Bullying Research Proposal

Bullying is carried out in different forms namely physical, psychological, verbally and through cyber bullying. While Bullies can be anyone, they do display certain aggressive behavior toward others with the intention to cause physical or emotional harm. Due to the prevalence, seriousness, and negative effects it is causing; it has sparked the need to address the issue what causes it, why is it happening, what do we need to know, how to tackle the issue , and preventive measures among others. Thus, it has gained a lot of attention leading to various research studies. Various theories and studies have provided some explanations or views of how, why and what yet there still is no consensus on the issue. Does parental support, peer group, school, and neighbor support foster or inhibit bullying behaviors? Literature Review Many studies have been conducted on the topic of bullying.

A majority of them are focused on aspects such as types of bullying, bullies, and related prevention or intervention strategies. In some cases, some researchers have investigated the aggressive physical behavior of school children. A primary focus has been on African American youths. It is established that adolescents from this group of people are aggressive (Patton, Williams, & Hong, 2013). Importantly, the current study will employ research methods that have been used by other researchers in the past. Mann and colleagues study, which is an approximation of the present study, applied multilevel logistic regression to analyze data. On the other hand, the study that was done by Jeong and others has used a multinomial logistic model (MNLM) as the primary research method for data analysis.

Methods Study Design The study will employ a sequential explanatory design. It means that the research will be focused on collecting and analyzing quantitative data, which will be accompanied by the collection and analysis of qualitative data. Along with a random selection of 500 teachers, faculty and staff members of each school. The sampling method will be appropriate for this study as each middle school pupil and high school student in the district will have an equal opportunity of being selected as a participant. Procedures/ Measures As for the qualitative phase, data will be collected using focus group discussion. Semi-structured questionnaires will be utilized and filled based on participants’ thoughts and feelings toward bullying. A smaller selection of students will then be asked to participate in a focus group that would provide them an opportunity to provide their opinions, behaviors, attitudes and needs in a discussion on topics the surveys included: family relations, peer relations, drug usage, bullying, victimization, and school belonging.

However, the researcher will just use one method in order to interpret the meaning from the content and examine correlations that maybe apparent or hidden. Notably, the qualitative result will be used to assist in explaining and interpreting the findings of the quantitative data collected from the student surveys and the teacher, faculty and staff surveys. On the other hand, qualitative data will be analyzed using the statistical software SPSS. Ethical Issues Researchers involved in research associated with children are ultimately responsible for ensuring that their study is ethical. Critical engagement with ethical considerations in research requires knowledge and skills, which are sustained and enhanced by appropriate, ongoing support, training and opportunities for professional development. The other ethical issue is informed consent.

It is an explicit agreement, which requires participants to be informed about, and have an understanding of, the research. The researcher will obtain consent from parents/caregivers to allow their children to participate in this research. Informed consent signals respect for the research participant’s dignity, their capability to express their views, and their right to be heard with regard to matters that affect them. It must be given voluntarily and be renegotiable; hence, children can withdraw at any stage of the research process. , & Pilkington, A. Mixed methods- theory and practice. Sequential, explanatory approach. International Journal of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, 5(2), 10-27. Jeong, S. org/10. 1155/2013/401301 Mann, M. J. , Kristjansson, A. L. A review of research on school bullying among African American youth: an ecological systems analysis.