS ACROSS THE GRADES ACCORDING

TO THE VARIOUS TYPES OF BULLYING………………………………………………21

4.4.1 GRADE ONE, TWO AND THREE………………………………….…………21

4.4.2 DIRECT AND INDIRECT PHYSICAL BULLYING BEHAVIOURS..……….22

4.4.3 DIRECT VERBAL BULLYING BEHAVIOURS……………………………….22

4.4.4 INDIRECT AGGRESSIVE BULLYING BEHAVIOURS……………...………23

4.5 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………23

CHAPTER 5 – MAIN CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS…….24

5.1 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………24

5.2 MAIN CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS…………………………………….24

5.3 FINAL THOUGHTS…………………………………………………………………………26

REFERENCES………………………………………………………………....27

BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………….30

APPENDIX A………………………………………………………………..XXXI

APPENDIX B………………………………………………………………XXXIV

APPENDIXC……………………………………………………...……..XXXVII

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1 – Research findings from Grade 1…………………………………16

Table 2 – Research findings from Grade 2…………………………………18

Table 3 – Research findings from Grade 3…………………………………19

Table 4 – Research findings from Grades 1, 2 and 3………...……………21

1

INTRODUCTION

It is widely accepted that a great deal of adults and children have suffered from the effects of bullying whether they were victims, perpetrators or bystanders of bullying. Studies have shown (BK Ladd & GW Ladd, 2000) that the emotional effect of being a perpetrator or a victim of bullying may stay with people for many years and often determines their self-concepts.

Teachers and learners would generally be in favour of eliminating bullying. However, if learners are unaware of the behaviours that constitute bullying it may be difficult for bullying to be stopped. The aim of the dissertation is to describe which behaviours young girls in the Foundation Phase of a single sex school perceive as constituting bullying. What young female learners perceive as bullying behaviours is important. Learners are taught about the characteristics of bullying and its effects and therefore educators need to be able to have a good understanding about the perceptions their learners have regarding bullying behaviours. This will help educators to assess what learners know about bullying acts and to determine whether further education or intervention is necessary. The study provided information about which bullying behaviours the learners identified as being significant for their Grade level.

CHAPTER 1 – BACKGROUND

1.1 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter the researcher discussed the awareness of the problem and specified certain aspects of the problem which lead to the formulation of the research question. The research method used for the dissertation is briefly discussed.

1.2 IDENTIFYING THE TERM 'BULLYING'

Bullying in schools has been occurring for many years. It is difficult to determine a point in time where bullying started, but many children have been victims of bullying. According to Olweus et al., and Rigby in Leckie, “bullying is recognised to be a stable, ongoing, intentional one-way form of violent activity, involving a power relationship between a victim who feels helpless and a perpetrator who has control” (1997:2).

1.3 SPECIFIYING THE PROBLEM

Males and females tend to use different methods of bullying, “with males preferring physical means” and females being “more likely to adopt verbal methods of aggression” (Leckie, 1997: 6). Lagerspetz in Leckie suggests “that girls may not be inherently less aggressive than boys, but instead express their aggression differently” (1997: 7).

Most schools do not tolerate bullying which is an activity that directly opposes human dignity. However, due to the more ‘indirect’ bullying methods utilised by females, it can be more difficult to detect. The rights of many learners may therefore be violated because the ill-treatment they receive might not be recognised as bullying, either by them or their educators.

Evidence exists (Rigby, 1997; Boivin et al., 2001; Beaudoin, Taylor, 2004), that a number of adult women still suffer the emotional effects of being bullied at school. Many of them feel as if their human dignity was not protected. They appear to harbour anger and resentment not only towards the perpetrators, but also towards the school system for not recognising the more ‘indirect’ acts of maltreatment as bullying, and therefore protecting them. Schools have a responsibility to educate learners about their rights and responsibilities and to make them aware of what constitutes bullying as well as to provide the necessary support structures to address bullying and to eliminate it.

1.4 FORMULATION OF RESEARCH QUESTION AND METHODOLOGY

The researcher investigated which behavioursyoung girls in the Foundation Phase (Grades 1 – 3) of a single sex school perceived as constituting bullying. Action research was conducted using a questionnaire that was completed by girls in the Foundation Phase of a middle-class government school. A list of possible bullying behaviours was given to each learner from which they selected behaviours they perceived as constituting bullying. In order to determine which behaviours were significant for each Grade level, the researcher correlated the behaviours that scored highest and lowest.

The researcher believes that the findings will be useful in supporting specific Foundation Phase educators to determine whether learners in their school recognise bullying behaviours and whether they need more education on what constitutes bullying. Educators can therefore help learners to become more aware of their rights and responsibilities in terms of bullying. The study can also be used to inform educators of the various types of bullying and will pinpoint which bullying behaviours are significant for each Grade and which behaviours may need to be addressed.

The researcher realises that this research project is limited because the sample group consisted only of a small group of female learners from a specific school, class and background. The results of the research may therefore not be used as a generalisation of the behaviours that all girls perceive as constituting bullying, but rather as an indicator for the specific school in which the research was conducted.

1.5 CONCLUSION

In this chapter the background to the study and the formulation of the research question was discussed. It was determined that Foundation Phase educators need to be aware of learners’ perceptions regarding bullying. In the following chapter the literature review is discussed.

CHAPTER 2 - LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

In Chapter One the formulation of the research problem was discussed. In the past, research mainly focused on the bullying behaviours of boys and largely ignored the bullying behaviours of girls. It is only just over last ten years that girls have been included in research on bullying (Owen etal., 2001). This chapter contains a literature review which is pertinent to the research question

2.2 WHAT IS BULLYING?

Bullying behaviours differ from aggressive acts in that they involve the repeated oppression of a more powerful person on a less powerful person over an extended period of time. Similarly to bullying, aggressive acts do intend to harm but they do not entail a power relationship and are not repeated. Olweus states that “it is difficult for the student being bullied to defend himself or herself” (2001: 6), unlike aggressive acts “when two students of about the same strength or power argue or fight” (Olweus, 2001: 6). According to Rigby it is easy to identify the power imbalance when a bully targets a smaller, weaker person or a person is targeted by a group of people but “it is much less obvious when the difference in power is psychological” (1997:15).

2.3 PAST RESEARCH

In the past, research focused primarily on the bullying behaviours of boys. Study of earlier research on bullying by Leckie (1997) confirmed that the traditional view of bullying was likened to the blatantly direct physical behaviours typically employed by boys. According to Owens et al., “it is little more than a decade since researchers have seriously challenged the notion of the nonaggressive female and investigated forms of harassment more prevalent among females” (2001: 215,216).

2.4 FORMS/TYPES OF BULLYING

Findings of research on bullying behaviours have determined that bullying can assume both direct and indirect forms (Lee, 2004). Kicking, hitting, pushing, punching and spitting are some of the behaviours that form part of the repertoire of direct physical bullying. Many studies on bullying have revealed that “boys typically engage in direct bullying methods” (Banks, 1997: 1) and that this type of aggression “is a common type of harassment among younger children” (Juvonen & Graham, 2001: 145). Indirect bullying employs actions used to intimidate and demean individuals without causing direct physical pain and can include behaviours such as damaging other people’s property, extortion, locking a person in a confined space, threatening with a weapon and taking people’s possessions. This type of bullying behaviour is “more prevalent among older youth” (Juvonen & Graham, 2001: 145).

Direct verbal bullying behaviours can include insulting someone, name-calling, teasing, making offensive remarks, verbal threats and criticising someone’s appearance. According to Leckie “both boys and girls have been found to engage in verbal aggression to a similar extent” (1997: 6). Indirect verbal behaviours can include spreading rumours and convincing another person to insult somebody. These indirect verbal methods of bullying form part of the set of indirect aggressive bullying behaviours in which the “perpetrator attempts to inflict pain in such a manner that he or she makes it seem as though there has been no intention to hurt at all” (Bjorkqvist et al., in Alsaker & Valkanover, 2001: 179).

Indirect aggressive behaviours aim to be subtle and discreet and the victim is therefore not threatened directly. These behaviours could include spreading rumours, gossiping, ignoring, ostracising, writing nasty notes, e-mails or text messages, alienating and excluding and “is the predominant form of aggression among girls” (Salmivalli, 2001: 407). Other terms such as social aggression (Lee, 2004; Garrity et al., 2000) and relational aggression (Crick et al., 2001) have been used in literature on bullying. Although social or relational aggression can include direct physical and verbal behaviours it is closely related to indirect aggression in that its main concern is social manipulation. “Whatever the terminology used, a common theme is that of attempting to harm others through damaging friendships or by exclusion from the peer group” (Owens, Slee and Shute, 2001: 216). A Study by Gachter in 1988, titled ‘the Bernese study on victimization in kindergarten’ revealed that children between the ages of 5 and 7 were able to use and understand indirect strategies (Alsaker & Valkanover, 2001).

According to Owen et al., studies by Henington, Hughes, Cavell, and Thompson “provide strong evidence that failure to include indirect aggression in the assessment of harassment among female students results in a significant underestimation of the actual level of such harassment” (2001: 216). Therefore when indirect aggression is given the same precedence as other types of bullying, girls are just as likely to be classified as bullies as boys are. Studies on gender issues in bullying by Rigby (1997) have revealed that children sometimes bully members of the same and opposite sex, although the proportion of boys being bullied only by girls was far less than the proportion of girls being bullied only by boys. However when researching the incidences of bullying for boys in single sex schools, Rigby (1997) did not report markedly greater incidences of bullying than that of boys in co-educational schools. Surprisingly, girls in single sex schools who did not have boys to bully them, also did not report greater incidences of bullying than that of girls in co-educational schools.

2.5 RATIONALE OF THE RESEARCH

Due to the nature of girls more covert bullying behaviours, their aggression is often difficult to detect. The social manipulation used in indirect aggression relies on peer relationships and friendships as a means for bullying. Studies of several types of research by Crick et al., (2001) have revealed that girls are far likelier to react negatively to indirect aggressive bullying behaviours and often determine their self-concepts through information obtained from their social interactions and relationships.

Peer harassment sends victimized children strong signals that they are not well liked, they are not worthy of better treatment, and that school is a threatening place in which they are unable to protect themselves or to control the events that happen there.

(B K Ladd & G W Ladd, 2001: 42,43)

It iswell known that girls often struggle with the long-lasting negative psychological effects of bullying, later in life (Rigby, 1997; Boivin et al., 2001; Beaudoin, Taylor, 2004). Research indicates that “girls both employ and are targets of indirect bullying more than boys” (Salmivalli, 2001: 407). It is thus of great importance that girls themselves are able to determine when aggressive behaviours become bullying. If they do not recognise direct and indirect aggressive behaviours as bullying, they may accept these behaviours as simply being aggressive acts between learners of equivalent status or power. However, If the learners do determine direct and indirect aggressive acts as constituting bullying, it could suggest that they understand the concept of bullying - the repeated oppression of a more powerful person on a less powerful person over an extended period of time. It might also mean that the learners are simply identifying nasty behaviours as constituting bullying without considering or truly understanding what bullying entails. This is in keeping with Smith et al., (2001: 335) who state the following:

As far as bullying is concerned, younger pupils may limit their understanding to physical and, perhaps, direct verbal forms such as taunting. They may also ignore particular defining characteristics of bullying such as repetition and imbalance of power. Younger children may consider all physically and verbally aggressive behaviour to be bullying.

2.6 CONCLUSION

This chapter has reviewed literature about the various types of bullying, stressing the bullying that occurs between females and its effects. The rationale for the research was also discussed. In the following chapter the researcher will discusses the methodology that was used in the research.