Bullying and Academic Achievement - Research Paper Example

? Bullying and Academic Achievement The basic purpose of this paper is to understand the relationship between bullying and academic achievement. Bullying is an act of violence in which children verbally or physically abuse one another. The phenomenon has become very common in American public schools where victimized children suffer great consequences, for instance, psychological and emotional problems, lack of concentration over studies, drop out from schools or even suicide in some adverse scenarios. Research indicates that bullying reduces academic achievement while making an individual more and more self conscious. Additionally, children who have been exposed to bullying in early school stages might develop poor social relationships and lower self esteem. The paper uses qualitative research design to study this subject. Initially a sample of population would be drawn out followed by personal observations and in-depth interviews. Qualitative research design has different sampling methods including purposive sampling which shall be used in this research work. Purposive sampling method is consistent with the research requirements as it deals with relationship studies, theoretical background and analysis. This will subsequently lead towards the literature review in order to gain deeper understanding of the subject. To conduct a qualitative research ethical, legal and social concerns play a vital role which shall be discussed. Moreover, the possible limitations in studying the relationship between bullying and academic achievement in an institutional setting are also mentioned. Keywords: Bullying, Academic Achievement, Qualitative Research Design, Purposive Sampling. Originality: The research paper is original in nature as it includes additional factors apart from the previous researches on the same subject. For instance, it deals with the extended academic impacts of bullying on students. Bullying and Academic Achievement Introduction Bullying refers to an extreme aggressive behavior which motivates an individual to verbally abuse another person. In some of the adverse conditions this might also lead to physical harm. Continuous bullying can cause psychological distress especially in the institutional setting where students face extreme bullying by their peers. This subsequently impacts the academic achievement whereas victims are also seen committing suicide and turning criminal. In the contemporary world bullying has changed its nature from simple teasing, hitting and taunting to the cyberbullying which is conducted through internet or mobile devices, for example, text messages. Research indicates that the modern form of bullying intensely affects the academic achievement of an individual because in this case students are continuously being bullied either at institution or at somewhere else (Sherer, 2010). This paper aims to investigate bullying and its relationship with the academic achievement. Primary data is collected through the research articles on this subject and by using the qualitative research design. Following is the research question for this paper. Research Question: What is the relationship between bullying and academic achievement? Qualitative Research Design It typically deals with exploring different phenomenon while using flexible research instruments such as detailed interviews with a sample group and direct observations. This is also supported by past researches in the same area. In order to determine the relationship between bullying and academic achievement an explicit qualitative research pattern will be followed. Initially a sample of 500 representatives will be drawn from different academic institutions in the city. The representatives must be victims of bullying in past whereas now they should be enrolled in high schools. Qualitative research design has different methods for sampling. Since this research specifically deals with the victims of bullying and how their academic achievement is affected by peer pressure therefore purposive sampling method is most suitable. In-depth interviews will be conducted with the sample group in order to figure out their personal experiences and the subsequent affects of bullying on their academics. Moreover, participants will be observed for their peculiar behavior to verify the reliability of their statements. Questions would be open-ended so that students can freely share their insights on the subject. The overall process would be analyzed for any ethical, legal and socio-economic considerations prior to data collection. In order to increase the understanding of bullying while identifying its relationship with academic achievement it is important to review past researches on this subject. This will help in enhancing the background knowledge and also in recognizing the undiscovered areas about bullying. Hence the originality and reliability of the research paper will increase while making it useful for future researchers. Additionally, different evidences would be identified which will substantiate the conclusion. Qualitative research design is the best choice for researching the relationship between bullying and academic achievement because it is exploratory in nature and depends more upon the individual experiences (Mack, 2011). Furthermore, it has a wide range of methods which can be utilized to collect primarily data, for instance, bullying is sometime attributed as a natural behavior and hence it has to be investigated using participant observation while qualitative research method is used particularly for behaviors which occur naturally. Bullying in extreme cases might become a highly sensitive issue for the victim as it includes public humiliation thus in-depth interviewing method can be used to research this susceptible subject. The relationship between bullying and academic achievement requires flexible research specifically governed by purposive sample design. Moreover, the use of open-ended questions will further enhance the variability of research. Conducting a research on a sensitive subject such as bullying also requires due consideration to the ethics, law and social norms. Qualitative research design gives clear guidelines for these contemplations (Mack, 2011). On the other hand it also helps the researcher in identifying the undiscovered areas regarding a particular subject. This substantiates that qualitative research design is the best choice as compared to quantitative design for this research paper. Sample As per the requirements of qualitative research it is impossible to conduct interview and personal observation with every member of the affected community. Hence drawing samples significant enough to reflect the majority is an essential part of this research (Mack, 2011). Since the relationship between bullying and academic achievement is a phenomenon particularly associated with students therefore a sample of 500 individuals studying in American public high schools will be taken under consideration. These students will be either observed to be the victim of bullying or they themselves have registered complaints about verbal abuse or physical threats by their peers. The sample of students will be determined by the characteristics of the research, for instance, a positive or negative relationship between bullying and academic achievement cannot be concluded without analyzing and evaluating the personal experiences of a majority population. There are different sampling methods available for qualitative research including purposive sampling, snowball sampling and quota sampling (Mack, 2011). Out of these three purposive sampling method best suits the requirement of this research paper. This is primarily because of the fact that purposive sampling is used for predefined research question i.e. the relationship between bullying and academic achievement in this case (Mack, 2011). Moreover, purposive sampling method gives efficient selection criteria when there are time and resource constraints. The samples will be selected as per their affiliation with the main subject (Mack, 2011). However, the sampling method involves extensive literature review in order to analyze the saturation level of participants and their reflection over the issue. Purposive sampling method represents the substantial results when data has to be analyzed with supported literature (Mack, 2011). Concerns which might arise during research There are significant ethical concerns which might arise during the research work. For instance, bullying is becoming more and more sensitive subject with the use of internet and mobile text messages. Students whose academic achievement is greatly influenced by bullying often act reluctant in disclosing their personal experiences. This fundamentally happens because of their psychological insecurity and a fear of losing prestige in public. Moreover, students are terrified about the unethical use of their personal information. Hence considering ethics is the foremost responsibility of a researcher. In order to effectively deal with this issue researcher would have to maintain collaborative relationship with students while ensuring the secure placement of the collected data (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, 2013). Few of the bullying situations might also lead to the legal concerns because of the adverse consequences or the involvement of public officials. Bullying comes under harassment which is strictly prohibited by the law therefore researching on this subject would require having a clear consent from legal professionals and the victims so as to use the information. Some individuals also have their personal concerns, for instance, the participants might not be willing to share their experiences or they might get threatened by the offender. Moreover, social-cultural concerns might also arise during the research work as societies where students practice freedom of expression usually have more cases of bullying. On the other hand going against a social norm would also be very challenging for the researcher. All of these concerns can be eliminated with the help of clear understanding of the subject and a profound research methodology. Additionally, the implications of ethical guidelines for qualitative research will be beneficial (Williams, 2012). Literature Review In order to understand the relationship between bullying and academic achievement it is important to review the existing literature. Bullying, in broader terms is defined as the negative use of power, money, status and strength to humiliate a weaker person. It can be categorized into different forms including physical attacks, verbal abuse and social bullying. Since the tendency to bully someone or to show strength unnecessarily is more frequently found in children therefore school students are mostly affected by this act. As a result the victims either dropout from schools or suffer psychological distress. In the latter case children are found to be compromising on their studies and learning skills while their academic achievement gets negatively affected (Alika, 2012). Pol A. C. van Lier along with his co-researchers found a positive relationship between bullying and academic underachievement. He conducted a research in Canada where he examined a significant sample of children between the ages of 6 to 8 years. Bullying affects the academic achievement of both boys and girls equally and the victims were also found to have negative social behavior. Students who are extensively and continuously victimized by their fellows eventually lost focus on studies whereas their cognitive thinking was also damaged as a result of bullying (Lier, 2012). Jun Sung Hong’s research indicates that bullying does not only impact the academic achievement rather it leads to criminal activities such as shooting. He argues that the event of shooting in American school in early 90’s actually encouraged the researchers, educationist and school administrations to conduct research on bullying. Accordingly, bullying is found to be the most prominent factor for criminal activities and shooting incidents in schools (Hong, 2012). Essex in her research article presents the responsibilities of school management if in case they identify a case of bullying. She critically argues that the act of bullying is strengthening in the public schools of America and with every coming day the number of victims is increasing. Consequently, students are facing immense psychological and emotional issues which lead to poor academic performance. However, in some of the adverse cases victims are also observed to commit suicide out of the fear of bullies (Essex, 2011). Since law presumes that the American schools meet all the standards of child safety and security therefore the management has a great implication to fulfill the legal expectations. In order to deal with bullies it is important to first identify the act as harmful and unethical. Thereafter the management should formulate the strategies to provide maximum protection to the children. For instance, teachers and administration should not tolerate bullying at any cost. They must inform the parents as soon as they identify a bully while strictly observing his ways and attitudes. Parents and students both should be informed about the major legal consequences of bullying prior to any incident. Moreover, school management should try to establish an ethical environment with the active participation of psychologists to reduce the chances of such harmful acts (Essex, 2011). Tanya Beran’s research substantiates that if the victims of bullying are not addressed by the school management and parents then they might suffer from serious academic issues. Additionally, they can also reflect disruptive behavior and attitude towards other students while maintaining a very low self esteem. Poor school achievement might also lead to future social and economic problems which ultimately end on suicide. Hence teachers and parents must counsel the students who have been victimized by their peers whereas the offenders must also be addressed to reduce further chances of bullying (Beran, 2009). The current research on the relationship between bullying and academic achievement will add various aspects to the existing literature. For instance, the sample will focus on individuals who have been previously victimized by their peers and as a result they now face difficulties in pursuing higher education. The impacts of childhood bullying will be discussed with additional guidelines to deal with such experiences and to cover up the academic loss. This perspective will add originality to the research paper. Conclusion Researching the relationship between bullying and academic achievement is crucial in order to facilitate school students and also to make the school environment safe. The qualitative research design will actually help in conducting the overall study but it does have certain limitations which might hinder the research process. For instance, in the educational institutional setting it is significantly difficult to draw a sample of bullying victims. This is primarily because of the students’ hesitation and the school policies. Moreover, in the institutional setting victimized children might also be uncomfortable to share their personal experiences. References Alika, H. I. (2012). Bullying as a correlate of dropout from school among adolescents in Delta state: implication for counselling. Education , 523-531. Beran, T. (2009). Correlates of peer victimization and achievement: an exploratory model. Psychology in the Schools , 348-361. Essex, N. (2011). Bullying and School Liability—Implications for School Personnel. Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group , 192–196. Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. (2013). Retrieved Nov 19, 2013, from American Psychological Association. Hong, J. &. (2012). A review of mixed methods research on bullying and peer victimization in school. Educational Review , 115–126. Lier, P. B. (2012). Peer Victimization, Poor Academic Achievement, and the Link Between Childhood Externalizing and Internalizing Problems. Child Development , 1775–1788. Mack, N. W. (2011). Qualitative Research Methods: A Data Collec tor ’s Field Guide. USA: Family Health International. Sherer, Y. &. (2010). Anti-bullying practices in American schools: perspectives of school psychologists. Psychology in the Schools , 217-229. Williams, K. &. (2012). Bullying Behaviors and Attachment Styles . North American Journal of Psychology , 321-338. Read More