Unveiling the shadows : an in-depth examination of bullying among secondary school learners in Gauteng East District, South Africa

Abstract

Bullying is one of the most prevalent forms of peer-related violence during the school years and is commonly defined as a pattern of aggressive and intentional behaviour, perpetrated repeatedly over time against an individual who is unable to defend themselves. This behaviour is characterised by three key elements: repetition, deliberate intent to harm, and an imbalance of power, making bullying a systematic abuse of power among peers. Recognised as a complex and serious issue, this study examines the prevalence and various forms of bullying, the underlying reasons for its occurrence, and the duration over which it persists. It also explores the effects of bullying on perpetrators, victims, and bystanders, highlighting its multifaceted impact within the school environment. The intention of this study was also to explore how a poor school environment and culture contribute to bullying. A poor school environment refers to a learning context characterised by inadequate physical, social, and emotional conditions that undermine students’ well-being and contribute to negative behaviours such as bullying. In such environments, factors like overcrowded classrooms, lack of teacher supervision, insufficient resources, poor discipline management, and weak school leadership create conditions where bullying can thrive. When learners perceive their school as unsafe or disorganised, they are more likely to engage in or tolerate bullying as a means of asserting control or status. The responses in the interviews and interactions with participants gave light on the impact of school environment and culture on bullying in schools. The negative consequences of bullying on individuals, including depression, anxiety, and declining academic performance, were explored. The importance of identifying and preventing bullying through school-based programs and community efforts were highlighted, suggesting that these interventions may reduce bullying frequency and mitigate its negative effects. Against this background, the study was conducted with the purpose of exploring the experiences of teachers in dealing with bullying among learners. The researcher made use of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory as the main theoretical framework underpinning the study and also as a theoretical lens with which experiences were probed and understood. In accordance with the qualitative nature of the study, the choice for the use of phenomenology was also used and supported by the fact that the study was located within the interpretive and social constructivism paradigms. In order to obtain data from reliable sources, a purposive sampling method was used to select the participants from the selected four schools. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with the 16 participants to gather data regarding bullying in these schools. The study found that bullying is shaped by a combination of personal factors (such as gender, socioeconomic background and physical attributes) and social dynamics, including peer pressure, social hierarchies and levels of social capital within the school. It further revealed that schools with negative climates, characterised by poor teacher-learner interactions, inadequate support and unsafe environments, experience higher levels of bullying, while positive, well-structured school environments show lower prevalence. Addressing bullying therefore requires holistic prevention and intervention strategies that include learner support, targeted programmes for victims and perpetrators, and active participation from parents and the wider community. The key recommendation is to increase awareness of bullying and offer training on the subject. There should be frequent training sessions for parents, educators, and students on how to recognise, prevent, and deal with bullying. Awareness campaigns encourage positive conduct and work to change perceptions about bullying.

Ngelixa leminyaka yokufunda ezikolweni, ukuntlontwa kwabafundi yayiyenye yezinto ezazenzeka nje lula, izinto ezinje ngobundlobongela koontanga njenezichazwa ngobundlongondlongo, izenzo ezicwangcisiwe ezenziwa ngabom liqela okanye umntu oyedwa. Ezi zenzoo ke zenziwa ngokuphindaphindwa ngabenzi bobibi kwixhoba elngenawo namandla okuzivikela. Iindlela ezintathu exixhaphakile ezithi zisetyenziswe ukuchaza ubundlondlongo zezi zikandelayo: uphindaphindo, Kwanza ngentloso nokungalingani ngamandla. Ngokwezimpawu zingentla, ukuntlontwa yindlela engeyiyo ecwangcisiweyo yokusetyenziswa kwamandla ziintanga. Ibonakala njenjeyona ngxaki enkulu yaye enganakwa. Koluphando ucalucalulo, iindlela ezahlukeneyo zokuntlontwa, kunye nonobangela wokuba zenzeke, kwakunye nobungakanani bexesha ezilithathayo , zixoxiwe zaze zaphononongwa. Ifuthe lokuntlonta kumntlonti, kkwixhoba lokuntlontwa nakumbukeli zezinye zezinto ezibalulekileyo eziphandiweyo kwesi sifundo. Injongo you phando bekukuhlolisisa ukuthi isimo esubucayi kwakunye nenkqubo esijongene nazo isikolo azinagalelo kusini na ekuntlontweni okanye ekuxhatshazweni kwabantwana. Iimpemdulo ezifumaneka kudliwano-ndlebe nakwintsebenzisawano nabathathe imxaxheba kwezi ndlela zikhankanywe mgasentla zichaphazela ubume kunye nezithethe ezilandelwa zizikolo. Iziphumo ezingalunganga kwintlondi okanye uxhatshazo kubantwana kuquka ukudamba, uvalo, ixhala,ukoyika kunye nokwehla lezinga lezifundo zomxhatshazwa ziphononongiwe. Ukubaluleka kokuchonga nokunqada okanye ukwehlisa izinga lwentlondi okanye ukuxhatshazwa lungenziwa ngokulandela imigomo eyenziwe zizikolo luncedisane neenzame zoluntu lukhnkanyiwe kolu phando. Mhlawumbe ezi nzame ix zinokulunciphisa okanye ukuthintela izinga loxhatshazo olwenzeka rhoqo. Olu phando lwenziwe ngenjongo yokuhlolisisa amava eetitshala ukuzama ukuhlangabezana okanye ukunqanda ukuntlontwa kwabantwsna. UMphandi usenzise iingcamango zikaBronfenbrenner ezibizwa ngokuba yi "ecological systems" njengeyona ngcamango isisakhelo ukugxininisa uphando ukuveza ukuba ngawaphi amava aphononongiwe ze aqondakala. Ukukhethwa kokusetyenziswa kwentwaso kungqine ukuba uphando lwenziwe ukutolika ukuhlanganyelana lungenzwanga lodwa luzimele geqe. Ukufumana u.nxibelelwano kumthombo onyanisekileyo, kuesytenziswe ukheto olunenjongo ukuchongwa kwabaza kuthatha inxaxneba kwizikol ezine. Kwizikolo ezine ezichongiweyo kwiGauteng East Disrict, ngabafundi abalishumi elinesithandathu abathathe inxaxheba kudliwano -ndldbe, iitatshala kuquka inqununu kunye nabazali (SGB) kunye nekomitii yokuqondisa izigwegwe. Iziphumo zophando zigxininise ekubalulekeni kokumisela isikolo ukuba sibe yindawo ekhuselekile apho abounding banokufunda ngokukhululekileyo. Kufuneka izikolo zimisele imigaqo-siseko eqotho, zincedisane noluntu ukwenza inkqubo eziluqilima emazilandelwe kugxilwe kakhulu kukhuseleko. Ezi ndawo ke zikhulisa intlonipho,ukwamnkeleka kwiintanga zakho, kootitshala, ezona mfanelo zamkelekileyo ukunqanda ukuntlontwa okanye ukuxhatshazwa. Eyona ngcebiso ibalulekileyo kukwandisa ukuqaphela kokuntlntwa nokufundiswa isfundo e singoxhatshazo. Kufuneka njalo kubekho iiseshoni zokufunsa abazali, iintitshaka kunye nabafundi ukuze bakwazi ukubabona nokuthi bangabanqanda okanye bangazikhusela kule ntlonti. Amaphulo okuqonda nokuqaphelisisa anika umdla wokuziphatha ngendlela eyamkelekileyo nokusebenzela ukutshintsha iingamango nokuxhatshazwa okanye ukuntlontwa.

Dilemong tsa ho kena sekolo, tlhoriso ke e nngwe ya mekgwa e atileng ho dithaka e le tsela e pepenene ya ho bontsha boqhobane ebile e ka hlaloswang e le ‘leqhoko, e tletse maikemisetso a diketso tse etswang kgafetsa ke motho ya itseng kapa lemulwana, tse lebisitsweng mothong ya sa tsebeng ho itwanela tlhorisong eo’. A mararo makgetha a ikgethang ho ka hlalosa boitshwaro ba ho hlorisa: (1) phetapheto, (2) maikemisetso le (3) matla a sa lekaneng. Ha o sheba matshwao ana, ho a utlwahala hore tlhoriso ke tshebediso ya matla ke dithaka ka tsela e fosahetseng. Re nka tlhoriso e le bothata bo rarahaneng bo bileng bo tebile. Diphuputsong tsena re lekola ho ata le mekga e fapafapaneng ya tlhoriso, esita le bolelele ba nako eo e etsahalang ka yona. Ditlamorao tsa tlhoriso ho mohlorisi, mohloriswa le moshebelli wa tlhoriso re ba nka e le batho ba bohlokwa mme dipatlisiso tsena di kenyeleditse bao bohle. Tsepamo ya dipatlisiso tsena e boetse e le ho lekola kamoo tikoloho ya dikolo tse nang le botjhaba bo fokolang di ka bang le seabo sa tlhoriso kateng. Dikarabo tse hlahisitsweng ke dipuisano le ba ithaopileng ho sebedisana le dipatlisiso tsena di fane ka lesedi la tshusumetso ya tlhoriso dikolong. Ditlamorao tse bosula ho mahlatsipa, tse kenyelletsang ho sithabela maikutlo, ho tshoha difotle le tshebetso e yang e ntse e fokola dithutong, di lekotswe. Bohlokwa ba ho hlwaya le ho thibela tlhoriso ka mananeo a thakgotsweng dikolong, di bataladitswe, ho etsetsa hore re bone hore di ka thusa jwang ho fokotsa tlhoriso le ditlamorao tse bosula. Ka boitshetleho bo boletsweng, dipatlisiso di entswe ho lekola malebela a matitjhere moo a lekang ho tobana le tlhoriso ho baithuti. Mofuputsi o sebedisitse theori ya Bronfenbrenner ya disesteme tsa tikoloho e le yona xi mokokotlo wa dipatlisiso mme e le leihlo le sefang dipatlisiso ho fihlela di ba di utlwisiseha. Kgetho ya tshebediso ya tsela ya diphuputso e sa nkeng lehlakore le yona e sebedisitswe ka tsela ya ho toloka dipharadaeme tsa dintho tse etsahalang bophelong. Tsela ya ho fuputsa ditaba mehloding e tshepahalang e lebisitse ho re mofuputsi a sebedise sampole e tjhorileng (purposive sampling) ho kgetha baithaopi/bankakarolo ba tla ba le seabo ho tloha dikolong tse nne. Bankakarolo ba leshome le metso e tsheletseng ho tswa dikolong tse nne tse hlwailweng Seterekeng sa Gauteng Botjhabela, ke bona ba bileng le seabo diphuputsong tsena. Dipuisano di entswe le matitjhere ao, a neng a akga mosuwehlooho, setho sa Sehlopha se lekolang Maphelo a Baithuti hammoho le Komiti e ikarabellang Maemong a Boitshwaro bo Hlephileng. Diphumano tsa dipatlisiso di hatella bohlokwa ba ho tsepamisa maemo a lokileng dikolong, a kenelletsang maano a hlakileng, tshehetso e matla ho tswa setjhabeng, maemo a tshebetso a topileng malebana le polokeho. Ditikoloho tsa mofuta ona di tsitlallela maemo a tlhomphano le tshehetsano dipakeng tsa baithuti le matitjhere le makgetha a hlokolosi a ho thibela le ho laola diketsahalo tsa tlhoriso. Kgothaletso e ka sehloohong ke ho eketsa kelohloko ya tlhoriso le ho kwetlisa batho mabapi le yona. Ho lokela ho be le dinako tsa boikwetliso tse etsahalang kgafetsa tse lebiswang ho batswadi, matitjhere le baithuti e le ho ba elelliswa tseo ba ka di etsang ho thibela le ho tobana le maemo a tlhoriso. Matsholo a kelohloko a ka thusa ho fetola dikakanyo tse amanang le tlhoriso.