Lived Experiences of Selected Grade 11 Students of General de Jesus College Who Were Bullied at School

Abstract

Bullying is a psychological and pedagogical problem connected with public health that must be solved immediately by various professionals. This study aimed to investigate and examine the lived experiences of selected Grade 11 students of General de Jesus College who were bullied at school to recognize and identify incidences of bullying and its various types, styles, and forms. A phenomenological research design was employed in this study to determine the challenges encountered by selected Grade 11 students of General De Jesus College who were bullied at school. Ten (10) students were selected as respondents using purposive sampling. A semi-structured interview was used to gather the needed information about this research. The researchers also conducted face-to-face interviews and audio recordings to understand how people feel in that situation and to obtain precise and clear responses from respondents to better understand their responses. By conducting the study this way, the researchers created a friendly and open environment allowing participants to talk about their personal experiences. Findings showed that most of the respondents were experiencing two kinds of bullying, namely: verbal and physical bullying. The majority also stated that they lost their self-esteem and self-confidence due to bullying, which affected their mental health and academic performance. Based on the gathered data, it was found that most students go through some bullying and most often experience anxiety and depression. The findings showed that school bullying still exists and influences students' academic performance and attendance.