LEVEL OF AWARENESS TOWARDS ANTI-BULLYING LAW

AMONG GRADE 6 PUPILS OF

AGLALANA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CRISTY LYN C. FANUGA

A Research Proposal Submitted to Dr. Adelfo Z. Virtudazo

Action Research Professor of Capiz State University
Dumarao Satellite College
Dumarao, Capiz

October 2015

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I INTRODUCTION 1

Statement of the problem 4

Objectives of the Study 4

Significance of the Study 6

Scope and Limitation of the Study 7

II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 8

Conceptual Framework 11

Research Hypothesis 11

III METHODOLOGY 12

Research Design 12

Place and Time of the Study 12

Respondents of the Study 12

Sampling Design 12

Definition of Terms 13

Research Instrument 14

Statistical Analysis of the Data 14

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

School bullying has been identified as a major problem in many countries around

the world. Everybody we know has a story they can tell about it. It is imperative that

bullying is stopped within our schools. It can create a hell on earth for someone who is

victimized, and can seriously threaten that person‟s opportunities in life.

Equally important, the social climate of a school is a model of the world outside.

It is where people develop a large part of their morality, their understanding of how the

world works and their sense of responsibility towards the society they live in. Bullying is

devastating in any shape or form, and cyberbullying is its newest expression. A number

of young people have committed suicide as a result of cyberbullying. Suicide is tragic

and final. Suicide as a result of bullying is a startling and hard-hitting indictment on the

schools and societies in which it occurs. But there are many more cases of bullying that

do not reach this utterly hopeless and irretrievable point but must still be dealt with if we

are to live in just, egalitarian and humane societies in which children are able to reach

their potential academically, socially and psychically. Newspaper reports tend to focus on

the tragedies, and on the type of bullying epitomized in Tom Brown‟s School Days,

where large rough boys beat up smaller and cleverer boys who somehow do not fit the

mould. Although these cases have the most visible impacts, bullying is much more than

this. It can be psychological. It can include acts of exclusion and isolation, humiliation,

name-calling, spreading false rumours and teasing. It can involve the extortion of money

and the theft of possessions. It can be sexual. It can be done by and against girls.
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Although cuts and bruises are the external signs of physical bullying, research

shows that the internal hurts from psychological bullying can be just as painful. Recent

research also shows 8724 1st proof.qxd 11/08/2010 17:14 Page 3 that reported cases of

bullying are only the tip of the iceberg: the bulk is below the surface and hard to detect.

School bullying is a major problem in many countries. Maxwell and Carroll-Lind‟s

(1997) study of first- and second-form pupils in the North Island of New Zealand asked

its respondents to identify the three worst things they had ever experienced. The death of

somebody close to them was the most often mentioned, but being bullied by other

children came second. Although the greatest worry parents may have for the safety of

their children is in relation to their getting to and from school, and random attacks of the

stranger-danger type, Maxwell and Carroll-Lind state that „90% of the incidents of

emotional abuse and most of the physical violence between children occur at schools‟

(1997: 5).

Bullying is a serious problem in homes, schools and communities. Often

dismissed as an adolescent “rite of passage,” research clearly indicates bullying is learned

behavior and detrimental to the academic, physical, social and emotional development of

all involved – bullies, targets and the bystanders who witness it. Bullying is not only a

problem of youth but is one that spans all ages. Despite volumes of research, countless

“anti-bullying” programs and increased scrutiny by the media, bullying continues to

pervade our culture and our schools. It is a complex social issue requiring determination,

leadership and courage to address. Although it is a difficult challenge, it cannot be

ignored. A wave of recent bullying incidents with tragic outcomes has shed a renewed
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light on this issue. The advent of technology allowing for impulsive, anonymous and

rapid communication has expanded the opportunities for bullying to a degree that

necessitates more innovative and immediate responses than ever before.

To address the increasing cases of bullying specifically in the Philippines,

President Aquino signed last Republic Act 10627 or the “Anti-Bullying Act of 2013” on

September 6 which dictates that “within 6 months, elementary and secondary schools are

expected to come-up with their strategies, policies and procedure relative to the

implementation of the anti-bullying act of 2013”. Further, the Department of Education

must come up with implementing rules and regulations related to preventing all types of

bullying. Hence, this study aims to determine primarily the level of awareness among

grade six students towards Anti-Bullying Law in Aglalana Elementary School.

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Statement of the Problem

The study will aim to analyze the level of awareness towards Anti-Bullying Law

among grade six pupils of Aglalana Elementary School for the A.Y 2015-2016. It will

seek to answer the following questions:

1. What is the socio-demographic profile of the respondents?

2. What is the mainstream media source of the respondents?

3. What is the academic performance of the respondents?

4. Are there significant association existed between the respondents‟ age,

gender, religion, residence location and their level of awareness towards

Anti-Bullying Law?

5. Are there significant association existed between the respondents‟

academic performance and their level of awareness towards Anti-Bullying

Law.

Objectives of the Study

General Objective

1. To determine the level of awareness towards Anti-Bullying Law among grade

six pupils at Aglalana Elementary School.

Specific Objectives

1. To describe the socio- demographic profile of the respondents.

2. To find out the mainstream media source of the respondents .

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3. To find out the academic performance of the respondents.

4. To determine the association between the respondents‟ age, gender,

religion, residence location and their level of awareness towards Anti-Bullying Law.

5. To determine the association between the respondents‟ academic

performance and their level of awareness towards Anti-Bullying Law.

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Significance of the Study

The study will be beneficial to the following:

Legislative Body. The Philippine legislature will make this as a basis upon modification

of the Anti-Bullying Law in the future. Variables in this study will be a good

statistical data for stringent making of other child protection-related laws.

DSWD. This will encourage the staff of DSWD to conduct awareness programs on Anti

Bullying in all secondary school to prevent and address bullying cases in school.

School Administrator. The result of the study can make used for strict implementation

of Anti-Bullying policy in the school premises.

Elementary School Teachers and School Personnel. The result will enable teachers

and school personnel determine their duties and responsibilities enumerated in

Section 4 to 9 of DepED Order No. 40, s. 2012.

Community. The result of the study will encourage parents and other persons in the

community to sponsor education sessions to learn, model, and reinforce positive

social and emotional skills to their children about anti-bullying policy of the

school.

Parents. This will give knowledge to parents and guardians about protection or anti-

bullying policy of the school and how parents and guardians can provide support

and reinforce the policies at home.

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Students. This will lift students‟ awareness towards prohibited acts of Anti-Bullying Law

and the corresponding punishments.

Future Researcher. This will add to the future researcher‟s references or related studies

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study will be limited only to the level of awareness towards Anti-

Bullying Law among grade six pupils at Aglalana Elementary School of the AY:

2015-2016. Academic performance of the respondents will only cover from first and

second grading period of the AY: 2015- 2016. This study will also focused only to the

responses of the respondents on the different questions pertaining to Anti-Bullying

Law using a questionnaire made by the researchers.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

On 2001 study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human

Development (NICHD) surveyed 15,686 students in grades six-through-10, in public,

parochial, and other private schools throughout the U.S. Out of all the students, 13

percent said they had engaged in moderate or frequent bullying of others, while 10.6

percent said they had been bullied either moderately or frequently. Some students - 6.3

percent - had both bullied others and been bullied themselves. In all, 30 percent of the

students who responded to the survey had been involved in some aspect of bullying,

either as a bully, as the target of bullying, or both.

One out of every four students (22%) report being bullied during the school year

(National Center for Educational Statistics, 2015). 19.6% of high school students in the

US report being bullied at school in the past year. 14.8% reported being bullied online

(Center for Disease Control, 2014). 64 percent of children who were bullied did not

report it; only 36 percent reported the bullying (Petrosina, Guckenburg, DeVoe, and

Hanson, 2010). More than half of bullying situations (57 percent) stop when a peer

intervenes on behalf of the student being bullied (Hawkins, Pepler, and Craig,

2001). School-based bullying prevention programs decrease bullying by up to 25%

(McCallion and Feder, 2013). The reasons for being bullied reported most often by

students were looks (55%), body shape (37%), and race (16%) (Davis and Nixon, 2010).

Data from DepEd showed that as of August, 2010 to May, 2012, a total of 112

cases of child abuse and related complaints have been referred to Central Office.
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Topping the list is the National Capital Region (NCR) with 59; Region 4A with 22;

Region VII with 5; Regions I, III and IX with 4; Region IV- with 3; Region XII with 2;

CAR, VI, X, XI, and XIII with 1. Region V received no complaint of bullying.

(Retrieved from http://ph.news.yahoo.com/widespread-campus-bullying-alarms-deped-

123313925.html)

Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year. Approximately

160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying. 17% of American students

report being bullied 2 to 3 times a month or more within a school semester. Take a stand

in your community by hosting a Bullying Policy Makeover event customizing your

school‟s anti-bullying policy. 1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will

only intervene 4% of the time. By age 14 less than 30% of boys and 40% of girls will talk

to their peers about bullying.

About 15% of boys and 7% of girls were bullied and 12% of girls and 13% of

boys were victimized at age 16. Both bullying and victimization at age 16 were

associated with a wide range of psychological problems at age 8 and 16, and with referral

to child mental health services. Bullying at age 8 was associated with bullying at age 16,

while victimization at age 8 was associated with victimization 8 years later ( Andre

Sourander et Al , 2000 ) .

Bullying and harassment are not new issues that students and schools face. In fact,

over the years, it has been viewed as being so commonplace in schools that it has been

overlooked as a threat to students and reduced to a belief that bullying is a developmental

stage that most youth will experience then get over (Ross, 2002, p. 107). But not
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everyone gets over the personal trauma that can come with bullying both for the victim

and the bully. This is why it is seen happening by adults in work places, in homes, and in

the community. Therefore, this harassment is not isolated to schools alone. But schools

are the best place to actively intervene. Teachers, administrators, counsellors, and even

students have the greatest access to the most students through a school system. It is here

that school staff can intervene, support and educate students about ending bullying

behaviours directly and indirectly; breaking the bullying-cycle. This paper will address

bullying in general at all grade levels, but its intervention focus will be at the high school

level. Harris & Hathorn, (2006, p. 50) state: Because adolescence is a difficult time in a

child‟s maturation, bullying exacerbates these difficult times by forming barriers to

positive connections with other students and school faculty members. Consequently, the

presence of bullying at school often creates a barrier for young people to develop into

well-adjusted adults.

Data from dosomething.org tell us that 67% of students believe that schools

respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help is

infrequent and ineffective. 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at

their school. 90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying. 1 in 10

students drop out of school because of repeated bullying. As boys age they are less and

less likely to feel sympathy for victims of bullying. In fact they are more likely to add to

the problem than solve it. Physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in

middle school and declines in high school. Verbal abuse, on the other hand, remains

constant.
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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Independent Variables Dependent Variables

Socio-Demographic Factors

Age
Gender Level of awareness
Residence Location
Religion
Academic performance

Figure 1. A schematic diagram showing the association between respondents age, gender,
residence location, religion , academic performance and level of awareness.

HYPOTHESIS

1. There is no association between age, gender, residence location, religion and the

level of awareness of grade six pupils towards Anti-Bullying Law among grade

six pupils at Aglalana Elementary School.

2. There is an association between academic performance and the level of awareness

of grade six pupils towards Anti-Bullying Law.

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CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Place and time of the study

This study will be conducted at Aglalana Elementary School for the AY. 2015-

2016.

Respondents of the study

The respondents of the study will be the grade six pupils of Aglalana Elementary

School for the AY. 2015-2016.

Research Design

The study will use descriptive research design, particularly survey method.

Sampling Design

The study will use to stratify random sampling design and the sample size was

determined using the formula used by Slovin with 5% margin of error.

N
n=
1+N(e)2
Where:

n = sample size

N = population size

e = 0.10 (sampling error)

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Definition of Terms

Punch strike with the fist.

Headlock a method of restraining someone by holding an arm firmly around their head,

especially as a hold in wrestling.

Slap hit (someone or something) with the palm of one's hand or a flat object.

Shove push (someone or something) roughly.

Awareness knowledge or perception of a situation or fact on anti-bullying law.

Level of awareness in this study it is categorized into fully aware, aware and not aware

Bully define in the Anti-Bullying Law as :

1. Any unwanted physical contact between the bully and the victim like punching,

pushing, shoving, kicking, slapping, tickling, headlocks, inflicting school pranks,

teasing, fighting and the use of available objects as weapons;

2. Any act that causes damage to a victim‟s psyche and/or emotional well-being;

Bullying is the use of force threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate or aggressively to

impose domination over others.

Law the system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes as

regulating the actions of its members & which it many enforce by the in position

of penalties.

Academic Performance refers to the general average grade of the respondents from first

to second grading period at the year of 2015-2016: categorize into Excellent, Very

Good, Good, Satisfactory, Poor, Pass and Failed.

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Research Instrument

The study will use a prepared survey questionnaire. Part one, will be consisted of

the socio-demographic profile of the respondents, how the respondents learn about Anti-

Bullying Law and respondents academic performance. Part two, will be consisted of the

gathered information on the level of awareness towards anti-bullying law among grade

six pupils at Aglalana Elementary School.

Statistical Analysis of Data

Mean, frequency counts, range and percentage will use in interpreting the data.

While Chi-square test of independence will use to analyze the association between

independent and dependent variables.