Bullying in Elementary and Middle Schools - Research Proposal Example

Bullying in Elementary and Middle Schools This proposal proposes various strategies and mechanisms that can be used to resolve the problem of bullying in elementary and middle schools. The research provides an in-depth analysis of the problem and provides appropriate solutions for remedying the problem. The purpose of this paper on bullying is to convince readers that the problem is real, widespread, and requires and urgent solution. The solutions discussed in this paper will improve the education systems and make the schools habitable and comfortable for all students regardless of their physical, emotional, or psychological challenges. The solutions suggested in this paper will revamp the school system and help set up appropriate structures in the education sector to help identify and resolve bullying incidences among students. Although I have no practical experience with bullying and am still a novice scholar, the credibility of this research paper is based on various expert views expressed in different articles and trusted books. Ideas borrowed from renowned authors such as Linke (2009), Mc Grarth and Noble (2006) and Olweus (2013) among other experts on this topic will help to establish the credibility of the study. Keywords: Bullying Table of Contents Title page 1 Abstract 2 Introduction 3 Hypothesis 5 Research questions 7 Study description 7 Conclusion 8 References 9 Bullying in Elementary and Middle Schools Introduction This proposal discusses the topic of bullying in elementary and middle schools in the US. The topic gas received considerable coverage in the media in recent years and has been a major part of public discourse in various sections of the society. This is due to the rising number of cases of bullying in schools and the consequences of bullying to the students involved; their families, and the wider society. Specifically, the proposal focuses onstudying available literature on the topic in order to determine the causes, risk factors, effects, and probable solutions for the problem that has exposed weaknesses in the education sector. The meaning of the term bullying has changed drastically over the years. In the 18th century as well as during the early parts of the 19th century, bullying was mainly considered to be verbal and physical harassment associated with extortion, death and strong isolation among school children. Other forms of aggressive behavior targeting other students was mainly ignored and vowed as simple acts of mischief among the students and a normal part of growth and development of children. Koo (2007) relates to an incident in the UK in the early 19th century at King’s Boarding school, where a student was killed after being harassed by his peers (Olweus, 2013). The schoolboys who harassed and killed the little boy were not held account table for the as it was considered a resulting from normal misadventures from young teens (Koo, 2007). He also points out that this situation would be treated differently had it occurred today. Historically, the most important turning point for the topic of bullying happened in the mid-70s when Dr. Dan Olweus, a psychology professor conducted the first research on bullying among students in schools. He then created the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP), which was one of the first intervention measures to mitigate bullying in schools. Dr. Olweus’ efforts in bullying had a big impact on creating awareness of the problem of bullying as well as contributing immensely towards fighting bullying. Indeed, despite the efforts by Dr. Olweus and other researcher who have followed in his footsteps, the consequences of bullying have continued to soar up while bullying has also expanded and adopted different dimensions over the years. Bullying is considered to have reached its peak in the 21st century as many young children commit suicide or are killed by their peers due to bullying (Olweus, 2013). Technology such as the internet has also contributed a lot to bullying. With easy access to internet, many students use cyberspace as a ground for perpetrating their bullying acts. Cell phones, and social networks have also, played a major role in shaping how we understand bullying today (Koo, 2007). Cyber bullying is one of the most prevalent forms of bullying that most teens encounter today due to the popularity of major social media sites such as Facebook and twitter. This topic is particularly significant because of the impact it has had in the school set up around the country, especially among learners in elementary and middle schools. It has resulted in many students dropping out from school, missing certain classes, poor performances, increased violence in schools and generally undermining the outcomes of students in the education system. Education plays a vital role in the socialization process as well as empowering young people to be better citizens (Koo, 2007). Anything that undermines the main purpose of education should be a major source of concern to all people, let alone the stakeholders in education. If the problem is not checked and addressed immediately, it is bound to result in many acts of violence, crime and deaths of young people as well as lowering the self-esteem of the victims of bullying. Everyone should care about bullying because it affects anyone; the victims, the witnesses, the perpetrators of the acts, and those around them. Hypothesis Cultural and societal factors can influence one’s likelihood to become a bully. There is substantial evidence in available literature relating culture, family, and the environment and bullying. In general, the American culture is based on values such as a desire to win by all means I order to become successful and achieve one’s dream. Children get to understand the values of winning right from a very early age and try to emerge winners in everything they do. Furthermore, the forms of entertainment available for children also seem to emphasize on the concept of winning (Dupper, 2013). For instance, entrainment activities such as watching boxing, wrestling, and other violent sports, which are also available to children as computer games, can have a disastrous effect on children. In addition the competitive nature of academics and sports within the school has the impact of creating a mindset in the children that wining is the ultimate thing whenever one faces an opposition. In other instances, cultures that condone domestic violence and sexism can also affect the psychology of the children(Dupper, 2013). When they are exposed to these issues, they develop a mindset that whenever they face challenges, they have to emerge as winners. However, when this does not happen, they may engage in using their physical power to bully others. The environment within which bullying takes place including one’s home, the school, or even the workplace. Some institutions do not have appropriate polices and mechanisms to prevent bullying, or any standard of relating with other people. With such as an institutional background, bullying is likely to be more prevalent. Other social issues can also be causes of bullying among teens and schoolchildren. Lack of great communication, personal and social skills can contribute a lot towards causing violence and bullying (Mc Grarth, & Noble, 2006).Children from poor family backgrounds in terms of lack of warmth with common violence are also more likely to be bullies. Families that do not monitor discipline of children also contribute towards promoting bullying. Personal history of an individual can also force him or her to become a bully. Psychologists state that teens who experience social rejection are likely to pass it to others around them. One other cause of bullying is from provocative victims. Some people may be condescending and annoying to others. Such people may be targets of violence and bullying from others. Research Questions What are the main causes of bullying among children in elementary and middle schools? What are some of the effects of bullying on students in elementary and middle schools? What are some of the strategies that can be used to eliminate bullying in schools? Study Description This study will be based on the systemic review research design. As such, the research will explore relevant available literature on the topic, analyzing the finer details and arguments raised by different authors and finally making appropriate conclusions and recommendations. Data collection will be conducted from secondary sources drawn from books are scholarly journals as well as any other relevant materials.The researcher will identify and evaluate different literary materials related to the topic, assess their quality, and summaries the evidence that the authors put forward in their arguments. The research will be based on about 5 peer reviewed journals and 5 books covering the topic. These sources will be identified from online libraries such as ebscohost. The articles will be identified through using searching on the online databases and libraries using key words such as bullying, bullying in schools, causes of bullying, and effects of bullying. The many articles and books that will appear will be assessed in terms of their relevance to the topic, quality, and the time they were published. Only the latest articles that are relevant to the topic and whose content is of high quality will be considered for analysis. The research has chosen this method for conducting the study for various reasons. Firstly, through this method, the researcher will be able to relate different views and harmonize major themes in literature available on the topic. Furthermore, this method will enable the researcher to identify existing gaps in knowledge. This will be critical in providing recommendations for further areas that need to be researched. The main ethical concerns in using this method include cases of plagiarism, where the researcher may use the ideas andthoughts as if they were his own. The other ethical consideration may be bias, whereby theresearcher can be biased in terms of selecting the appropriate books and peer reviewed journals. Nevertheless, the researcher will be able to address these ethical issues by acknowledging the works and ideas borrowed from the other authors. There are also some limitations that he researcher will experience in the course of the study, which will have an impact on the research findings. For instance, time limitations will affect the duration in which the study will be conducted. This is likely to affect the research as the researcher will have to work under strict timelines. Conclusion In conclusion, the research will use a systemic review methodology in addressing the topic of bullying in elementary and middle schools. Bullying has emerged as one of the key issues in the education sector in the US. It has resulted in many students dropping out from school, missing certain classes, poor performances, increased violence in schools and generally undermining the outcomes of students in the education system.The research hypothesis guiding this research is that Cultural and societal factors can influence one’s likelihood to become a bully.There is substantial evidence in available literature relating culture, family, and the environment and bullying. For instance, the works of Dr. Dan Olweus and other scholars have been vital in exposing the challenges of bullying to students in schools. ‘ References Dupper, D., (2013). School Bullying: New Perspectives on a Growing Problem. New York: Linke, P. (2009). Dealing with Bullying Together: Prevention and Resolution, Australia: Early childhood.Oxford University Press. Mc Grarth, H., & Noble, T., Ed (2006). Bullying Solutions: Evidence-based Approaches to Bullying in Australian schools. Sydney: Pearson Longman. Olweus, D., (2013). Bullying at School: what we know and what we can do. New York: John Read More