ASSESEMENT OF BULLYING AND ITS EFFECT ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE THE CASE OF MEKDELA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

School bullying is a serious problem in academic settings all over the world it is also an existing challenge in our schools. The study was designed to assess the prevalence of bullying and its effect on students’ academic performance in Mekdela Primary School. The major objectives of this study were to understand the nature of bullying in the school, to find out its effect on students’ academic performance, to assess the social and emotional effect on the students. In the study 160 students were selected out of 669 of the target population and 56 teachers out of the total 79 teachers participated as sample of the study. Probability and nonprobability sampling techniques were used for selecting the samples. Both qualitative and quantitative method was used in order to get a broader understanding of the problem. The research finding shows that from the total respondents 86.3% of the respondents experienced bullying and also respondents indicated that 84.1 % of the bullies were male students. This shows male students are highly involved in bullying. The study shows 91.3 % of the respondents have observed while others were being bullied and 42.5 % of them have participated in bullying other students. The study shows classrooms are hotspot for bullying 55.1 % of the bullying happens. The study also identified that students who have experienced bullying have lower school attendance and class participation. The victim students also have shown that their socialization with friends in the school was found less than that of the students who have never experienced any form of bullying. The results of the study encourage policy makers and the schools to put forth more effort on bullying prevention and awareness creation.