Effects of Bullying on Academic Performance in Selected Secondary Schools in Dagorreti Division, Nairobi

Abstract

Cases of bullying have been on the rise in secondary schools. The purpose of the study reported on in this paper was to investigate the effects of bullying on academic performance in selected public secondary schools in Dagoretti Division, Nairobi. The specific objectives of the study included: investigation on the types of bullying, factors contributing to bullying in schools, effects of bullying and remedies to bullying. The study used ex-post facto research design and employed simple random sampling technique to sample 120 students. Data were collected using questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Data were presented using tables, histograms and pie charts. The findings revealed that bullying is a serious problem that can dramatically affect the ability of students to progress academically, emotionally and socially. Recommendations of the study included that concerted efforts are required to exhaustively deal with bullying in all schools with comprehensive intervention programs involving all students, parents, teachers, the community and Ministry of Education Science and Technology introduced in all schools to ensure that all students learn in safe and fear-free environments.