Campus Bullying in the Senior High School: A

Qualitative Case Study

Norman Raotraot Galabo, EdD, FRIEdr

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the campus bullying experiences of senior high school students in
a certain secondary school of Davao City, Philippines. Three senior high school students who experienced bullying in the campus were
chosen through purposive sampling. In-depth interview, observation and field notes were utilized in the gathering of data. The study
ensured that ethical considerations were observed during its conduct. It strictly followed the components of trustworthiness namely
credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability to ensure the validity of the qualitative data. Based on the narrative and thematic
analysis, study revealed that victims of bullying experienced name-calling or verbal abuse, physical bullying, and social discrimination.
Passivity, optimism and perseverance, and peer-support system help students cope with the adverse and traumatic experiences of
bullying. Along with the insights and realizations, the study emphasized that campus bullying leads to emotional distress and low self-
esteem, bullies should be sensitive to others’ emotions, and bullying should be minimized, if not avoided, in the school. Hence, a call to
address such predicament is highly encouraged in order to create a learning environment where students are safe and protected from any
form of abuse.

Keywords: basic education, campus bullying, public senior high schools, qualitative case study, Philippines

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1. Introduction
School as a learning environment is not exempted with
bullying. Students have experienced physical and verbal
forms of bullying even inside the campus which greatly affect
their morale as an individual, their motivation, and passion
for learning. In the senior high school level, campus bullying
is still very rampant despite the expectation that at this stage,
students are already mature enough in terms of their attitudes
and behaviors towards people around them.
Philippine Republic Act No. 10627 otherwise known as Anti-
bullying Act of 2013 defines bullying as ‚ any slanderous act
or statement of accusation that causes the victim emotional
distress like directing foul language or profanity at the target,
name-calling, tormenting and commenting negatively on
victim’s looks, clothes, and body‛ [11].
Bullying has become a pervasive problem in the United States.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics,
nearly a third of all students aged 12 - 18 reported having been
bullied at school in 2007, some almost daily. Fifty-six percent
of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying
at school. In the school year 2008–2009, students ages, 28.0
percent of students ages 12 through 18, reported they were
bullied at school, and 6.0 percent, reported they were cyber-
bullied anywhere whether on or off school property [31].
In the Philippines, a survey conducted revealed that bullying
or abuse is experienced by one in two Filipino school children.
This was backed up with an Australian newspaper stating that
50 percent of Filipino students are being bullied in school.
Also, the students in the Philippines had led the record of
different types of bullying which include being made fun of or
————————————————
 Dr. Norman Raotraot Galabo is currently teaching at DepEd-
Mintal Comprehensive High School, Mintal, Tugbok District,
Davao City, Philippines 8000. E-mail: nhormz07@gmail.com
being called names, left out of activities by others and made to
do things the student did not want to [1].
Davao City Health Office also reported that bullying in school
is a major concern since it exists in almost every school there is
in Davao City. This unwanted act is prevalent not only in
private educational institutions but also in public schools. The
Office encouraged the Department of Education to also look
into their backyards and do what is necessary [34].
In the school where the researcher is assigned, report of
bullying incidence is very evident and alarming because of its
high frequency. Every week, a lot of cases are settled in the
office of the prefect of discipline and guidance office. Worst
cases are brought to the principal’s office. The researcher
found it disturbing on the part of the adviser and the
concerned subject teacher every time that there are problems
related to bullying which need to be settled. Thus, this study
was conducted in order to have a deeper understanding about
the experiences of students regarding bullying in the school
and that somehow it will soon be addressed. Besides, there is
no existing study conducted in the Cluster 6 Tugbok
Secondary Schools, Davao City.
1.1 Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the
campus bullying experiences of senior high school students,
their problems encountered, emotional struggles, coping
strategies including their insights and realizations that would
be useful in making interventions in the future.
1.2 Research Questions
1. What are the campus bullying experiences of senior high
school students?
2. What are the coping mechanisms of bullied senior high
school students?
3. What realizations and insights do the bullied students
learned?
1.3 Theoretical Lens
This study considered some relevant theories of bullying in
the school as presented by Rigby [26]. Firstly, the
developmental theory on bullying which emphasized that
bullying begins in early childhood when individuals begin to
assert themselves at the expense of others in order to establish
their social dominance. They tend at first to do so crudely, for
instance by hitting out at others, especially those less powerful
than themselves, in an attempt to intimidate them. Besides, as
children develop they begin to employ less socially
reprehensible ways of dominating others. Verbal and indirect
forms of bullying become more common than physical forms.
In time, the kind of behavior that is generally labeled as
"bullying" becomes relatively rare. Secondly, the theory of
attributions to individual differences which explained that the
broad explanations in terms of developmental processes and
environmental influences fail to take into account individual
differences between people that may lead to interactions that
result in one person bullying another.Thirdly, bullying as a
sociocultural phenomenon wherein this perspective seeks to
explain bullying as an outcome of the existence of specified
social groups with different levels of power. The focus is
typically on differences which have a historical and cultural
basis, such as gender, race or ethnicity and social class. Major
emphasis has been placed upon differences associated with
gender. Society is seen as essentially patriarchal. Males are
seen as generally having more power than females as a
consequence of societal beliefs that males should be the
dominant sex. In order to maintain their dominance, boys feel
justified in oppressing girls. It is sometimes claimed that
bullying tends to be associated with racial or ethnic divides. It
is argued that some ethnic groups are more powerful than
others whom they seek to dominate. Typically, the less
powerful are the victims of colonialism. The sociocultural
perspective on bullying can have striking implications for how
a school approaches the problem of bullying. Attention is
directed towards how the school curriculum in its broadest
sense can influence children to accept and respect
sociocultural differences. It is suggested that not only should
the school curriculum explicitly and directly address issues
related to differences in gender, race or ethnicity and social
class in order to counter prejudice and discrimination, but
importantly the mode of delivery of the curricula should
indirectly address bullying through the stimulus it provides to
cooperative problem-solving, emotional sensitivity and
independent critical thinking.Fourthly, bullying as a response
to group and peer pressures within the school is an approach
that has something in common with the sociocultural
approach in that it conceives bullying as understandable in a
social context. However, the context is not defined according
to sociocultural categories such as gender, race and class.
There is first a broad social context consisting of the behaviors
and attitudes of members of the entire school community.
Individuals are seen as influenced to a degree by their
perceptions of what may be called the school ethos, and
student welfare policies may be systematically directed
towards its improvement [33]. Secondly, students are
powerfully influenced by a smaller group of peers with whom
they have relatively close association. Such groups are
typically formed within a school on the basis of common
interests and purposes, and provide support for group
members. The implications for schools are that they must be
aware of the roles played by groups as distinct from
individuals. They need to identify groups and work with
them. Several methods have been devised for working with
groups of children who have bullied or are suspected of
bullying others. Lastly, bullying from the perspective of
restorative justice which recognizes that some children are
more likely than others to be involved in bully/victim
problems as a consequence of the kind of character they have
developed. Children who bully others typically feel little or no
pride in their school and are not well integrated into the
community [23].
1.4 Significance of the Study
This study explored the different experiences of bullying in
the campus including its effects and consequences to victims,
their coping mechanisms and insights learned. The
experiences of the participants may serve as lessons to all
students, teachers, parents and the entire community in order
to be aware of the negative effects of bullying to both the
victims and bullies. Through this study, preventive measures
could be possibly discovered which may minimize, if not
eliminate, bullying inside the school premises.
Findings of this research could lead to a better understanding
of campus bullying that would encourage school
administrators, guidance counselors, teacher-advisers and
subject teachers formulate policies in addressing the said
problem. Once bullying is carefully dealt with, students may
be motivated to learn and eventually academic standings
would be improved.
1.5 Delimitation and Limitation of the Study
This qualitative inquiry is delimited only to the identified
three students who are frequently reported, noted, and
observed as victims of bullying at Optaciano Hilay National
High, Manambulan, Tugbok District, Davao City, Philippines.
These participants were officially enrolled in the senior high
school for the School Year 2017 – 2018. Bullies were not
included in this study.
One of the weaknesses of this study was the limited number of
participants in which their shared experiences may not truly
represent the reality that of the majority of the population in
the entire City of Davao. Besides, since it utilized qualitative
method, this cannot make generalization or general conclusion
about campus bullying. However, the researcher made sure
that trustworthiness and credibility of the participants were
dealt with utmost safeguard.
2. Literature Review
Presented in the succeeding paragraphs are the significant
literature, related readings, and previous studies about
campus bullying which gave wider understanding and
perspective about this phenomenon.
Schools are considered to be one of the safest places where
children are seen on a daily basis and are under the
supervision of teachers who are trained and equipped
caregivers. Children are victims of all forms of abuse,
punishment, neglect, discrimination, and ill-treatment within
the school setting. Though there are various policies and
programs at the international and national levels, addressing
child protection has been a serious challenge for every
community. Children need to be protected and any acts that
hamper their well-being and safety need to be curbed [32].
In the study of Banzon-Librojo, Garabiles, and Alampay [4],
the experiences of harsh teacher discipline predicted higher
bullying victimization and students' negative perception of
teacher support. The findings suggest that school discipline
strategies may have repercussions on students' behaviors and
relationships, highlighting the teacher's role in modeling and
setting norms for acceptable behaviors.
Likewise, Andreou [2] emphasized that both bullying and
victimization are associated with self-evaluations in diverse
domains and emotional coping strategies in conflictual peer
interactions. Bully/victims are a distinct group in terms of low
levels of social acceptance and problem-solving ability.
Evidence exists of considerable problems with bullying and
bullied children in secondary schools. In the largest survey in
the United Kingdom to date, ten percent of pupils reported
that they had been bullied ‚sometimes or more often‛ during
that term, with four percent reporting being bullied ‚at least
once a week.‛ The impact of the introduction of policies on
bullying throughout a school seems to be limited. The most
common type of bullying is general name-calling, followed by
being hit, threatened, or having rumors spread about one.
Bullying is thought to be more prevalent among boys and the
youngest pupils in a school. We are unaware of any study that
has examined the mental health problems of children who are
being bullied. We assessed self-reported anxiety, depression,
and self-esteem in bullied children and those who were not
bullied and in bullies and those who were not bullies [29].
Seeking help was the most recommended, with significant
national differences notably for social exclusion. Victims were
thought not to seek help for several reasons, again varying by
nationality [18].
In the study of Naylor and Cowie [24], teachers' and pupils'
perceptions and experiences of peer support systems in
challenging bullying in U.K. (mainly English) secondary
schools and colleges have been found to be effective in
reducing the negative effects of bullying for victims.
Collectively, the respondents also perceived many important
benefits to users of these systems, to peer supporters and to
the school as a whole, including helping to create a socio-
emotional climate of ‚care‛. The respondents also perceived
problems with these systems and, importantly, how they have
been overcome and might be further improved.
It has been suggested that the mental health of school children
can be undermined by repeated bullying at school and further
exacerbated by having inadequate social support. To evaluate
this claim, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was
administered anonymously to 845 adolescent schoolchildren
attending coeducational secondary schools in South Australia,
together with measures of the extent to which each reported
being bullied at school and the social support available to
them. Multiple regression analyses indicated that for both
sexes frequent peer victimization and low social support
contributed significantly and independently to relatively poor
mental health [25].
Whitted and Dupper [36] emphasized that reducing violence
in schools is a major concern of educators, parents, and
legislators. Violence manifests itself in numerous ways, and
there is growing evidence that low-level or underlying forms
of violence have a profound effect on the learning
environment of the school. Bullying is the most prevalent form
of low-level violence in schools today and, if left unchecked,
can lead to more serious forms of violence. Consequently, an
essential aspect of school violence prevention is the
identification and implementation of interventions and
strategies designed to prevent or reduce bullying in schools.
3 Research Methods
This qualitative inquiry used a case study method in order to
have in-depth information about the participants. It offers a
reflective mode of inquiry that seeks to understand the
campus bullying experiences of senior high school students.
According to Creswell [9] that case study research involves the
study of a case within real-life, contemporary context or
setting. This type of qualitative study has various advantages
which made the inquirer chose this design. A qualitative case
study can be composed to illustrate a unique case that is
unusual interest in and of itself and needs to be described and
detailed. A hallmark of this design is that it presents an in-
depth understanding of the case.
Purposive sampling technique was used to identify the three
participants of this study who are frequently bullied senior
high school students at Optaciano Hilay National High
School, Manambulan, Tugbok, Davao City. The participants
were composed of one male and two female senior high school
students. The pseudonyms used in this study were Precious,
Joy, and Great, not their real names. Approvals from the
school principal and parental consent were secured before the
conduct of this study. The researcher collected the data from
comprehensive interviews, observations, documents and
audio recorded materials. Semi-structured interview was used
in gathering the data wherein responses were recorded,
transcribed, translated and underwent thematic analysis.
Participation in this study was dealt with utmost
confidentiality and high ethical consideration.
The role of the researcher in this study was being sensitive to
the varied opinions, ideas, and interpretations of the shared
experiences of the participants. Besides, being inquisitive may
lead in creating new knowledge and the appreciation of that
knowledge. As a researcher, the author believed in his
qualification for more that eleven years in the teaching
profession and his capability to manage study related risks.
Further, the researcher showed confidence in connecting with
the participants through manifesting empathy with them. The
researcher had to adjust to different situations and reactions to
avoid being judgmental. As a story teller, the researcher
described the essentials of this study which emphasized being
positive and strong amidst adversities in life. To eliminate
biases, objectivity was maintained in the entire research
process through participants’ verification of the narratives and
interpretations of the collected data.
3.1 Trustworthiness school. The meaning of their experiences emerged after
The researcher highly considered trustworthiness of transcripts and narratives were transcribed. Developed core
qualitative data. DeVault [12] emphasized that the concepts of ideas were presented in the preceding sections with its
validity and reliability are relatively foreign to the field of corresponding major themes.
qualitative research. Instead of focusing on reliability and The three participants of the study were given ample time to
validity, qualitative researchers substitute data with answer the questions that I asked to them. The in-depth
trustworthiness. Specifically, this study followed Lincoln and interview lasted about one hour which was enough to saturate
Guba’s *21] trustworthiness which consists of credibility, the essentialities of campus bullied students.
transferability, dependability, and confirmability.
Lincoln and Guba [21] defined credibility as confidence in the 4.1 Campus Bullying Experiences
‘truth’ of the findings prolonged engagement, persistent The shared experiences of campus bullied students are
observation, triangulation, peer debriefing, and member- encapsulated into essential themes and thematic statements as
checking. In this study, the researcher consulted mentors to do shown in Table 1.
peer debriefing by listening, prompting, and recording the TABLE 1
insights through the entire conduct of the study. Also, CAMPUS BULLYING EXPERIENCES
persistent observations to the participants through face-to-face
interview were conducted and responses were verified by the Essential Themes Thematic Statements
participants to ensure its truthfulness. They called me “kokok”, “brown
Gay, Mills, and Airasian [15] defined transferability as the rabbit” “agta”, and “ongoy”.
researcher’s belief that everything is context-bound. This was
achieved in this study where sufficient details and rich I was called “horse”, “bat”,
descriptions of the experiences of students were ensured “monkey” and “monster”.
through in-depth interview and come up with similarities Name-Calling or
between situations which can be transferred into another Verbal Abuse They would call me “kapayas”.
context with enough detail and precision.
Ary, Jacobs, and Razavieh [3] explained that dependability is They told me that I am ugly, bald and
dull.
met by establishing audit trail. In this study, field notes,
Sometimes, I heard discouraging
transcripts, translations, and audio tapes of all in-depth remarks from my classmates like I am
interviews from each participant were kept in the archival not good and my brain is empty.
envelope where properly labelled and available in case of They had thrown away my bag with
audit and retrieval. my valuables inside into the tab of
To ensure confirmability, the researcher made sure that water.
findings were the results of the experiences and ideas of the There was an instance that my food
participants. Triangulation was conducted to classmates and was taken from me.
subject teachers in order to avoid biases. According to Denzin My school books were stolen and
and Lincoln [10] that confirmability is referred to neutrality or sometimes thrown away into the
Physical Bullying
objectivity of the data collected which can be achieved by garbage bin or up in the broken
ceiling of our classroom.
applying triangulation.
My schoolbag was stolen from me.
My classmate quickly remove my hat
3.2 Ethical Considerations and hit my head
This study highly embraced and practiced high ethical Sometimes, they would push me
considerations. The anonymity of the participants was strictly without any reason.
observed through the use of identifier or pseudonym. The Nobody wanted me to be part of the
purpose of the study, its procedures, and outcomes were group activity.
clearly explained to the participants. It was emphasized that I feel discriminated in the classroom.
Social
participation in this study is purely voluntary and no They ignored me with their
Discrimination
monetary compensation involved. Permission from the school conversations.
principal was also secured. Parental consent allowing the When I answer in class discussions,
participants to be part of this research was also required. An my classmates laughed at me.
informed consent was signed by the participants of the study.
All information and data collected were original, properly Name-calling or Verbal Abuse. It is when someone,
transcribed, verified by the participants, underwent peer who is a bully, uses insulting or demeaning language to mock,
debriefing, and no making up of data or alterations of results. embarrass or insult another person [28]. The participants
Appropriate words were carefully used in translating the experienced teasing and name-calling which causes them
interview responses. distress and undermines their feelings of security. Harsh it
may seemed but one participant, Precious, not her real name,
4. Results and Discussion
This qualitative case study gave premium in exploring the was called ‚monkey‛, ‚monster‛, ‚bat‛, ‚brown rabbit‛,
lived experiences of bullied students in the public senior high because of her brown complexion. The male participant,
Great, not his real name, was once named as dull, bald and discriminate him not to be part of the group. With these
ugly. Joy, not her real name, was called as ‚stick‛ because of discriminating experiences, participants preferred not be part
her very lean body and described as ‚with empty brain‛. of the group and isolate themselves. However, they still did
Being tagged as such demeaning remarks, participants felt the task assigned to them despite the feeling of being excluded
humiliated, ashamed, and low self-esteem towards oneself. in the class. Bittencourt, Ganzo de Castro, Alves, Palazzo,
Marcia [22] supported this by emphasizing that the every time Monteiro, Vieira, and Freddo [5] highlighted that in the school
someone is verbally abused, whether occasionally or environment, discrimination can involve teachers, employees,
regularly, it chips away at their confidence and diminishes family members and students, all of whom can be
their spirit. Verbal abuse can take place anywhere from the discriminatory agents. When this occurs among students, the
playground to the workplace, home to the street and nobody discriminated adolescent is not the only victim; the aggressor
is immune from encountering it. is also a victim, often feeling insecure and having social
Shetgiri [30] cited physical bullying and verbal bullying as relationship problems. In addition to the aggressor and the
direct forms and relational bullying as an indirect mode. victim, there are the witnesses to this situation, who remain
Physical bullying may include hitting, pushing, kicking, silent as they are afraid to become the next victim and, for this
chocking, and forcefully taking something from the victim. reason, also turn into aggressors at times.
Verbal bullying includes name-calling, threatening, taunting,
malicious teasing, and psychological intimidation using words 4.2 Coping Mechanisms
and the like. Besides, stealing, destroying things of others and In spite of the campus bullying experiences encountered by
making faces or offensive actions are other forms of bullying. the participants, they were able to stand and believe in
The relational type of bullying includes gossiping, slandering, themselves that they can cope with their trials and difficulties.
sabotage, and convincing peers to exclude victims [14]. Presented in Table 2 are the coping mechanisms of bullied
Physical Bullying. This type of bullying may take many students.
forms: hitting, pushing, tripping, slapping, spitting, stealing or
TABLE 2
destroying possessions, including books, clothing, or lunch COPING MECHANISMS
money. Participants experienced damaging of their personal
belongings like throwing way their bags, even stealing their Essential Thematic Statements
packed lunch including some personal valuables. Great, not Themes
his real name, was once hit on his head for removing his cap I just ignore them.
without permission. Likewise, Joy, not her real name, I don’t care about what they call
about me.
experienced pushing and hitting of notebook at her back. The Passivity
I let it in one ear and out in the other.
school books of Precious, not her real name, were stolen and I restrain myself even if people call
sometimes thrown away into the garbage bin or up in the me ugly and dull.
broken ceiling of their classroom. With these, scenarios, the I told myself to make the experience
bullied students felt emotionally distressed and the feeling of an inspiration/motivation
being belittled dominated their hearts. Nonetheless, physical I just continue my schooling despite
bullying is a serious problem, affecting not only the bully and hurtful experiences of bullying.
Optimism and
I motivate myself to finish my senior
the victim, but also the other students who witness the Perseverance
high school even if at times I feel
bullying. Parents, teachers, and other concerned adults and discouraged.
young people should be aware of what a physical bully is and I just considered bullying as a mere
some of the ways to handle it [7]. challenge that I can surpass.
Social Discrimination. This happens when students felt I felt accepted by my real
discriminated during class group activities, making of projects classmates and friends.
and performance tasks to be done collaboratively. The victims My teacher supported with me every
time I am bullied.
of bullying experienced discrimination and rejection in class
My close friends advised to me to
activities. For no specific reason, Joy, not her real name, was Peer-support fight and not be carried away by my
ignored in conversations with classmates and ridiculed every System bully classmates.
time she participated in class discussion. Also, Precious, not My parents keep on telling me to
her real name, was oftentimes unwelcomed to class groupings ignore those bully students.
during performance tasks set by the teacher. As a result, the My class adviser and subject
teachers keep on reminding my
teacher would assign her to a group where students could not
classmates to avoid bullying.
refuse. In the case of Great, not his real name, he would walk
out of the classroom and stayed in the canteen or in any Passivity. Victims of bullying preferred to ignore bullies,
corners of the campus when his classmates would negative remarks and insensitive words. Participants became
passive whenever they are bullied in school. They just simply Peer support can play a part in this process by monitoring
ignored negativities and refrained negative people which may social interaction during break times to support individuals
affect their emotions. Bullying Statistics [6] shared an advice to who are being targeted and to be vigilant in reporting abusive
cope with bullying by ignoring the bully. This is difficult, but behavior. Peer support schemes take account of the power of
if you can shrug off insults and provide no reaction, there is a emotionally sensitive individuals to use their own and others’
chance that eventually the bully will move on to someone who emotional states to prevent problems and find solutions to
provides a more interesting and responsive target. Remain bullying and abuse
civil. Do not resort to rudeness yourself. Many bullies lose Likewise, some schools sought to promote peer support as a
interest if you do not sink to their level. Also, if you act rudely proactive approach to countering bullying. Arguably students
and aggressively yourself, you may invite a physical who are supported by others are less likely to be bullied.
confrontation, which could add physical hurts to the
Buddy programs were therefore employed in some schools in
emotional.
which older students were linked with younger, more
Optimism and Perseverance. Being positive and persistent in
life, participants were able to cope with bullying. As the vulnerable students to whom they offered support. Peer
common phrase stated that ‘life must go on’, this was the spirit mediation was also encouraged in some schools. As a
of the participants in overcoming bullying experiences. proactive measure it provides an opportunity for students to
Precious, not her real name, told herself to take those verbal be assisted in resolving minor problems or conflicts before
and physical bullying encounters as a motivation and they escalated into more serious affairs involving bullying.
inspiration to pursue her dreams in life. Life needs to be
Peer mediation was supported by 15 of the 26 schools, but of
continued despite being bullied as emphasized by Great, not
these only 7 indicated that they provided special training [27].
his real name, because according to him, there is more to life
than being engrossed with the negativities of the world.
4.3 Realizations and Insights
Gordon [17+ stated that positive thinking impacts a person’s
At the outset, participants of the study shared their
ability to cope with bullying. Instead of dwelling on the
realizations and insights about their experiences on bullying in
negative aspects and messages from bullying, optimistic
people tend to cope with the situation in much more the school.
productive and positive ways.
TABLE 3
Peer-support System. Despite those traumatic experiences
REALIZATIONS AND INSIGHTS
encountered by the participants, they still found support from
their close friends, classmates, teachers, and parents who
Essential Themes Thematic Statements
through thick and thin helped them cope with campus
Low confidence strikes me because
bullying. Precious, not her real name, explained that she was
of bullying.
encouraged by her teachers not to mind those bullies and be Campus bullying
I feel emotionally hurt whenever
not affected with whatever name-calling they utter towards leads to emotional
they tease me.
her. Joy, not her real name, also found comfort with her close distress and low self-
I can no longer actively participate
friends who kept on giving positive and spirit-lifting advices esteem.
in the class because I am afraid to
and support. Great, not his real name, added that he felt
be bullied.
happy every time the teachers would remind the class to
Bully students should realize that
avoid bullying in any forms and in any places. The
to be a victim of bullying is not a
participants were all supported by their parents through
joke.
giving pieces of inspiring words. Smith, Ananiadou, & Cowie Bullies should be
It is not easy to be bullied because it
[32] clearly said that peer-support system helps reduce school sensitive to others’
really hurts deep inside.
bullying. This method includes: cooperative group work in the emotions.
Being a victim of bullying, we also
classroom; circle time in which the class addresses relationship
have feelings because we are
issues, including anger, fighting, and bullying; circle of friends
human too.
who provide support team of peers to work with a vulnerable
student; befriending, in which a student or students are Bullying is no good.
assigned to ‚be with‛ or ‚befriend‛ a peer; school watch, a Bullying should be In school, bullying should be
program in which students elect a committee of peers who minimized, if not minimized if not avoided.
propose and implement anti-bullying activities. avoided, in the Bullying cases should never be
Furthermore, Cowie [8] emphasized that the adoption of peer school. ignored no matter how simple the
support within a school can create opportunities for students case may be.
to be proactive in challenging bullying when they observe it.
Campus bullying leads to emotional distress and low self-
esteem. Victims suffered emotional distress and low
confidence in oneself every time they are bullied. Great, not
his real name, felt very low confidence in facing his classmates
and participating in class activities because of those hurtful
words thrown against him. Joy and Precious experienced the
same feeling of discrimination which made them emotionally
affected. As a result, bullied students showed low
involvement in school and community activities.
Results are allied with the study of Gloppen, MnMorris,
Gower and Eisenberg [16] who revealed that being involved in
bullying as a victim or perpetrator is associated with
emotional distress and suicidality, and American Indian youth
experience a disproportionately high rate of these mental
health issues. Additionally, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development [13] that
bullying can affect physical and emotional health, both in the
short term and later in life. It can lead to physical injury, social
problems, emotional problems, and even death. Those who
are bullied are at increased risk for mental health problems,
headaches, and problems adjusting to school. Bullying also
can cause long-term damage to self-esteem. Children and
adolescents who are bullies are at increased risk for substance
use, academic problems, and violence to others later in life.
Bullies should be sensitive to others’ emotions. This was an
appeal by the participants to bully classmates and
schoolmates. They are humans with feelings and emotions too.
It is not easy to be bullied because its impact goes directly to
the heart of a person. Campus bullying is no joke as exclaimed
by Great and Precious, not their real names, since it affected
them emotionally, psychologically, and socially. Joy, not her
real name, appealed to those bully students that they should
stop doing it for it hurts ones heart.
However, Lamia [19] explained that bullies induce shame and
humiliation in others by intuitively recognizing a person's
insecurities and attacking them. The bully’s attacks are
projections of their own shame and feelings of inadequacy that
are modified to penetrate a victim’s vulnerability. Attacking
others not only halts any inclination to look within
themselves, it also can be exciting as it stimulates the physical
experience of power. Although bullies diminish others in
order to raise themselves up, they are not conscious of how
negatively they feel about themselves. Diminishing others
keeps their need to elevate themselves out of their conscious
awareness. Despite with this reality, bullies still have a chance
to be changed to being sensitive to others’ feelings if only
given proper guidance.
Bullying should be minimized, if not avoided, in the school.
Schools need to address these problems and take any instance
of bullying seriously. Participants emphasized that bullying is
not good and that it must be minimized if not eliminated.
Great, not his real name, said that bullying cases in the
classroom no matter how minor its gravity should not be
ignored or taken for granted. Teachers should also take actions
and settle bullying problems. Addressing and preventing
bullying requires the participation of all major school
constituencies, school leaders, teachers, parents, and students.
By taking organized school-wide measures and providing
individuals with the strategies to counteract bullying schools
can reduce the instances of bullying and be better prepared to
address it when it happens.
Lesley Univeristy [20] encouraged educators to do the six
ways of preventing bullying in schools namely: (1) teach
kindness and empathy - the ability to put yourself in someone
else’s shoes, and teachers need to embed this skill into their
curriculum; (2) create opportunities for connection - fostering
a sense of community in your classroom can lower bullying
incidents and facilitate healing for targeted students. Research
shows that when targeted students feel connected to peers,
they’re better able to cope with being bullied. Studies also
indicate that teaching students to speak up when they witness
bullying behavior, and to take a stand against it, can reduce
future bullying situations by more than 50 percent ; (3)
identify ‘gateway behaviors' - researchers have found that
small behaviors can often signal the beginning patterns of
bullying. Often missed by educators who already have so
much on their plates, these indicators, called ‚gateway
behaviors,‛ can be difficult to detect. But, if you can recognize
them early on, there’s a chance you could prevent bullying
behavior from developing down the road; (4) use the arts to
create context - the arts can be a powerful tool for helping
young people see situations from different perspectives. Using
drama, literature, and the visual arts as a vehicle for
conversation, educators can help students understand the
negative impact of bullying; (5) minimize ‘concentric circles’ in
schools – it is a truth that most teachers do not like to talk
about: Educators can be bullies, too. And when teachers feel
bullied by colleagues, their students can also become
negatively impacted; and (6) participate in simulations -
theorizing about how to prevent and respond to bullying in
schools is one thing. Witnessing it for the first time is entirely
another. Without adequate pre-service training, it can be
difficult for new teachers to know exactly how they’ll react
when bullying situations arise.
5. Implications and Concluding Remarks
This study implies the strict implementation of Republic Act
No. 10627 otherwise known as the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 in
secondary schools. A re-orientation of the implementing rules
and guidelines may be needed in order that the students,
parents, teachers and the entire community would be aware of
their important role in addressing the problem on campus
bullying. Besides, a school may have a peer counselor’s
organization or club that would help victims cope with their
emotional distress caused by bullying.
Future research about campus bullying may have better
results when the participants may be escalated into a bigger
number to generate substantive patterns, similarities and
differences. More in-depth and longitudinal study is
recommended to enrich the body of knowledge and for the
development of theoretical models of campus bullying.
Moreover, the researcher may include not only the victims of
bullying but also those bullies in the school of basic education,
junior high school and senior high school.
Campus bullying is prevalent in every school, specifically,
inside the classroom. Teachers and students can be both
victims and bullies; hence, it is a serious problem to address
on. Classroom as a learning environment is not exempted
from bullying, in fact, simple cases of it happen in the
classroom. Bullying, if ignored, may create emotional and
psychological effects on the part of the students. Hence, there
is a big challenge on making a concrete intervention program
which may help address problems on campus bullying.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This fruit of hard work, patience and perseverance is made
possible by the great providence of God who unconditionally
gives His blessings and love that continue to inspire the
researcher to pursue this paper. Besides, to all the people in his
life who untiringly encourage, support, guide, accompany him
through manifold trials and triumphs. The researcher humbly
expressed his sincere and heartfelt appreciation and gratitude
to his loved ones, mentors, colleagues, friends and relatives
whose words of inspiration made this paper realized.
Specifically, the researcher would like to mention the
following: Dr. Johnito O. Galan, PSDS of Cluster 6; his second
family, the OHNHS colleagues namely: Dr. Emy B. Goc-ong,
Mrs. Lourdes G. Ang, Mrs. Corazon S. Adlawan, Mrs. Marilou
C. Bucog, Mrs. Eunice R. Gentiles, Mrs. Janeth A. Sosmeña,
Mrs. Rutchelyn D. Lapidez, Sir Daniel O. Sevillano and Mr.
Rodillo L. Palarion, for their constant encouragement; and
most especially to his parents, Mr. Alfonso H. Galabo Sr. and
Mrs. Julieta R. Galabo, together with his siblings, Froilan,
Cherry, Alfonso Jr., Lovella, Aljames, Al Francis, Christler, his
cutest nephew, Hanno Jacob, and his adorable niece, Baby Aly.
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