CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION
I shall remember forever and will never forget
Monday: My money was taken.
Tuesday: Names called.
Wednesday: My uniform torn.
Thursday: My body pouring with blood.
Friday: Its ended.
Saturday: Freedom.

The final entry on diary pages of a thirteen-year old boy named, Vijay Singh. He was
found hanging from the banister rail at home on Sunday. (Banister 2003)

One of the problems and alarming issue in school is bullying. Bullying is defined by the
Merriam and Webster dictionary as a blustering brow beating person especially one habitually
cruel to others who are weaker. It is a process wherein a weak party is sought after or intimidated
by stronger or dominant party of an individual or group (Rigby, 2002; Howey, 2008; Peano-Ho
in Dario, 2000). This aggressive behavior and imbalance of power play is not within a single
instance but over an extended period of time. (Rigby, 2002; Howey, 2008; Peano-Ho in Dario,
2000)

While apparently a common phenomenon that is no longer given much attention in

media, bullying remains to be an act that has a long-term effects on the victims. According to
Olweus (1997), negative acts only qualify as bullying if they take place repeatedly, over time,
and if the negative acts are intentional and the victim cannot defend him or herself.

Olweus (1993) proposed that bullying is a repeated negative action to which a person is exposed
to by one or more students. A negative action occurs when a person intentionally inflicts injury or
discomfort upon another person through means of physical contact or words. Actions are not considered
bullying if students of equal strength fight or disagree because bullying involves a power imbalance.
Thus, bullying is a repeated aggressive behavior intentionally causing hurt or discomfort toward another
by means of physical or verbal contact that is characterized by a power imbalance such that it is difficult
for the victim to make the bully stop.

Bullies often come from homes where physical punishment is used, where the children
are taught to strike back physically as a way to handle problems, and where parental involvement
and warmth are frequently lacking. Students who regularly display bullying behaviors are
generally defiant or oppositional toward adults, antisocial and apt to break school rules. In
contrast, to prevailing myths, bullies appear to have little anxiety and to possess strong selfesteem. There is little evidence to support the contention that they victimize others because they
feel had about themselves (Batsche&Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993).

Students who are victims of bullying are typically anxious, insecure, cautious, and suffer
from low self-esteem, rarely, defending themselves or retaliating when confronted by students

who bully them. They may lack social skills and friends, and they often socially isolated. Victims
tend to be close to their parents and may have parents who can be described as overprotective.
The major defining physical characteristics of victim is that they tend to be physically weaker
than their peers-other physical characteristics such as weight, dress, or wearing eyeglasses do not
appear to be significant factors that can be correlated with victimization. (Batsche&Knoff, 1994;
Olweus, 1993)

Victims often fear school and consider school to be an unsafe and unhappy place. As may
as 7% of Americas eight-graders stay home at least once a month because of bullies. The act of
being bullied tends to increase some students isolation because their peers do not want to lose
status by associating with them or because they do not want to increase the risks of being bullied
themselves. (Batsche&Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993)

Bullying is a problem that occurs in the social environment as a whole. The bullies
Aggression occurs in social contexts in which teachers and parents are generally unaware of the
extent of the problem and other children are either reluctant to get involved or simply do not
know how to help. (Charach, Pepler& Ziegler, 1995)

Bullying can create a hell on earth for someone who is victimized, and can seriously
threaten that persons opportunities in life. Equally important, the social climate of school is a
model of the world outside. It is where people develop a large part of their morality, their
understanding of how the world works and their sense of responsibility towards the society they
live in.

To all the adults who are silently suffering the brunt of bullying, may adults should be
awaken that bullying is not just an unpleasant rite of passage through childhood but a public
health problem that merits attention. John Edwin Mania (2005)

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

This study, focused on the cause and effect of bullying to the selected high school
students of Commonwealth High School. Bullying has two key components: repeated harmful
acts and an imbalance of power. It involves repeated physical, verbal, or psychological attacks or
intimidation directed against a victim who cannot properly defend him- or herself because of size
or strength, or because the victim is outnumbered or less psychologically resilient.

Not all taunting, teasing and fighting among school children constitute bullying. Two
person of approximately the same strength (physical or psychological) fighting or quarreling is
not bullying. Rather, bullying entails repeated acts by someone perceived as physically or
psychologically more powerful.

The researchers conduct this study because of some issues that bullying is widely known
in schools. The researchers chose Commonwealth High School as their locale the fact that
bullying is the eye centered of the society. Commonwealth High School was chosen by the
researchers to help them decrease the rate of bullying if there is. The researchers based the study
to the Ronald G. Velasquez thesis entitled Bullying and Home and School Environment.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Ken Rigby School Bullying
"Bullying involves an initial desire to hurt, this desire is expressed in action, someone is hurt, the
action is directed by a more powerful person or group, it is without justification, it is typically
repeated, and it is done so with evident enjoyment." Ken Rigby (1998).
Meads Theory of Social Behaviorism
Sociologist George Herbert Mead believed that people develop self-images through interactions
with other people. He argued that the self, which is the part of a persons personality consisting
of self-awareness and self-image, is a product of social experience. Meads theory, Symbolic
Interactionism states that an individuals sense of self is socially constructed through
interactions and the use of language with other human beings. It means being
The Schachter-Singer Theory
The theory thus presents a model of emotional experience based on cognitive labels in response
to physiological excitation. In this theory the individual senses the particular emotional object of
situation through the sense organs. An induced form of autonomic arousal then follows this
perception. Accompanying this general pattern of sympathetic excitation is a specific cognitive
label, which allows one to interpret this stirred-up state in terms of the characteristics of the
precipitating situation and ones apperceptive mass. [3] The theory also addresses the salience
of feedback mechanisms, as past experience provide the framework within which one
understands and labels his (sic) feelings.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Demographic profile of the

selected high school students of
Commonwealth High School

Bully
Cause & Effect

Kinds of Bullying
conditions performed
by the students

Physical
Psychological

Physical
Verbal
Social

Victims
Cause & Effect

Questionnaire
Interview
Survey
Statistical
Treatment
Interpretation
and Analysis

To identify the causes and effects of bullying

and to know the possible solutions with regard
to the matter.

To open the awareness of the school

community, administrators, parents and teachers
about bullying.

Develop guidance programs and services.

Physical
Psychological

Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework of this study. The input is consists of the Kinds
of Bullying conditions performed by the respondents: Physical, Verbal, and Social. The input
also consists of the demographic profile of the respondents: Gender, Age, and Family
Background.

For the process, the respondents were given a questionnaire. Aside from floating
questionnaires, the researchers also conducted an interview to the respondents to make the study
more effective. The researchers used statistical treatment to analyze the gathered data.

For the output, the researchers conducted the findings regarding of the Cause and Effect
of School Bullying to the Selected High School Students of Commonwealth High School. From
the findings that they got, the researchers conducted a seminar to help the school community to
be more aware about the cause and effect of bullying. The seminar also intended to help develop
the guidance services offered by the school.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

1. What is the demographic profile of the students in terms of:
1.1 Age
1.2 Gender
1.3 Family Background
1.3.1 Monthly Income
1.3.2 Number of Siblings
1.4 Year level currently attended
2. What are the kinds of bullying conditions performed by the students in terms of the
following aspects:
2.1 Physical
2.2 Verbal
2.3 Social
3. What are the causes of bullying in victim and bully in terms of the following aspects:
3.1 Physical
3.2 Psychological
4. What are the effects of bullying in victim and bully in terms of the following aspects:
4.1 Physical
4.2 Psychological
5. What are the possible solutions of bullying to the selected students of Commonwealth
High School?

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study was conducted to determine the Cause and Effect of School Bullying to the Selected
High School Students of Commonwealth High School. And what are the possible actions or
solutions that the researchers can be use to solve this issue.

ASSUMPTION

In this study, the researchers assumed that the selected students of Commonwealth High School
will answer the questionnaires and interviews accurately in order to find out the result of this
research. The researchers also assumed that the study will have a great contribution to the school
community, students, administrators, parents and teachers about bullying.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This part discusses about the importance of this study entitled: The Cause and Effect of School
Bullying to the Selected Students of Commonwealth High School to the following:

To the Students

This study will help the students to be aware about bullying especially to the
bullies and its victims on how to handle situations regarding bullying.

To the School
This study will catch the attention of the school community to come up with a
comprehensive plan to assist students in their predicaments. This will also serve
as their basis for an in-depth understanding on the nature and extent of bullying in
their school.

To the Future Researchers

This study will help the future researchers to establish additional concepts about
anti-bullying programs.

To the Parents
This study will inform the parents to be more aware of the causes and effects of
bullying that their children may experience.

DEFINITION OF TERMS
To provide a better understanding of some terms used throughout this study, the following terms
are defined:
Technical
Bully Persistently treating somebody abusively; one habitually cruel to others who are weaker.
Bullying Is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or
perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated
overtime. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious lasting problems.

Bystander Someone who witness bullying

Cause something or someone that produces an effect, result or condition. Are reasons for doing
or feeling something
Effect a change that result when something is done or happens: an event, condition, or state of
affairs that is produced by a cause.
Resilient able to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens.
Taunting a sarcastic challenge or insult: to say insulting things to (someone) in order to make
that person angry.
Victims a person who has been attacked, injured, robbed, or killed by someone else
Operational
Victims are the ones that have been experience being bullied at school, home, etc.