Strategies for controlling bullying in High Schools in South Africa
Keywords:
Bullying, School Environment, Learner Well-being, Anti-bullying Policies, Interpersonal ViolenceAbstract
This study explores practical strategies for controlling bullying to enhance the school environment in a selected high school within the Chris Hani West District. Bullying remains a pervasive issue in educational settings, profoundly impacting students' psychological well-being, academic performance, and overall school climate. This research employs a mixed-methods approach, incorporating quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews with students, teachers, and parents to identify the prevalence of bullying behaviours and the effectiveness of existing interventions. The findings suggest that fostering open communication and strengthening community partnerships can significantly reduce bullying incidents and enhance learners' experiences. Additionally, findings highlighted that implementing a buddy system can help mitigate bullying by ensuring students have someone to rely on during vulnerable periods, such as breaks. This study recommends designating safe spaces within the school for at-risk students, integrating social-emotional learning into the curriculum, and increasing adult supervision in common areas as further measures to mitigate bullying. This study advocates for a holistic and collaborative approach, engaging all stakeholders in creating a safer, more supportive educational environment. By drawing on best practices and evidencing successful interventions, this research aims to provide actionable recommendations that school administrators and policymakers can utilise to combat bullying in high school settings effectively
References
Ahinkorah, B. O. (2021, March). Bullying victimisation among in-school adolescents in Ghana: Analysis of prevalence and correlates from the global school-based health survey. Healthcare, 9(3), 292. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9030292.
Bear, G. G. (2020). Improving school climate: Practical strategies to reduce behavior problems and promote social and emotional learning. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003001394,
Bokhove, C., Muijs, D., & Downey, C. (2022). The influence of school climate and achievement on bullying: Comparative evidence from international large-scale assessment data. Educational Research, 64(1), 18–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2022.2026161
Bradshaw, C. P., Cohen, J., Espelage, D. L., & Nation, M. (2021). Addressing school safety through comprehensive school climate approaches. School Psychology Review, 50(2-3), 221–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2021.1908600
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). Contexts of child rearing: Problems and prospects. American Psychologist, 34(10), 844–850. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.34.10.844.
Bronfenbrenner, U., & Ceci, S. J. (1994). Nature-nurture reconceptualized in developmental perspective: A bioecological model. Psychological Review, 101(4), 568–586. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.101.4.568 .
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Recent advances in research on the ecology of human development. In R. K. Silbereisen, K. Eyferth, & G. Rudinger (Eds.), Development as action in context: Problem behavior and normal youth development (pp. 287–309). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70856-7_16
Cilliers, L., & Chinyamurindi, W. (2020). Perceptions of cyberbullying in primary and secondary schools among student teachers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 86(4), e12131. https://doi.org/10.1002/isd2.12131
Dietrich, L., & Cohen, J. (2021). Understanding classroom bullying climates: The role of student body composition, relationships, and teaching quality. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 3(1), 34–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-020-00078-w
Dorio, N. B., Clark, K. N., Demaray, M. K., & Doll, E. M. (2020). School climate counts: A longitudinal analysis of school climate and middle school bullying behaviors. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 2, 292–308. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-019-00042-0
Elliott, S., & Davis, J. M. (2020). Challenging taken-for-granted ideas in early childhood education: A critique of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory in the age of post-humanism. In Research handbook on childhoodnature: Assemblages of childhood and nature research (pp. 1119–1154). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67286-1_107
Gaffney, H., Ttofi, M. M., & Farrington, D. P. (2021). Effectiveness of school‐based programs to reduce bullying perpetration and victimization: An updated systematic review and meta‐analysis. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 17(2), e1143. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1143.
Juniarti, N. L. A., & Susila, I. K. D. (2021). Teacher strategy to prevent bullying for special-needs students in inclusive schools at Australian Independent School in Academic Year 2020. Widya Accarya, 12(2), 195–204. https://doi.org/10.46650/wa.12.2.195-204 .
Lawrence, D. (2022). Urie Bronfenbrenner. In Scholarly snapshots: The importance of child play as a human right (p. 73). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003124390
Le Menestrel, S. (2020). Preventing bullying: Consequences, prevention, and intervention. Journal of Youth Development, 15(3), 8–26. https://doi.org/10.5195/jyd.2020.890
Llorent, V. J., Farrington, D. P., & Zych, I. (2021). School climate policy and its relations with social and emotional competencies, bullying and cyberbullying in secondary education. Revista de Psicodidáctica (English Ed.), 26(1), 35–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psicoe.2020.11.002
Mahabeer, P. (2020). Novice teachers’ beliefs and fears on bullying in schools in South Africa. Koers: Bulletin for Christian Scholarship, 85(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.85.1.2476
Mahuika, N., & Mahuika, R. (2020). Wānanga as a research methodology. ALTERNATIVE: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 16(4), 369–377. https://doi.org/10.1177/1177180120947862
Modecki, K. L., Minchin, J., Harbaugh, A. G., Guerra, N. G., & Runions, K. C. (2014). Bullying prevalence across contexts: A meta-analysis measuring cyber and traditional bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55(5), 602–611. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Nayak, J. K., & Singh, P. (2021). Fundamentals of research methodology: Problems and prospects. SSDN Publishers & Distributors. https://www.ssdnbooks.com/fundamentals-research-methodology
Ocaña-Fernández, Y., & Fuster-Guillén, D. (2021). The bibliographical review as a research methodology. Revista Tempos e Espaços em Educação, 14(33), e15614. https://doi.org/10.20952/revtee.v14i33.15614
Pandey, P., & Pandey, M. M. (2021). Research methodology: Tools and techniques. Bridge Center. https://www.bridgecenter.ro/research-methodology-tools-techniques
Saharan, V. A., Kulhari, H., Jadhav, H., Pooja, D., Banerjee, S., & Singh, A. (2020). Introduction to research methodology. In Principles of research methodology and ethics in pharmaceutical sciences (pp. 1–46). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429288448-1
Singla, D. R., Shinde, S., Patton, G., & Patel, V. (2021). The mediating effect of school climate on adolescent mental health: Findings from a randomized controlled trial of a school-wide intervention. Journal of Adolescent Health, 69(1), 90–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.09.030
Tudge, J. R., Merçon-Vargas, E. A., Liang, Y., & Payir, A. (2022). The importance of Urie Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory for early childhood education. In Theories of early childhood education (pp. 50–61). Routledge.
Varela, J. J., Sánchez, P. A., González, C., Oriol, X., Valenzuela, P., & Cabrera, T. (2021). Subjective well-being, bullying, and school climate among Chilean adolescents over time. School Mental Health, 13(3), 616–630. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-020-09398-4
Modecki, K. L., Minchin, J., Harbaugh, A. G., Guerra, N. G., & Runions, K. C. (2014). Bullying prevalence across contexts: A meta-analysis measuring cyber and traditional bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55(5), 602–611. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
The data for this study is available upon request
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Godfrey Mutesasira, Sinovuyo Asandiswa Sakube (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
