Bulling in NYC School - Research Paper Example

BULLYING IN NYC SCHOOLS Bullying is not just an ordinary part of a young persons’ life but a social disease that needs social cure. This means the various sectors of society, private and public sectors, should collaborate with each other and form a solid force to fight bullying. In the United States, the particularly New York City, this trend is growing, prompting the local authorities and schools administrators to bond together and implement stringent measures to prevent bullying. From the recent surveys in the literature, it was found that almost all children have been victims of bullying or some other forms of harassment. It’s almost cannot prevented and it’s a recurring fearful experience for the young. Bullies are out there, but more specifically inside schools, victimizing the pitiful children and the adolescents, the powerless young and children who have no one to turn to. In New York, bias-based harassment has been reported because of race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex or gender, sexual orientation, disability, and so on. This is not only a once-in-a-lifetime incident but it is a recurring experience for students. 1. Introduction 1.1 Background of the study Bullying is perceived as direct or indirect aggression, physical or verbal, and considered a childhood occurrence. In the United States, there is not much focus on the topic of bullying, and in particular, there is no educational programming. Studies have been conducted but on a limited basis to investigate the incidence and prevalence of bullying. (Harachi, Catalano, & Hawkins, 1999, p. 279) It was found in recent surveys in New York that 70 per cent of gay and lesbian students were victims of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse or harassment. Schools and universities have failed to protect students from homophobic bullying, amidst warnings and political condemnation by authorities. New York is set to open the first school for gay, lesbian and bisexual. (Harber, 2004, p. 49) Another research found that 46,000 secondary school pupils were victims of bullying for being gay. Of this number, over half of gay men and lesbian women have thought of committing suicide due to homophobic bullying, as 40 per cent also tried to kill themselves. (Berliner as cited in Harber, 2004, p. 49) Concern for bullying is at an all-time high. New York officials have come to address the problem of bullying. City officials bonded with schools administrators in establishing a procedure to prevent bullying and harassment among students in the city of New York. One of these procedures is the Chancellor’s Regulation A-832. Community organizations, both local and national, also provided support in the implementation of this new regulation. The groups included the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA), among others. (Bullying in New York City Schools: Educators speak out, 2010) 1.2 Statement of the problem Many people consider bullying as an ordinary part of daily activities in school, but, in fact, this is a universal, social problem that should be treated as such and not as an ordinary school problem. 1.3 Purpose of the study The purpose of this study is to describe and define bullying in schools, the primary and root causes of bullying in schools. This can be a wake-up call for all the stakeholders who are concerned for the security of children at schools, and for parents and school and local authorities to unite and collaborate in treating this social malady. 1.4 The research question This paper will try to answer the question: What is bullying and how can this be stopped or minimized in schools particularly in New York City? 1.5 Significance of the study This study is important to local authorities and schools administrators who are finding ways to stop this social malady, to the students who are victims, and to parents who thought that their children are safe in school but, as a consequence of this continuing social malady, are worried of the security of their children. 1.6 Assumption and limitations Many people, including school authorities, politicians, and parents, assume that bullying is an ordinary part of the daily activities in schools. This assumption hinders a thorough process of ‘healing’ which should regard bullying as a social malady. By considering it as society’s problem – or sickness – healing will soon follow. 2. Literature Review According to Ross (as cited in Sanders, 2004, p. 3), bullying is the most common form of aggression in American schools that affects a great number of students as compared to other kinds of violence. But many Americans look at bullying as not so serious but only ‘a part of growing up’ (Smith & Brain as cited in Sanders, 2004, p. 3). Parents are concerned of their children’s rights and security in schools, thus the subject of bullying has earned serious attention. In New York, the term bias-based harassment has become quite popular among researchers. It is one of the most common forms of bullying. According to a survey, 66.4% of the respondent teachers witnessed bias-based harassment. The study is portrayed in the chart below. SOURCE: Bullying in New York City Schools: Educators speak out (2010, p. 6) 2.1 Definitions Researchers have not agreed on the actual definition of bullying. There are definitions which have been in use and are worthy of quote here. Bullying is defined in a number of ways. Experts believe that there has been no clear definition of the term bullying. A definition by Olweus (as cited in Sanders, 2004, p. 3) has been used by other researchers, and it goes: a student is a victim of bullying when he/she is subjected to negative actions by one or more students. Negative actions refer to a broader meaning of behaviors, such as nonverbal aggression, including stares and teasing, and to a more serious type of physical assaults. Another definition which is very much in use is that provided by Smith and Sharp (as cited in Sanders, 2004, p. 3) which emphasizes the “systematic abuse of power” by the bully. This definition states the imbalance of power in the process of interaction and that the victim is in no position to defend himself / herself for reasons such as being outnumbered or physically inferior. Bullying is also known as peer victimization and peer harassment. It is an intentional act of harming somebody by means of verbal, physical, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment. Bullying at school is believed a universal social malady. In many instances, bullies are stronger and more powerful than their victims, and the situation has the tendency to be repetitive. (Espelage & Horne, 2008, p. 589) Bullying is a social interaction which may occur between two peers, one aggressor and a victim, or an aggressor and several victims. It can also occur as aggressive exchanges between peers or friends. A bully can also be a victim in another situation. There are instances where children and adolescents may be considered aggressive-victims, or sometimes are aggressive toward others but victimized by peers. (Schwartz, Proctor, & Chien as cited in Nishina, 2004, p. 35) The question of how one is a victim of bullying was described by Olweus (1993). Someone is being bullied when he/she exposed to negative actions by one or more students. It is emphasized here that the student is exposed to an aggressive act repeatedly. (Olweus, 1993, p. 11) 2.2 Psychology in bullying The study of bullying involves studies of children’s temperament. Bullying is peer abuse because it involves people in the same setting, students in the same school, or people who should have considered themselves companions with the same purpose and that is learning. The first to investigate the problem of school bullying was the Norwegian researcher Olweus whose investigation results have been continuously studied and referred to by researchers. (Oakland, 2011) Children who have experienced being bullied become fearful of the recurring abuse. Another form of bullying is sexual harassment which refers to sexual advances, request for sexual favors, or verbal or physical conduct pertaining to sex. There are some instances that request for sexual favors can be consented and it may not be harassment in this sense. 2.3 Types of aggression in bullying Aggression involved in bullying is of three types. First is the direct physical aggression which involves the tangible type like hitting and pushing, or kicking. Second is the direct verbal aggression which is a form of harassment that includes name-calling and threats. The last one that is difficult to prove is indirect aggression. This one involves spreading rumors or telling tales and is done with the assistance of a third party. (Sanders, 2004, p. 5) Indirect verbal bullying has been considered the most stressful and hurtful, as per result of a study by Sharp (as cited in Sanders, 2004, p. 5) on a sample of 700 respondents composed of 13- to 16-year olds. Name-calling was also found to be the most common form of bullying, as reported from a study of about 7,000 primary and secondary students. Girls were the likely victims of direct and indirect verbal aggression, while boys were the likely victims of direct physical aggression. (Sanders, 2004, p. 5) 2.4 Theories on bullying 2.4.1 Theory on moral development Bullying can be fully understood by considering the moral aspects involved (Arsenio & Lemerise as cited in Sanders, 2004). Such issues as fairness, people’s welfare, and doing good deeds should be addressed. But there is always the gap between bullying and moral reasoning, which in this sense, should be included in the theoretical framework in the study of bullying. A theory on moral development involves the four-component model as proposed by Rest (as cited in Sanders, 2004). The theory states that moral development involves moral sensitivity – that we should be aware that there exists a moral problem; moral judgment – that we need to decide according to moral standards; moral motivation – that we should stick to our values and prioritize a moral action; and moral character – that we need to implement and follow through with our moral action. Moral development includes a behavioural component. (Sanders, 2004) 2.4.2 Theory of the mind According to this theory, some bullies have the belief that they have “superior” mind than others. The theory of the mind, according to Sutton (as cited in Sanders, 2004, p. 10), is “the ability of individuals to attribute mental states to themselves and others in order to explain and predict behaviour.” This theory states that bullies have the ability to read and understand the victims’ feelings and emotions. Bullies have the power to “read” other people’s minds. Those who successfully bully others have superior “theory of the mind” (TOM) skills. (Sanders, 2004) 3. Research Method Some methods of research were used in this essay; an example is the survey research. Surveys are popular for researchers. These are often conducted to know the opinions of people on a particular subject, such as the subject of bullying in NYC schools. In determining an effective research method for the study of bullying in NYC schools, this researcher will conduct a literature review or case studies. The literature will come from online and physical libraries, websites and databases. The subject of bullying or harassment has many sources, peer-reviewed journals and articles written by researchers and experts in the field. Surveys contain information from a group of people that describes the people’s opinion, attitudes and beliefs. Surveys use questions to acquire the information, and the answers to the questions become the data of the study. Surveys extract the information from the participants of a sample that is representative of the population, and not from the entire population. (Fraenkel and Wallen, 2006, p. 397) In survey research, the researcher does not manipulate the independent variable and does not have control of the research environment, unlike in the experimental research. Survey research is in contrast to experimental research where researchers do try to manipulate the independent variable. Experimental researches are mostly used for educational researches. Here, experimenters decide the nature of the research treatment by deciding on what is going to happen to the participants and the results. (Fraenkel and Wallen, 2006, p. 269) In choosing the type of survey research methodology, the researcher should consider first the research problem and other factors such as the sources of the desired information, the type and nature of data that will be collected, and the objective of the research. Literature surveys are an exploratory type, capable of formulating hypotheses based on researches conducted in the past. Literature surveys are quite independent in the sense that they have been conducted by expert researchers but they are considered a part of a larger literature. Literature surveys support future surveys. (Powell, 2004, p. 59) Experience surveys are used to gather and analyze experiences of experts and researchers on particular subjects. They are exploratory in nature because they acquire ‘insight into the relationships between variables rather than to get an accurate picture of current practices or a simple consensus as to best practices’ (Selltiz et al. as cited in Powell, 2004, p. 59). 3.1 Data collection analysis The data gathered for this paper come from the literature over various sources from books, the internet journals and websites. These data were analysed and incorporated in the literature review. Because of time constraints, there were no actual interviews conducted. Bullying affects almost all children. This is an intentional effort to harm others who are perceived of lesser power than the bully (Olweus as cited in Varjas et al., 2009, p. 323). According to Batsche and Porter (as cited in Espelage & Horne, 2008), bullying is the most common form of school violence. Worldwide, bullying has registered 10 per cent of secondary students and 27 per cent of middle school students have reported being bullied (Whitney & Smith as cited in Espelage & Horne, 2008, p. 589). In the United States, the statistics revealed higher rates. From the reports of children involved in bullying, there emerged four types: 1.) bullies – children who bully others but have never been bullied; 2.) bully victims – victims who also bully others; 3.) victims – children who are victims and do not victimized others; and, 4.) controls – children who have never been victims and bullies in their student life. (Espelage & Horne, 2008, p. 589) The New York Civil Liberties Union posted in its website the reality and effects of bullying on victim students in schools. Two Bronx teens and an adult were beaten and tortured by bullies just because they were gay. Another freshman quit school after being bullied because of his Muslim background. One Rutgers University student ended his life after his classmates posted over the internet his sexual relation with another. The seriousness of the situation has prompted schools officials and the local government to provide measures to stop bullying. (NYCLU, 2011) The social malady continues. The NYC Department of Education has a long list of banned behaviors that need disciplinary action by school authorities. Examples of these are harassment, intimidation or physical assault of another student for reasons such as ethnic background, race, color, religion, gender, or disability, etc. Other examples of bad behaviors include: using derogatory language, teasing or daunting, name calling, and so on. Even written or graphic material purporting to intimidate or harass another, including negative stereotypes or hostile acts, is considered bullying. (NYC Department of Education, 2012) 4. Findings/Conclusion Based on the data gathered from the literature, we can conclude that bullying is a “social sickness” that needs to be cured. And it is getting serious every day. It’s time authorities and the many stakeholders concerned with the welfare of the young to bond together and find effective means to heal this social malady. The young are victimized. Parents feel that their children are not anymore secured inside the school, a place where they ought to experience positive and moral values and learn good things in life. But it seems, schools are not anymore safe for the young. References Bullying in New York City Schools: Educators speak out. (2010). Retrieved 14 July 2012 from http://www.nyclu.org/files/publications/DOE%20report%202010%20Small.pdf Espelage, D. & Horne, A. (2008). School violence and bullying prevention: from research-based explanations to empirically based solutions. In S. Brown & R. Lent (Ed.), Pauline Frommer’s Costa Rica (pp. 588-600). 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Marsella (Eds.), Internationalizing the psychology curriculum: an emphasis on school psychology internationally. New York: Springer. Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: what we know and what we can do. USA: Blackwell. Powell, R. (2004). Basic research methods for librarians (third edition). United States of America: Ablex Publishing Corporation. Sanders, C. (2004). I. What is bullying? In C. Sanders & G. Phye (Eds.), Bullying: implications for the classroom (pp. 2-12). London: Elsevier Academic Press. Varjas, K., Meyers, J., Meyers, B., Kim, S., Henrich, C., & Tenebaum, L. (2009). Positive psychology and the prevention of school-based victimization. In R. Gilman, E. Scott Huebner, & M. Furlong (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology in schools (pp. 323-338). New York & Oxon: Routledge. Read More