The role educators’ play in dealing with learners who experience bullying within the school in selected in Kwamthethwa

Abstract

The terminology of bullying is considered a behaviour that is aggressive towards a victim, and its intentional acts are carried out by a group or an individual repeatedly and over time against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself. Bullying has become a public concern because of the lack of safety in schools. Bullying involves a forceful interaction between the perpetrator and the victim; hence, the bully dominates in power while the victim decreases. Specifically, the study aims to explore the role of educators in addressing bullying in the selected schools in the KwaMthethwa area. Two research objectives were used to guide the study. These research objectives are to: establish the forms of bullying experienced by learners within the school premises and determine the role educators play in dealing with learners who experience bullying in the school. The study was underpinned by the Empowerment Theory (ET) by Swift and Levin. The study adopted an interpretivism research paradigm to enable teachers to voice their feelings and experiences of bullying in their schools among learners. A qualitative research approach was used during data collection. The study collected data using semi-structured interviews and the data was collected from teachers who are counselling learners who experience bullying within the school premises. The study acknowledged that learners are experiencing bullying within the school premises. Hence, learners are experiencing several types of bullying not limited to physical, emotional, psychological, verbal, and sexual bullying, as well as online bullying. Teachers play a critical role in ensuring that incidences of bullying are addressed because they are assigned to deal with learners who bully one another. This study contributes to current literature discourse on bullying; interrogates the applicability of empowerment theory and models to bullying research; adds new data, information, and knowledge on bullying research, particularly in South Africa; and proposes practical solutions to addressing bullying in schools.