The study contributes to the small body of research that has come from South Africa in the last decade and was carried out in one of the secondary schools located in Durban, province of KwaZulu-Natal. The findings of the study showed that bullying was a problem in school and operates in various and complex ways. Much of the literature on bullying is based on experiences from Northern countries (for example Dracic, 2009; Olweus, 1993; Townsend, Flisher, Chikobvu, Lombard and King, 2008).
The aim was to capture the reality of respondents' lived experiences of the spaces and places of bullying.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Kester and Mann (2008) found that victims of bullying usually tend to be anxious and lack self-confidence. Schools need to improve and develop partnerships with parents and other key adults, and improve communication to address the problem of bullying in schools (Kester and Mann, 2008; Stueve et al., 2006). Egbochuku (2007) conducted a study in Benin city, Nigeria and found that 78% of the learners in high schools were victims of bullying and 71% admitted to having bullied others.
The purpose of this subsection is to examine the extent of bullying in schools in the South African context. A national survey on bullying in schools by Reddy, Panday, Swart (2003) found that 41% of students have been affected by the problem of bullying in schools. I used the framing of children's geography to scrutinize the places and spaces of bullying with the context of school – a unique social reality for students.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN
As the study was a narrative inquiry, the aim was to capture the reality of respondents' lived experiences in spaces and places of bullying. Clandinin and Rosiek (2007) explain that through narrative research, experience is studied through the stories of the respondents and how as individuals, we live the story. As a result of studying this literature, I have come to believe that children are competent individuals who can speak for themselves about their experiences in the social worlds in which they live.
From the pool of 10th grade students who agreed to participate in the study and for whom I obtained permission to participate in the study, I randomly selected eight, stratified by gender. During the study, the learners (in pairs) were requested to individually draw maps of the places and spaces where incidents of bullying took place. My data collection methods ensured that I had rich descriptive data and that I also had a trail of evidence from the data collected.
Ethical considerations are crucial in any research project because it ensures the morality of the research process (Neuman, 1997). Written consent was sought from the school principal (Appendix 1), students (Appendix 2) and their parents/guardians to inform them of the nature of the study. Parents/guardians signed the consent form to indicate that they agreed to their children's participation in my study.
Ethical clearance was obtained from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Research Office (see Appendix 4) and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education as part of the larger project in which my study was involved, entitled “Geographies of Children's Schooling in Six Countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC): Narratives of children, parents/carers and teachers' (see Appendix 5). In this chapter, I presented the study's research methodology and various design decisions.
CHAPTER FOUR
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Graham (2010) explained that any type of non-conformity or dissimilarity constructed by the larger peer group is one of the factors that predict victimization in the phenomenon of bullying. Students in focus group interviews also condemned the callous, cruel, merciless and insidious nature of bullying. especially on earth… there are many problems that call us names we don't like. they have seen it happen that he is petting someone. The students' drawings during the mapping exercise and their narratives as they explained their drawings in focus groups provided interesting insights.
The 10th grade classes often emerged in the narratives as a problematic level full of incidents of bullying. 2011) argue that when adults in the school system ignore. bullying, remain silent about bullying, or feel that bullying is just kids being kids, then higher levels of bullying may be the outcome. Yes it happened last year while I was in class and a girl came to class and I mean I was at this school.
In previous stories, students also allude to the emotional impact of bullying on the bystander. Kim expresses her continued concern that she may be targeted as a victim in the future. In the focus group, one of the respondents, Mr. S. I would tell the victims not to take it to heart as they will end up going crazy.
Within the school context in this study, it was found that bullying generally affects both genders, although girls and boys tend to bully in different ways. All eight students mentioned the power of the bystander in bullying. In the US, bullying victims have been found to have committed school shootings in retaliation against their attackers (Zuckerman, Bushman, and Pedersen, 2011).
Graham (2010) emphasized that bullying interventions and strategies must target everyone such as students, parents and adults in the school.
CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS
It has different spaces in which complex flows of energy can be observed and experienced – for example the space of gender and bullying or the space where crime spills over into the school and intersects with bullying as a phenomenon. Findings in the study revealed that bullying occurs at school in widespread and diverse ways consistent with international studies. The need to create a culture of human rights in schools to ensure the protection of the health, well-being and safety of all students.
My study reflects that children are not passive objects to be researched, but active and competent social agents and actors who are able to shape their own experiences and identities and who have their own views that need to be heard, as highlighted by researchers for example. James, Jenks and Prout (1998) and Mayall (1996). Reflecting on the findings of my study, I tend to agree with various international researchers that bullying is a public health issue and a public health approach is required to address the problem in schools (for example, Hertz, Donato & Wright, 2013). Therefore, intervention programs should target contexts beyond the focus of school and home in building more supportive environments in different contexts (such as religious organizations; sports organizations) and promote and build children's mental health and well-being.
Such programs must be proactive and aim to promote protective factors and reduce risk factors in children's lives. International research, including the current study, has helped us understand the complexity of the problem of bullying and the challenges that schools face when trying to address it. We need in-depth, contextual research on effective interventions to address bullying in diverse school and community contexts, especially emerging from the African context.
We need research to isolate the critical components of effective anti-bullying programs and the gaps in such programs. There is also a need for research on different forms of bullying such as cyberbullying; bullying related to disability and sexual orientation; and the phenomenon of the 'group' in bullying.
International Journal of Mental Health Promotion Research Methods in Education (6th edition). 2004). Bullying in schools: a study in Northern Ireland. The voices of victims and witnesses of school bullying. 2008). Minimizing bullying behavior of high school students through behavioral intervention and instruction (Master's thesis). Bullying and suicide: a public health approach. http://www.ncdsv.org/images/JAH_Bullying-and-Suicide-a-public-health-approach_7-2013.pdf.
Bullying in middle school as a context for the development of passive observation of the victimization of others. Bullying in Flemish schools: evaluation of an anti-bullying intervention in primary and secondary schools. Taking a bystander position in school bullying: The role of positive identity, self-efficacy, and self-determination.
The role of the bystander in the social architecture of bullying and violence in schools and communities. Retrieved January 11, 2015, from http://center4research.org/violence-risky-behavior/z-other-violence/bullying-and-violence/.
APPENDICES
The learners will be expected to respond to each question in a manner that will reflect their own personal opinion. Pseudonyms will be used (real names of the respondents and the institution will not be used throughout the research process). Participation is voluntary; therefore, respondents will be free to withdraw at any time without negative or unwanted consequences for them.
Data will be stored in the University's locked cabinet for a maximum period of five years and then destroyed. I will ask permission from your parents/guardians to work with you on the project. You are expected to answer each question in a way that will reflect your personal opinion.
Pseudonyms will be used (your real name and the name of the school will not be used throughout the research process). Participation is voluntary; therefore, you will be free to withdraw at any time without negative or unwanted consequences for them. Pseudonyms will be used (your child's real name and the name of the school will not be used throughout the research process).
Participation is voluntary; therefore, your child will be free to withdraw at any time without negative or unwanted consequences for him/her. Data will be stored in the university's locked cabinet for a maximum of five years, after which it will be destroyed.
