Abstract
School bullying is a worldwide phenomenon that occurs in both developed and developing nations. The increase in aggressive behaviors in teenagers usually coincides with the beginning of their middle school years as young students enter the developmental phase of identity formation, physical maturation, and attachment separation from parents in. This qualitative study examined the bullying experiences of 25 Hispanic middle school students in the special education program in a predominantly Mexican-American school district located in southern Texas, USA. The average age of the participants was 13.12 years old (sd = 1.09, range = 11–15). An open-ended, semi-structured interview format was chosen for the qualitative study to allow the participants to share descriptions of authentic private experiences. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to decipher the data obtained from the interviews. Four major themes emerged from the investigation: (1) agony, (2) perspicacity, (3) transformation, and (4) retribution. Consistent with past research, this study found that the participants experienced anxiety and depression. However, they were also forgiving and showed sympathy toward the perpetrators. Findings suggest that character education and social skills training are key to preventing bullying. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bacchini, D., Esposito, G., & Affuso, G. (2009). Social experience and school bullying. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 19(1), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.975.
Baldry, A. C. (2005). Bystander behavior among Italian students. Pastoral Care in Education, 23(2), 30–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0264-3944.2005.00329.x.
Bandura, A. (1973). Aggression: A social learning analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Berkowitz, R. (2014). Student and teacher responses to violence in school: The divergent views of bullies, victims, and bully-victims. School Psychology International, 35(5), 485–503. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034313511012.
Carney, J. V. (2009). School violence: Prevalence, impact, assessment, and treatment. In I. Marini & M. A. Stebnicki (Eds.), The professional counselor’s desk reference (pp. 757–766). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, Inc..
Chaux, E., & Castellanos, M. (2015). Money and age in schools: Bullying and power imbalances. Aggressive Behavior, 41(3), 280–293. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21558.
Chen, L.-M., Chang, L. Y. C., & Cheng, Y.-Y. (2016). Choosing to be a defender or an outsider in a school bullying incident: Determining factors and the defending process. School Psychology International, 37(3), 289–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034316632282.
Choudhuri, D., Glauser, A., & Peregoy, J. (2004). Guidelines for writing a qualitative manuscript for the Journal of Counseling & Development. Journal of Counseling & Development, 82(4), 443–446. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2004.tb00332.x.
Christensen, T. M., & Brumfield, K. A. (2010). Phenomenological designs: The philosophy of phenomenological research. In C. J. Sheperis, J. S. Young, & M. H. Daniels (Eds.), Counseling research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (pp. 135–150). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc..
Christensen, L. L., Fraynt, R. J., Neece, C. L., & Baker, B. L. (2012). Bullying adolescents with intellectual disability. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 5(1), 49–65.
City of Brownsville. (2018). About Brownsville. Retrieved from https://www.cob.us/822/About-Brownsville.
Clark, S. (2013). Census bureau: Brownsville poorest city in U.S. The Brownsville Herald. Retrieved from http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/article_b630f374-475c-11e3-a86e-001a4bcf6878.html.
Coloroso, B. (2008). The bully, the bullied, and the bystander. New York, NY: Harper.
Cote, J. E., & Levine, C. G. (2002). Identity, formation, agency, and culture: A social psychological synthesis. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd..
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd..
Davidsen, A. S. (2013). Phenomenological approaches in psychology and health sciences. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 10(3), 318–339. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2011.608466.
DoSomething.org. (2013). 11 Facts about bullying. Retrieved from http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-school-bullying.
DoSomething.org. (2018). Shred hate. Retrieved from https://www.dosomething.org/us/campaigns/shred-hate.
Englander, M. (2012). The interview: Data collection in descriptive phenomenological human scientific research. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 43(1), 13–35. https://doi.org/10.1163/156916212X632943.
Ertesvåg, S. K. (2016). Students who bully and their perceptions of teacher support and monitoring. British Educational Research Journal, 42(5), 826–850. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3240.
Espelage, D. L., Hong, J. S., Kim, D. H., & Nan, L. (2018). Empathy, attitude towards bullying, theory-of-mind, and non-physical forms of bully perpetration and victimization among U.S. middle school students. (2018). Child & Youth Care Forum, 47(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-017-9416-z.
Estrada, F., Mejia, A., & Hufana, A. M. (2017). Brotherhood and college Latinos: A phenomenological study. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 16(4), 314–337. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192716656451.
Fassinger, R. E. (2005). Paradigms, praxis, problems, and promise: Grounded theory in counseling psychology research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 156–166. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.52.2.156.
Flynt, S. W., & Morton, R. (2004). Bullying and children with disabilities. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 31(4), 330–333.
Frederickson, N. (2010). Bullying or befriending? Children’s responses to classmates with special needs. British Journal of Special Education, 37(1), 4–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8578.2009.00452.x.
Frisén, A., & Bjarnelind, S. S. (2010). Health-related quality of life and bullying in adolescence. Acta Paediatrica, 99(4), 597–603. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2009.01664.x.
Frisén, A., Jonsson, A., & Persson, C. (2007). Adolescents’ perception of bullying: Who is the victim? Who is the bully? What can be done to stop bullying? Adolescence, 42(168), 749–761.
Georgiou, S. N., Fousiani, K., Michaelides, M., & Stavrinides, P. (2013). Cultural value orientation and authoritarian parenting as parameters of bullying and victimization at school. International Journal of Psychology, 48(1), 69–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207594.2012.754104.
Giorgi, A. (1997). The theory, practice and evaluation of the phenomenological method as a qualitative research procedure. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 28(2), 235–261. https://doi.org/10.1163/156916297X0010.
Giorgi, A. (2012). The descriptive phenomenological psychological method. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 43(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1163/156916212X632934.
Greeff, P., & Grobler, A. A. (2008). Bullying during the intermediate school phase: A South African study. Childhood, 15(1), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568207086840.
Groenewald, T. (2004). A phenomenological research design illustrated. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 3(1), 42–55.
Grossoehme, D. H. (2014). Overview of qualitative research. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, 20(3), 109–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2014.925660.
Hartley, M. T., Bauman, S., Nixon, C. L., & Davis, S. (2017). Responding to bullying victimization: Comparative analysis of victimized students in general and special education. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 28(2), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044207317710700.
Hazen, E., Schlozman, S., & Beresin, E. (2008). Adolescent psychological development: A review. Pediatrics in Review, 29(5), 161–168. https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.29-5-161.
Hill, C. E., Thompson, B. J., & Williams, E. N. (1997). A guide to conducting consensual qualitative research. The Counseling Psychologist, 25(4), 517–572. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000097254001.
Hill, C. E., Knox, S., Thompson, B. J., Williams, E. N., Hess, S. A., & Ladany, N. (2005). Consensual qualitative research: An update. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 196–205. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.52.2.196.
Houbre, B., Tarquinio, C., Thuillier, I., & Hergott, E. (2006). Bullying among students and its consequences on health. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 21(2), 183–208.
Houghton, S. J., Nathan, E., & Taylor, M. (2012). To bully or not to bully, that is not the question: Western Australian early adolescents’ in search of a reputation. Journal of Adolescent Research, 27(4), 498–522. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558411432638.
Howard, N. M., Horne, A. M., & Jolliff, D. (2001). Self-efficacy in a new training model for the prevention of bullying in schools. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 2(2/3), 181–191.
Hsieh, H.-F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277–1288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687.
Hunt, B. (2011). Publishing qualitative research in counseling journals. Journal of Counseling & Development, 89(3), 296–300. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2011.tb00092.x.
Husserl, E. (1983). Ideas pertaining to a pure phenomenology and to a phenomenological philosophy (F. Kersten, trans.). The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. (Original work published 1913).
Isolan, L., Salum, G., Osowski, A., Zottis, G., & Manfro, G. (2013). Victims and bully-victims but not bullies are groups associated with anxiety symptomatology among Brazilian children and adolescents. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 22(10), 641–648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-013-0412-z.
Juvonen, J., Kogachi, K., & Graham, S. (2018). When and how do students benefit from ethnic diversity in middle school? Child Development, 89(4), 1268–1282. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12834.
Kanetsuna, T., Smith, P. K., & Morita, Y. (2006). Coping with bullying at school: Children’s recommended strategies and attitudes to school-based interventions in England and Japan. Aggressive Behavior, 32(6), 570–580. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.20156.
Košir, K., Klasinc, L., Špes, T., Pivec, T., Cankar, G., & Horvat, M. (2020). Predictors of self-reported and peer-reported victimization and bullying behavior in early adolescents: The role of school, classroom, and individual factors. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 35(2), 381–402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-019-00430-y.
Larochette, A.-C., Murphy, A. N., & Craig, W. M. (2010). Racial bullying and victimization in Canadian school-aged children: Individual and school level effects. School Psychology International, 31(4), 389–408. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034310377150.
Lereya, S. T., Copeland, W. E., Zammit, S., & Wolke, D. (2015). Bully/victims: A longitudinal, population-based cohort study of their mental health. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24(12), 1461–1471. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-015-0705-5.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. In Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE Publications.
Lines, D. (2008). The bullies: Understanding bullies and bullying. London, England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Lodder, G. M. A., Scholte, R. H. J., Cillessen, A. H. N., & Giletta, M. (2016). Bully victimization: Selection and influence within adolescent friendship networks and cliques. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(1), 132–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0343-8.
Maidaniuc-Chirilă, T., & Gherasim, L. R. (2014). School bullying and adolescents’ depressive symptoms: The mediation role of perceived stress. Journal of Psychological & Educational Research, 22(2), 7–27.
Marées, N. V., & Petermann, F. (2010). Bullying in German primary schools: Gender differences, age trends and influence of parents’ migration and educational backgrounds. School Psychology International, 31(2), 178–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034309352416.
Marsh, L., McGee, R., Hemphill, S. A., & Williams, S. (2011). Content analysis of school anti-bullying policies: A comparison between New Zealand and Victoria, Australia. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 22(3), 172–177. https://doi.org/10.1071/HE11172.
Maunder, R. E., Harrop, A., & Tattersall, A. J. (2010). Pupil and staff perceptions of bullying in secondary schools: Comparing behavioral definitions and their perceived seriousness. Educational Research, 52(3), 263–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2010.504062.
McNamarra, B. E. (2013). Bullying and students with disabilities: Strategies and techniques to create a safe learning environment for all. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Mishna, F. (2003). Learning disabilities and bullying: Double jeopardy. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 36(4), 336–347.
Mishna, F. (2004). A qualitative study of bullying from multiple perspectives. Children & Schools, 26(4), 234–247.
Morrow, S. L. (2005). Quality and trustworthiness in qualitative research in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 250–260. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-167.52.2.250.
Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simmons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behavior among U.S. youth: Prevalence and association with psychological adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094–2100.
Ndetei, D. M., Ongecha, F. A., Khasakhala, L., Syanda, J., Mutiso, V., Othieno, C. J., Odhiambo, G., & Kokonya, D. A. (2007). Bullying in public secondary schools in Nairobi, Kenya. Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 19(1), 45–55.
Neubauer, B. E., Witkop, C. T., & Varpio, L. (2019). How phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others. Perspectives on Medical Education, 8(2), 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-019-0509-2.
Ochi, M., Kawabe, K., Ochi, S., Miyama, T., Horiuchi, F., & Ueno, S. (2020). School refusal and bullying in children with autism spectrum disorder. Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Mental Health, 14(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-020-00325-7.
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Olweus, D. (1994). Bullying at school: Long-term outcomes for the victims and an effective school-based intervention program. In L. R. Huesmann (Ed.), Aggressive behavior: Current perspectives (pp. 97–130). New York, NY: Plenum.
Pellegrini, A. D., & Long, J. (2002). A longitudinal study of bullying, dominance, and victimization during the transition from primary to secondary school. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 20(2), 259–280.
Pew Research Center (2014). Religion and public life. Retrieved from https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/texas/.
Piskin, M. (2002). School bullying: Definition, types, related factors, and strategies to prevent bullying problems. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 2(2), 555–562.
Pivik, J., McComas, J., & Laflamme, M. (2002). Barriers and facilitators to inclusive education. Exceptional Children, 69(1), 97–107.
Raskauskas, J., & Modell, S. (2011). Modifying anti-bullying programs to include students with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 44(1), 60–67.
Raskauskas, J. L., Gregory, J., Harvey, S. T., Rifshana, F., & Evans, I. M. (2010). Bullying among primary school children in New Zealand: Relationships with prosocial behaviour and classroom climate. Educational Research, 52(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881003588097.
Rensburg, E. J., & Raubenheimer, J. (2015). Does forgiveness mediate the impact of school bullying on adolescent mental health? Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 27(1), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.2989/17280583.2014.955502.
Reyes-Hernández, U., Castell-Roldán, E. P., Hernández-Lira, I., Reyes-Gómez, U., Reyes-Hernández, K. L., Reyes-Hernández, D. P., & Casillas Urrutia, J. (2013). Una escolarcon apendicitis traumática por bullying. (Spanish). Revista Mexicana De Pediatria, 80(1), 26–29.
Ricoeur, P. (1984). Time and narrative. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Rolider, A., & Ochayon, M. (2005). Bystander behaviors among Israeli children witnessing bullying behavior in school settings. Pastoral Care in Education, 23(2), 36–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0264-3944.2005.00330.x.
Rose, C., Espelage, D., & Monda-Amaya, L. E. (2009). Bullying and victimisation rates among students in general and special education: A comparative analysis. Educational Psychology, 29(7), 761–776. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410903254864.
Saylor, C. F., & Leach, J. B. (2009). Perceived bullying and social support in students accessing special inclusion programming. Journal of Developmental & Physical Disabilities, 21(1), 69–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-008-9126-4.
Scaglione, J., & Scaglione, A. R. (2006). Bully-proofing children: A practical, hands-on guide to stop bullying. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Schihalejev, O., Kuusisto, A., Vikdahl, L., & Kallioniemi, A. (2020). Religion and children’s perceptions of bullying in multicultural schools in Estonia, Finland and Sweden. Journal of Beliefs & Values: Studies in Religion & Education, 41(3), 371–384. https://doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2019.1686732.
Silverman, D. (2018). Doing qualitative research (4th ed.). London: SAGE Publications.
Smith, D. W. (2013). Phenomenology. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2018 edition) Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2018/entries/phenomenology.
Smith, J. A., & Shinebourne, P. (2012). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In H. Cooper, P. M. Camic, D. L. Long, A. T. Panter, D. Rindskopf, & K. J. Sher (Eds.), APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological (Vol. 2, pp. 73–82). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Solberg, M. E., Olweus, D., & Endresen, I. M. (2007). Bullies and victims at school: Are they the same pupils? British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(2), 441–464. https://doi.org/10.1348/1000709906X105689.
Sung, Y. H., Lu, C. Y., Chen, L. M., & Valcke, M. (2020). Teachers’ cognitions and handling strategies regarding bully-victims. Research Papers in Education, 35(3), 249–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2018.1547919.
Swearer, S. M., Espelage, D. L., & Napolitano, S. A. (2009). Bullying prevention & intervention: Realistic strategies for schools. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Swearer, S. M., Espelage, D. L., Vaillancourt, T., & Hymel, S. (2010). What can be done about school bullying? Linking research to educational practice. Educational Researcher, 39(1), 38–47. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X09357622.
Sweeting, H., & West, P. (2001). Being different: Correlates of the experience of teasing and bullying at age 11. Research Papers in Education, 16(3), 225–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671520110058679.
Texas State Historical Association. (2012). Brownsville, Tx. The Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved from http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hdb04
U.S. Census Bureau. (2017). Quick facts: Brownsville city, Texas; Texas. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brownsvillecitytexas,tx/PST045217.
Walters, J. M., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2014). Are religiousness and forgiveness protective factors for adolescents experiencing peer victimization? Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 23(10), 1090–1108. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2014.964438.
Wang, K., Chen, Y., Zhang, J., & Oudekerk, B. A. (2020). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2019 (NCES 2020-063/NCJ 254485). National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2020/2020063.pdf.
Watson, H., Rapee, R., & Todorov, N. (2017). Forgiveness reduces anger in a school bullying context. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(11), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515589931.
Ybrandt, H., & Armelius, K. (2010). Peer aggression and mental health problems: Self-esteem as a mediator. School Psychology International, 31(2), 146–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034309352267.
You, S., & Kim, A. Y. (2016). Understanding aggression through attachment and social emotional competence in Korean middle school students. School Psychology International, 37(3), 255–270. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034316631039.
Zablotsky, B., Bradshaw, C. P., Anderson, C., & Law, P. A. (2013). The association between bullying and the psychological functioning of children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 34(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0b013e31827a7c3a.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cantu, V.C., Chen, R.K. A Phenomenological Study of Middle School Bullying in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. Int Journal of Bullying Prevention 3, 300–310 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-020-00086-z
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-020-00086-z