Abstract:

A safe and supportive school environment is imperative for quality teaching and learning. However, bullying has a negative impact on the environment which is conducive to effective teaching and learning. This study investigated the causes, consequences and support for bullying in semi-urban primary schools. To gain a direct understanding of how learners, teachers, and principals experience and respond to challenges of bullying in South African schools, a qualitative case study approach was used in this study with an interpretivist paradigm. The study used Foucault’s theory of power and Harro’s theory of socialization as a theoretical framework. Purposive sampling was used to select six learners, six teachers, and three principals. The study reached a total of 15 participants. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, which were analyzed thematically. The study found that learner bullying results in the feelings of anxiety, fear and distress which impact negatively on learner performance, and teachers experiencing increased workload in dealing with disciplinary matters. The causes of bullying were found to be multifaceted, emanating from social and school factors. The study argues that learner bullying is rampant in the participating schools. The authors concludes that there is an urgent need for education authorities to ensure that schools establish the reporting system that encourages learners to report acts of bullying, and parental engagement be strengthened in curbing learner bullying.

Keywords:

Schools, bullying, learner performance, parental support, societal factors.