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Findings
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Findings: Five Themes |
The following five themes emerged from the examination and interpretation of the research interviews. Each theme portrays a different aspect of the experience of witnessing and trying to stop bullying. In other words, "What does it mean to be a non-bystander?" Feeling Sensitive to Bullying The students who participated in this study felt very strongly about bullying. They used words like 'passion' and 'I hate bullying.' For these students, being a non-bystander meant that they were also sensitive to the feelings of other students. Particularly students who were being bullied, but also students who were bullying others. All of these non-bystanders had been bullied at one time. Some of the students could actually feel the pain of bullying when they witnessed it happening. This experience made them want to stop it from happening to others.Facing the Risks of Intervening All of the students said that they felt a strong initial reaction to witnessing bullying, like having the feeling of adrenaline, fear, or anger. They were able to recognize the risks of intervening, such as the risk of getting physically hurt, embarassed, being bullied themselves or even losing friends. Yet, they all accepted these risks because they felt it was important to intervene. They said that they intervened because it was their responsibility, they felt for the target of bullying, and it could help them to feel good knowing that they did something about bullying. Knowing What to Do Being a non-bystander meant knowing when and how to intervene in an episode of bullying. These students were able to decide when they were able to intervene, or if it was too serious for them to intervene without getting someone else involved. They tried many different strategies for intervening, from telling the bully to stop, comforting or befriending the student who was bullied, refusing to participate in bullying such as gossip, involving an adult, and working to prevent bullying. They also used strategies to make their efforts more successful, such as getting a friend to help them try to stop bullying. Seeing the Bigger Picture These students were able to see bullying in the bigger picture. They saw bullying happening outside of school, or between teachers and students, and even related it to instances of relationship abuse. They also intervened in these instances, trying to stop other forms of bullying or violence. These non-bystanders also linked bullying to bigger issues such as war or global warming. Perhaps they will be able to use their skills to intervene in global issues as well. Questioning "Does it Make a Difference?" Finally, being a non-bystander was not easy. It often meant that the student didn't know for sure if their actions made a difference. For the most part, they had reason to believe that they help to stop the immediate episode of bullying, although sometimes they were not sure. But, the students sometimes wondered if their actions really helped to stop bullying in general, because it is such a large problem. Sometimes they would stop bullying successfully, only to see it happening again the next day. Even though the question of "Does it make a difference?" was not answerable, students said that they felt that if enough people could try to stop bullying in the world, the effort would be successful. They all said that they would continue to try to stop bullying.
"Be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi |