Effect of Bullying on Behaviour among University Students

Running head: Statistics 1
Effect of Bullying on Behaviour among University Students
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Research Questions
1. What is the impact of teacher bullying (TB) on the behaviour of university students?
2. What is the impact of peer bullying (PB) on the behaviour of university students?
3. What is the variation between the behavioural engagement of students in state
universities and community colleges?
Background of the Research Problem
Bullying is a social phenomenon that has globally been observed in all settings of human
interaction such as schools, workplaces and colleges. Thornberg and Jungert (2013) define
bullying as the perceived imbalance in power that is detrimental to the intended victim and is
hostile for the victims. In the context of schools, bullying involves recurrent oppression that
can either be psychological or physical orchestrated by a more powerful individual or group
(Gladden, 2014). Multiple studies have examined bullying and its effect on behavioural
engagement and academic performance in school students (Boulton, Smith, & Cowie, 2010).
Bullying can be caused by teachers or peers. There exist several forms of bullying among
university students such as teasing, threatening, physical injury, theft of one’s property,
taunting and causing social isolation (Hay & Meldrum, 2010). Peer bullying affects the
learning ability and attitude of the students. Danby, Butler, and Emmison (2011) found out
that bullied students developed a poor concentration in class leading to dismal academic
achievement. This is because the victim is more often stressed up and planning on how to
avoid or cope up with bullying from peers. Therefore, most of the victims feel that they are
not fit to be in such an institution and thus prefer to drop out of the institution.
The teacher bullying involves humiliation of the students in front of peers, and the hostile
conduct of the teacher negatively affects the students (Ahmad & Sahak, 2009). Research has
shown that the quality of the association between the teacher and student significantly affects

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the behaviour of the learner (Hong & Espelage, 2012). In addition to the peer associations.
Conversely, Lucas‐Molina, Williamson, Pulido, and Pérez‐Albéniz (2015) observe that peer
victimization contributes to the conflicts between teachers and students. The relationship
between peers has a substantial impact on the aggressive conduct of the students. The study
by Garandeau, Ahn, and Rodkin (2011) found out that students who undergo bullying or
seclusion by peers manifest highly aggressive behaviours, and as a result are severely
detached from the class and manifest reduced levels of social preference (Caravita, Di Blasio,
& Salmivalli, 2009).
The TB behaviour consists of any form of unconcealed communication geared towards
psychologically discouraging a learner who is inspired to avoid such behaviour, in addition
verbal or nonverbal assaults on the self-concept of a learner. It can also be noted that bulling
negatively influences the learning ability of students. Longobardi, Spataro, and Rossi-Arnaud
(2016) found out that there exists a significant emotional and relational association between
teachers and students. Multiple studies have also shown that student-teacher relationships
affect a student’s behavioural engagement (Longobardi et al., 2016; Hughes & Im, 2016).
The bullying conduct that is most common among teachers consists of the abuse of power
(Sylvester, 2011). If the teachers bully their students, they are forced to lose focus on their
main objective which is excelling in academics. The communication pattern between the
learners and the instructors is also impaired by the bullying behaviour of the teacher.
Consequently, the students become disengaged leading to student resistance and involvement
in the class room. The student will prefer to keep silent due to the aggressive conduct of the
instructor. There exists minimal literature on student disengagement as a result of bullying.
Most studies have focused on the impact of student-teachers associations on bullying.
According to Roth, Kanat‐Maymon, and Bibi (2011) the teacher’s behaviour has a long-term