New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
POWER OR FEAR: A case study of school bullying on highschool students
A Research Paper
Presented to the
Faculty of the College of Accountancy
NEW ERA UNIVERSITY
New Era, Quezon City, Philippines
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements of the Subject
ETHICS
Presented by:
Domingo, Renalyn O.
Fermalino, Mitz G.
Galvan, Rholyn A.
Submitted to:
Dr. Marissa R. Operario
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
Abstract
Bullying happens when someone makes fun of or treats someone else unfairly. It started
many years ago when people studied and discovered it was not a good thing. The researchers called
it aggressive behavior when someone is bullied repeatedly and cannot do anything to stop it. This
study aims to know what causes bullying among Filipino high school students. It also seeks to see
what effects bullying has on students. There are different types of bullying, and some are worse
than others. Some people bully others because they're angry or think it is funny. Bullies want to
control students who they thought were weaker than them. The research also indicates the potential
characteristics of the victims.
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the study
Bullying is a problem that affects everyone in many places around the world; It can happen
at school, at home, or in a business directly at anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, or
social status. The Philippines is a beautiful and developing country, but it has a long history of
dealing with problems related to bullying. According to the report, the death of a young woman
has people thinking about cyberbullying again. Cyberbullying can be a hurtful thing to do and a
traumatizing scenario. This poster is a reminder of a problem that experts say is a public health
problem for young people. Bullying in the Philippines happens in schools and online. A study
found that about 50% of Filipino students got bullied in school. A study recently found that one in
two Filipino children has seen violence or abuse in their schools. The study found that students in
schools in the Philippines experience different types of bullying, including calling someone names
and making fun of them.
The Department of Education (DepEd) report about bullying from public and private
schools in the Philippines showed that there was a 21% increase in 2015. In 2018, six out of ten
Filipinos said they were bullied. Unicef reports that in 2019, one out of three young people
experienced bullying online.
Bullying is a severe public health issue that can result in both social exclusion and social
isolation as well as verbal or physical harm. Therefore, the study is required to create a database
for laws and other measures intended to stop bullying and its detrimental impacts. This essay gives
a case study that adds to the literature by detailing a bully intervention that has consequences for
bullying practices and related laws.
Bullies specifically target "nerds," and it appears that this is due to the effect of school
culture, which encourages the formation of crowds or cliques with prestigious identities, such as
the preppies and the popular. It is rather usual in educational settings for students to be assigned
to particular groupings by their peers based on the reputations and traits they possess that
correspond with the stereotype of that group (Rentzsch, Schutz, & Schroder-Abe, 2011). One of
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
the least popular groups in school is the one referred to as "nerds." A person is considered a nerd
if they have one or more of the following traits: intelligence, ambition, good grades, diligence in
their studies, shyness, a lack of friends, unfashionable, unathletic, underweight, unattractive
physical features, such as a large nose, or any combination of these traits (Rentzsch et al., 2011).
B. Research Problem/s
This study aims to determine the causes and effects of bullying among Filipino High
School students. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:
Who experienced being bullied?
How well does a school recognize bullying?
Why do children bully their colleagues?
What are the impacts of bullying to those people who are bullied?
What are some of the reasons someone may be a target of bullying?
C. Significance of the Study
This study examined the many forms of bullying on school campuses, as well as its
impacts, repercussions, and victims' coping techniques. In order for everyone in the community—
students, instructors, parents, and the community at large—to be aware of the detrimental effects
of bullying on both the victims and the bullies, the experiences of the participants may serve as
lessons. Preventive techniques that could reduce bullying on school grounds, if not completely
eradicate it, may be found through this study. The results of this study might help people
understand campus bullying better and motivate school leaders, guidance counselors, teacher
advisers, and subject teachers to create policies to deal with the issue. Once bullying is properly
addressed, students might be more eager to learn, which eventually would lead to an improvement
in academic rankings.
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
Moreover, the results of the study will be beneficial to the following:
Students- The results of this study may help them to understand the consequences of their actions
more clearly and to be more open-minded about how their behavior affects others. It may also help
students to be more willing to change the way they behave.
Parents- The study will tell parents what kind of attitude their child has, so they can be sure to
avoid them from bullying others.
School Personnel- The study will help the school improve their teaching materials and
motivational techniques in order to better understand and support the victims of this case.
Institution - This study is designed to help and learn more about ways to prevent events from
causing serious problems.
Future Researchers- The data presented may be used as reference data in conducting new
research in studying the effect of bullying on children’s’ mental health. This study may also be the
cross-reference that will supply them an overview of a study related to bullying.
D. Scope and Delimitation
The study focused on the investigation of the figure of bullying behavior, its victims, and
the types of bullying and places of bullying among high schooler Filipino students. Bullying is a
problem that affects both individuals and society as a whole. It is a psychological issue that needs
to be addressed with education and prevention.
E. Definition of Terms
The following terms were defined in the study's operational definitions for better
comprehension:
Aggressive -behaving in an angry and violent way towards another person.
Bully-a person who exposes someone to negative actions repeatedly.
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
Bullying - is described as "repeated acts of unjustified hostility that are harmful to the victim's
psychological or physical well-being and where the aggressor(s) and victim are of unequal
strength."
Bully victim- a person who suffered physical or emotional abuse by the bully itself.
Cyberbullying- type of bullying with the use of technologies including social media or internet.
Peers- people whose age, type of job, social class or status, etc. are the same with other person.
Physical bullying-an abusive act of a person using physical actions such as kicking, hitting,
punching, slapping and shoving someone to gain power and control over his/her target.
Power-capable of being dominant over someone.
Social bullying-an act of excluding or isolating others from a group, spreading rumors,
manipulating situations, and breaking the confidence of a certain person.
Verbal bullying- the use of words, statements, name-calling and relentless insults to belittle,
demean, and hurt another person.
Vulnerable –able to be easily hurt or attack physically, mentally and emotionally.
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
II. METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the procedures used in securing the data of the study and the methods
used in conducting research. It shows research design, participants, sampling techniques, research
instruments, data gathering, and data treatments used in the study.
Research Design
The method that will be used to conduct this study is qualitative research. Qualitative
research is primarily exploratory research. It is utilized to increase the
comprehension of unknown reasons, suppositions, and inspirations. It gives bits of
knowledge into the issue or assists with creating thoughts or theories for potential
quantitative research. Qualitative research used to reveal slants in view and
assessments and jump further into the matter. Subjective information assortment
strategies shift utilizing unstructured or semi-organized systems. Some standard
techniques incorporate center gatherings (bunch conversations), singular meetings,
and investment/perceptions. The example size is ordinarily little, and respondents are
chosen to satisfy a given portion (DeFranzo, 2011).
Moreover, this study will use an online conferencing to conduct an interview as performing
face-to-face interviews is not viable due to restrictions caused by Covid-19. Furthermore, the
researchers will use google meet as a medium of communication to avoid confusion in managing
data. Content Analysis is used in this research, where the researchers want to determine the effects
of bullying on Filipino high school student’s mental health in the Philippines.
Participants
The five participants were composed of three females and two males who are a Filipino
Highschool student residing in the Philippines. The participants would be more able to answer the
given questions based on their experiences and perspectives.
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
Sampling Technique
The researchers made use of a purposive sampling technique. Purposive
sampling is an examining procedure where scientist depends on their judgment while
picking individuals from the populace to take part in the investigation.
Purposive sampling is a non-likelihood inspecting strategy, and it happens when
components chosen for the examples are picked by the judgment of the scientist.
Scientists regularly accept that they can acquire a delegate test by utilizing a sound
judgment, which will bring about setting aside time and cash (Black, 2010).
Data Treatment
In line with the process of data gathering, the researchers conducted a lot of
investigation from different schools among which they have attained their highschool, that serve
as the foundation of the study. The researchers use the internet to obtain and look for
related literature to support the study while also adding videos and audio recordings.
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
III. RESULTS & DISCUSSION
This chapter contains the summary, conclusion and recommendation of the whole study.
The findings of the study were written in the summary. Generalizations and other interferences
were in the conclusion while the recommendations of the researchers can also be seen in this
chapter.
A. Summary
The result of the study is summarized as follows:
1.
Bullying happened to the majority of the respondents. The respondents experienced various
forms of bullying, as indicated by the study's findings. According to the students' responses, they
have experienced cyberbullying, also known as online bullying, as well as physical, verbal,
emotional, and social abuse.
2.
The reasons why students bully their fellow students include their own experiences with
bullying, which makes them inclined to inflict that suffering on others in an effort to lessen or
simply to distract themselves from the traumas they have endured, as well as the fact that their
families do not adequately support and pay attention to them, in addition to the fact that they bullied
their classmates in order to gain power.
3.
One effect of bullying on victims is that they lose confidence and experience stress;
regrettably, some of them also attempted suicide and suffered from depression and anxiety.
4.
Low self-esteem and isolation from others are two factors that may lead to a person
becoming a victim of bullying, along with vulnerability.
5.
To cope with their experiences, the respondents used a variety of coping mechanisms. On
the positive side, some of them choose to turn to God. Having trust in and faith in the future that
our Almighty God has planned for them. In contrast, some people turned to self-harming to the
point that they cut themselves and even considered suicide.
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
B. Conclusion
The study's findings led the researchers to the conclusion that bullying is rampant among
Filipino high schoolers. In this study, some schools demonstrate that they are well aware of this
issue; others don't tolerate it; and a few of them simply don't want to get involved. The study also
demonstrates that bullying has significant negative effects on those students and is a significant
contributing factor in some students' bullying of other students. Finally, the studies revealed that
various kinds of bullying occur on school grounds and that the respondents are exposed to those
types.
C. Recommendation
In light of the findings the following are recommended;
1.
Avoid being alone. As much as possible, stay close with your friends.
2.
If you’re in a circle of friends, observe them.
3.
Stay with a group whose interest is the same as yours.
4.
Do things that make you feel empowered, strong and confident.
5.
For parents, build communication with your child.
6.
To schools, implement rules and sanctions regarding this problem.
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
Appendix A
Transcription of the Interview
S.O.P 1: To know who experienced bullying and how well aware the schools are about
bullying.
The participants discussed their perception on bullying. The following are their
statements:
1). Do you think bullying is a problem at your school?
•
Respondent #1: Yes, and either cyberbullying or physical bullying. It has been a problem
at school and until now I guess.
•
Respondent #2 : Yes, and I witnessed a lot and people think that their actions are normal.
•
Respondent #3 : Yes, Bullying is a behavior that is not only negative but can be destructive
for every victim. It is an issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. I encountered
back then some group of people, they're laughing on what that person wore, on how it
dressed, it's very sad that they even don't know what is going through on that person,
because we don't know on someone's story, maybe behind that person is struggling at night,
so be careful on what you say, there's a saying that, "think before you click" be considerate.
•
Respondent #4 : For me, no. But to some, maybe.
•
Respondent #5 : Yes, I’ve seen a lot of this happened in our school.
2). Has it ever happened to you?(If yes, what kind of bullying (ex. Physical). If not, the kinds
of bullying you observed in your school.)
•
Respondent #1 : Yes, I was bullied verbally and sometimes physically but more on verbal.
•
Respondent #2 : Yes, I experienced physical, social, verbal, and emotional manipulation.
•
Respondent #3 : Yes, when I started going to school when I'm in grade one, I'm already a
victim on this kind of bullying, such as name calling, teasing, insults, and also physical,
there's no day that they're not bullying me, it happen every vacant or after school, I report
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
to my teachers but nothing's changed, i didn't report to my parents because I'm afraid on
what they can do, in that I'm afraid going to school, i also came to the point that I changed
school, because maybe when I didn't see those who bullied me, it will be peaceful for me,
but after a few weeks, what I was afraid of, is happened again.
•
Respondent #4 : No, but sometimes I observed some mental abuse like saying something
bad to other people which is not good.
•
Respondent #5 : Yes, physically and verbally.
3. Do you think that your school is giving enough attention to bullying? What are their rules
and sanctions for that?
•
Respondent #1 :My school that time never gave attention whenever someone gets bullied.
If you were in the shoes of a victim then the teachers would just ignore you and then of
course your experience was serious casualties like having your arms broken and getting
pushed in a lake– because we have a lake in school– or anything that is too obvious not to
ignore. So in my case as a verbally bullied child that time, no one really helped me at
school.
•
Respondent #2 :They usually say that you’re currently experiencing these types of
situations that you should tell the teachers or the guidance counselor. Pero I think their
ways are not really that effective especially when they're really hard to reach out to.
•
Respondent #3 :Yes, because I already attended some seminars about bullying. They have
the advocacy, they call it, "Be a buddy, not a bully" The sanctions are meant to address the
bullying, punish the bully, and protect the victim and others from future bullying. And also
depending on the severity of the bullying found it can range from counseling to suspension
or expulsion.
•
Respondent #4 :Yes, no one should bully one another or else they will be punished at Office
of the Student Discipline.
•
Respondent #5 : I can’t say that they’re really giving enough attention to it. Yes, they have
punishments.. sanctions.. whatever you call them about this matter but they don’t really
implement it that much. Some bullies still got their way out whenever they commit one.
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
S.O.P 2: To find out the reasons/ causes why bullies bully their colleagues.
In the following statements below, respondents stated their perceptions about it.
4. If you were to ask, what do you think are the causes why a bully bullies?
•
Respondent #1 : I think it’s because they’re insecure and just suddenly jealous of
something they can’t have or live with because of their trauma and their will to inflict that
pain to others. It is still not valid to do so.
•
Respondent #2 :Ahm a lot of people might say that comes from insecurities and some even
romanticized bullying that if a guy teases you that means he like you. Bullying is bullying.
You can’t get rid of a person’s trauma by just saying that they’re into you. Bullies are
insecure people that already probably have problems at home and reflecting the families
actions through other people.
•
Respondent #3 :Every day, people are bullied into doing things they don’t want to do.
Maybe why bully bullies is because they already in that kind of situation, or maybe they
are jealous on someone that they don't have or maybe they are insecure about themselves,
and maybe they also mistreated in some way and is hurt by it. It’s always a bad idea to
bully someone else, and it’s not just because you’ll get in trouble for it, you will do it to
others for your sake, let's break this stigma, because you will also feel terrible about
yourself afterward. Be a buddy, not a bully.
•
Respondent #4 :I think it's because of their different physical appearance like the way they
dressed, or maybe the way they act.
•
Respondent #5 : For me, lack of attention from their parents and somehow experienced
being bullied also.
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
S.O.P 3: Finding out the reasons why a predator bullies its prey, we also aimed to answer
what are the effects of bullying to the victim’s life.
The following statements are their responses during the interview:
5. Since you experienced bullying, what are the effects of this on you?
•
Respondent #1 :I lost a lot of confidence and until now (laughs). I’m having a hard time
to regain that and I even became a people pleaser so that people won’t dislike me. Or I
become extra careful of my every move just because I don’t want to catch anyone’s negative
attention.
•
Respondent #2 :Ahm during I experienced this, I was really down. I didn’t want to go to
school because it’s so bad that it affected my grades. Ahm.. I experienced that for three
years and Imagine going through that way through years without any help from anyone
that you feel alone most of the time. And it caused a lot of trust issues and it’s so hard to
open my emotions to anyone. And I always thought that anyone thought the same about me
because it was all in my head. Sometimes I even think of committing suicide and now I
experienced bullying. But people who bully me now don’t really think that they’re affecting
that much to people. They think that it’s completely normal because a lot of people have
normalized insulting and judging others.
•
Respondent #3 :This kind of bully; physical, verbal and emotional affects my self-esteem
and I felt sadness and loneliness and it also changes my sleep and eating.
•
Respondent #5 : There’s nothing bigger effect of this bullying in me than my academic
performance being low. I used to aced my classes but since this experience of mine
happened, my confidence fluctuated. I don’t even trust myself anymore.
S.O.P 4: To know the victim’s coping mechanism to pass through their experience.
The following statements showed the respondent’s different strategies:
6. A lot of students your age who suffered bullying often resorts to suicide as their solution to end
their sufferings. What are your coping mechanisms to get past your experience?
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
•
Respondent #1 :My coping mechanism would be ahmm.. Ano ba? Suppressing my
emotions? I.. I don’t know. I just tend to forgive and forget unintentionally and then the
traumas all I can remember. Well, if I were to be honest about my coping mechanism, I
used to cut my skin and although it physically hurts but it helps me forget about what’s
spiraling inside my mind and it was the only thing that keeps me grounded and now I know
that’s wrong but that never came into my mind when I was still a child.
•
Respondent #2 :I focused on the things I do. I focused on becoming a better version of
myself. Quite cliche but it’s true. Surrounding yourself with people who make me feel
better. Help you into diverting my attention to other things and those negative thoughts
and people. I just enjoyed what I love to do like going back to hobbies and stuff just to
make use of my time. It helps a lot because you're working on yourself better than playing
those negative thoughts over and over your head. And it could badly affect yourself. A lot
of people also help me during those stages of my life. I can say that if you do spend time
with those who make you feel good about yourself, you wouldn’t think of others opinions
towards you or irrelevant as long as you’re not doing wrong that could end up negatively
affecting others.
•
Respondent #3 :My coping mechanism since then, I talk to God, I open up to him and
pleasing that he would give me strength and make me brave, to pass through those kind of
situation. I did it every night, for me to have a clearer understanding on people why they
are doing those kind of behavior.
•
Respondent #4 :Personally, I didn't entertain any kind of bullying so i don't want to be
close with many people especially negative people who is not good for my mental health, I
don't even get affected and let them bothers me because of it.
•
Respondent #5 : I started reading books again, enhancing my knowledge at the same time
getting comfortable again with my surrounding. It’s not much of a step, but at least I’m
trying, and I know.. I know I’ll get there again someday.
New Era University
Republic of the Philippines
National Capital Region
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
No. 9 Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City 1107, Philippines
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