Factors contributing to bullying among students in public secondary schools in Kiambu district, Kenya
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Date
2013
Authors
Mwangi, Joseph Kahunga
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
In spite of the fact that incidences of bullying are widespread in schools, bullying in
Kenyan secondary schools has not been given much attention by researchers. The only
Kenyan policy addressing bullying in schools is contained in the Safety Standards
Manual for Schools in Kenya. However, this policy document does not adequately
address the issue of bullying, instead grouping it together in the broad content of child
abuse.Bullying has many negative effects including psychological harm, physical
injuries, poor academic performance, and even loss of life. It was for this reason that the
researcher proposed to carry out a study on the factors contributing to bullying in
secondary schools in Kiambu District. The objectives of the study were to: determine the
various forms of bullying experienced in secondary schools in Kiambu District; to
examine how students' age, gender and academic performance influence bullying; to find
out how school management structures influence bullying among secondary school
students in Kiambu District; to examine the strategies employed by secondary school
administrators to control bullying, and to establish possible ways through which bullying
in schools can be eradicated. The study used an ex-post facto research design targeting 19
principals, 19 teacher counsellors, 386 teachers and 10,193 students from the nineteen
public secondary schools in Kiambu District. Stratified random sampling was employed
to select 10 schools, from which 200 students (20 per school) were selected to take part in
the study. The headteachers or deputy headteachers of the selected schools were also
selected for the study. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules.
The reliability index for the students' questionnaire was established at 0.7257. Data was
both qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative data collected was coded and entered into
an SPSS programme for analysis. Qualitative data was put under themes consistent with
the research objectives. The study established that bullying incidents were experienced in
secondary schools in Kiambu district. The major factors contributing to bullying among
students were; peer pressure, indiscipline, drug/substance abuse among students, harsh
punishment from teachers and unclear defined procedure in the administration of
students' discipline. It was established that disciplinary measures such as denying
students rights to meals and physical punishment (beating) were other factors that
negatively influenced students to engage in bullying. The study recommends that the
Ministry of education should provide staff development training in prevention of bullying
and cultivate acceptance and understanding in all students to develop a safe and healthy
learning environment; effective guidance and counseling programs should be put as
essential part for schools by the school administrators to promote students discipline;
among other recommendations.
Description
Department of Educational Management Policy & Curriculum Studies, 75p. 2013