Voices Unheard: How Bullying Undermines Students' Behavioral Engagement in Davao

City National High School

Lanzar, Laurence Anthony, Sumile, Francis Lester L., Waresa, Mae Karyll Joy M.

11 - Gold

Rationale

Bullying a student had a huge impact on their mental health, with A total of 264,668

reported cases of physical bullying filed in the school year 2021–2022.  There were also

7,758 cases of cyberbullying, 7,800 of gender-based bullying, and 17,258 of social bullying

in the Philippines that have been recorded by the Department of Education (DepEd) in just

one school year. Students who are bullied experience negative physical, social, emotional,

academic, and mental health issues. Health complaints, Decreased academic achievement,

Depression, and anxiety.

Bullying is a pervasive problem in schools worldwide, and its detrimental effects on

students' mental health, academic performance, and social well-being are well-documented.

However, the lived experiences of bullied students and how bullying affects their engagement

in school are often overlooked. This study aims to give voice to the perspectives of students

who have been bullied and to explore how bullying impacts their behavioral engagement at

Davao City National High School. Bullying is a severe issue that many students face around

the world, and it has been shown to have detrimental effects on kids' mental health, academic

performance, and social well-being.

In order to avoid bullying in schools and foster a safe and supportive learning

environment, This study intends to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of

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bullying on students' participation in Davao City National High School by giving voice to the

experiences of bullied students and examining how bullying impacts their behavioral

engagement in school. This information can assist educators, administrators, and politicians

in creating more efficient plans and initiatives to combat bullying and raise student

involvement in the classroom.

The study is unique in that it focuses specifically on the experiences of students in

Davao City National High School, which can provide insights into the specific context and

culture of bullying in this school. Additionally, the study's qualitative approach allows for a

more in-depth exploration of students' perspectives and experiences, which can provide a rich

and nuanced understanding of how bullying affects student engagement. There is a need to

study the impact of bullying on student engagement in schools because it has serious

implications for student's mental health, academic performance, and social development. By

understanding how bullying affects student engagement, educators, administrators, and

policymakers can develop more effective strategies and programs to address bullying and

support students who have been affected by it. The study is very useful because it can provide

insights and recommendations that can inform the development of policies and programs

aimed at addressing bullying and improving student engagement in Davao City National

High School. Additionally, the study's findings can be used to raise awareness about the

impact of bullying on students and to encourage discussions and actions to prevent and

address bullying in schools.

Research Questions

1. What are the lived experiences of bullied students, and how has this affected their

behavioral engagement in school?

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 2. What coping mechanisms do students who have been bullied use to keep their

behavioral engagement in school?

3. How can school policies and programs effectively address bullying and improve

student behavioral engagement?

Theoretical Lens

School bullying is a repetitive act of aggression designed to intentionally harm

another person physically or mentally, including physical aggression, verbal aggression,

relational aggression, and cyber aggression (Helin Qiu 2021).

The study "Voices Unheard: How Bullying Undermines Students' Behavioral

Engagement in Davao City National High School" can be viewed through two theoretical

lenses: social learning theory and self-determination theory.

The Social Learning Theory (SLT) by Albert Bandura posits that people learn through

observation, modeling, and reinforcement. In the context of bullying, this means that students

who observe bullying behavior may be more likely to engage in similar behavior, while

students who witness positive social interactions and supportive relationships may be more

likely to engage in positive behaviors. This theory can help explain how bullying behavior

spreads in a school environment and how positive social interactions and supportive

relationships can counteract the negative effects of bullying on student engagement.

On the other hand, the self-determination theory by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan

places, a strong emphasis on the value of relatedness, competence, and autonomy in fostering

happiness and motivation. In the context of bullying, kids who are bullied may feel a lack of

autonomy and competence in their school setting, which can lead to disengagement and

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diminished motivation. Moreover, children who observe or engage in bullying conduct may

feel a lack of relatedness to their peers, further adding to disengagement and diminished

motivation. This theory can assist in explaining how bullying lowers students' behavioral

engagement and how counterproductive techniques that weaken individuality, competence,

and relatedness might be.

To sum up, these two theoretical perspectives can help illuminate how bullying

impacts students' behavioral engagement in Davao City National High School and how

interventions that support wholesome social interactions, encouraging relationships,

individuality, competence, and relatedness can help mitigate the negative effects of bullying

on student engagement.

Research Design

Qualitative research can help shed light on these factors. This study discusses the

findings from four mainly qualitative research projects, including a systematic review and

three empirical studies involving young people to various degrees within the research process

as respondents, co-researchers, and commissioners of research (Niamh O'Brien).

Qualitative research involves collecting and analyzing numerical data for statistical

analysis and non-numerical data to understand concepts, opinions, or experiences. (Patrik

Aspers and Ugo Corte, 2019) Emerging questions and data techniques are part of the study

process; data analysis is often gathered through participant experiences. Students who have

been bullied may be interviewed using a multiple case study research method to examine

their experiences and how they affect their engagement in conduct. To elucidate the

underlying significance and essence of the participants' experiences, this method would entail

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conducting in-depth interviews with a limited sample of individuals. Using sample methods

is known as purposive sampling. In order to do this, participants must be chosen who fit

certain requirements pertaining to the research issue, such as students who have experienced

bullying and its effects on behavioral engagement. By using purposeful sampling, researchers

can collect a sample that is most likely to yield pertinent and valuable data for the study.

Research Participants

Students in Grade 11 from several Davao City National High School strands were chosen

as research subjects for the study "Voices Unheard: How Bullying Undermines Students'

Behavioral Participation in Davao City National High School" based on a number of criteria.

First of all, Grade 11 pupils are old enough to offer mature and perceptive viewpoints on the

subject and are at a stage in life where they are likely to experience bullying. Second,

selecting individuals from various strands guarantees diversity in terms of scholarly interests

and social networks, which may have an impact on how bullying is felt and viewed.

To conduct a comprehensive study on how bullying affects students' behavioral

engagement in Davao City National High School, the research team aims to recruit one

participant each from the STEM, HUMSS, ABM, and Arts and Design strands, as well as

three participants from the TVL strand. Qualitative research frequently places a greater

emphasis on the depth and quality of the data obtained than on the number of participants. To

collect rich and varied data from each participant, the researchers would employ a variety of

data-gathering techniques, such as individual interviews and focus group discussions. The

information gathered from each participant would be thoroughly examined to offer insightful

information about how bullying affects behavioral engagement in school.

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 The researchers would also take steps to build rapport and trust with the participants,

as well as to make sure they felt safe and secure throughout the research procedure, in order

to ensure the validity and reliability of the study. In order to achieve this, interviews must be

conducted in a secure and private setting, open-ended questions must be used to enable

participants to share their experiences and ideas, and participants' autonomy and agency must

be respected.

In order to ensure that the data gathered gives a comprehensive and diverse variety of

viewpoints on the influence of bullying on behavioral engagement in school, Grade 11

students from Davao City National High School were carefully chosen as research subjects

for this study.

References

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