Feelings, thoughts and attitudes of high school students toward school bullying and the bullies

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate factors like thoughts toward bullying and bullies, effects of bullying on their lives and school interest's, types of bullying which they exposed to or applied in view of high school students. Methods: Total 1432 students completed Bullying Questionnaire. In this questionnaire it is asking to victims: types and frequency of bullying which they exposed to, where, when and by who they exposed to, what they felt and done after bullying, what they feel about bullying in generally. Then it is asking to bullies: types and frequency of -bullying which they applied, what they felt after bullied others, why they bully others. In the third level there are questions about bullying in schools and school climate. Results: %27.7 of the participants declared that bullying is a very important problem in their schools, %54.7 feel indisposed because of bullying in their schools, %21.3 afraid to come to school because of bullies. %27.3 of the victims declared that they exposed to bullying because of jealousy. %42.8 of the bullies declared that they bully others because others deserve punishment. Type of bullying which most exposed and applied is verbal bullying; second frequent type is physical bullying. Most of students exposed to bullying in the classrooms (%47.0). Students implied that they seldom communicate with their teachers and school directors about bullying which they exposed to in schools. Comment: Bullying is one of the challenging problems in recent education system, affects some students' lives more than others. In this point school climate and interventions of school direction about bullying become important. Rates of sharing this matter with school directors are low between high school students. The needs of school directors' and teachers' guidance, counseling and encouragement to students for collaboration about bullying are coming out.