Effects of Bullying Behavior among Students on Learning Process in Public Secondary Schools in Ilala, Dar es Salaam

Abstract

As days pass on, bullying behavior increases and spreads at a high speed. Many children are victims of bullying behavior. Bullying becomes very common in inner city schools and the community in general. The acts of bullying behavior discourage away many students from attending school.

The study presents the effects of bullying behavior among students in learning process in selected public secondary schools in the city of Ilala, Dar es Salaam. The study firstly investigated why bullying is happening and in what from in five public secondary schools. Secondly it investigated how the school environments encourage bullying behavior in public schools. Thirdly it evaluates effects of bullying behavior on bully and the bullied in learning process, and lastly it investigated if there was any relationship between bullying behavior and class or grade level.

The study was grounded on Social Learning Theory. The study employed a descriptive survey design. The research sample comprised of 299 respondents including students, teachers, school counsellors and discipline teachers. The study employed simple random sampling and purposive sampling to select respondents. Questionnaires, interviews, and documentary reviews were used as methods for data collection under study. Quantitative data obtained through questionnaire from teachers, students and counselors were analyzed using descriptive statistics (SPSS Version 20) technique. Qualitative data from interview of some students, teachers and counsellors and documentary review of extant reports were analyzed through the thematic analysis presented via narrations. The findings pointed out name calling; kicking and theft were the most common bullying in sampled schools. Furthermore, the study found that bullying occurred more in the cafeteria, classrooms and toilets. It was also found that, bullying behavior among students affected students learning process for both the bully and the victim. Bullied students become truant and even drop out from schools, this affect their learning process and even their future life. Girls and form one students are more affected by bullying. In connection to that, this study found that teachers do not take bullying as a serious issue in their schools, leaving many suffering students un-attended. The study recommends that school managements and teachers in public secondary schools have to take different measures including education and strict rules on bullying in order to reduce, if not eliminate the bullying behavior to students.