Second Draft School Bullying Education Research Paper

School Bullying
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School Bullying
Introduction
School bullying refers to bullying that takes place in an educational setting. For an act to be classified as bullying, it needs to meet a certain criterion. This includes provocation, distress, imbalance of power, repetition, and hostile intent. Bullying has a broad spectrum of detrimental effects on the victim including stress, contemplated suicide, depression, and anger. Further, the bully is more inclined to engage in criminal behavior or develop different social disorders. This paper examines the prevalence, effects, and nature of bullying. Moreover, it discussed the four types of bullying and explores the most effective strategies used to combat school bullying.
Overview
In contemporary society, school bullying has become a prevalent phenomenon present in high, middle, and elementary schools in the U.S. as well as other countries across the world. As a universal problem, school bullying occurs at comparable rates in different countries, cultures, and educational settings (Carney & Merrell, 2001). Previously viewed as a normal rite of passage, school bullying is currently identified as a leading threat to school safety (Juvonen, 2005). Starting in the late 1990s, various fatal school shootings have been perpetrated by individuals who are victims of school bullying. This has drawn the attention of various media platforms to the problem. The outcome has been increased public awareness concerning the detrimental effects associated with bullying and a plethora of nationwide, state, and local programs have been designed to alleviate and curb the issue.
When defining school bullying, four basic elements are taken into account. First, school bullying cannot occur between students who have a similar or equal degree of power since it involves a powerful student harassing a weaker one. Bullying significantly relies on an imbalance of power which is established by factors such as popularity, psychological strength, physical size, and age (Rigby, 2003). Second, the act of bullying is deliberate; a bully purposely aims to inflict suffering or harm in his or her subject. Third, bullying can occur directly or indirectly. Physical violence such as tripping, poking, hitting, or shoving are direct forms of bullying. Verbal bullying is also a direct form of bullying, and it entails acts such as mockery, name-calling, and teasing. Contrarily, indirect bullying involves excluding the victim from a peer group; it is social (Scarpaci, 2006). Fourth, bullying is incessant; it involves a continuing pattern of abuse and intimidation.
School bullying is common with children aged nine to fifteen years who are leaving the late stages of childhood and entering the early stages of adolescence, and often occurs in middle and elementary schools. As children advance in age, the types of bullying they engage in change. Younger school bullies are more inclined to use forms of physical aggression and name-calling whereas older bullies are more likely to bully their victims by using sexual overtones (Carney & Merrell). In some instances, the type of bullying witnessed in older childre...