Abstract:
Bullying is a major challenge that affects learners in schools world-wide. Negative
effects of bullying on learners are physical and psychological including depression,
anxiety and school declining performances. Every learner is entitled to a safe
school environment without being a victim or a bystander of bullying. Therefore the
main objective was to explore strategies that could be implemented to manage
bullying in schools. A qualitative approach with a case study was used to provide
an understanding of the phenomenon of bullying and how it could be managed.
The grade three and six learners of two former model-c schools in Potgietersrus
circuit in Limpopo Province were purposively selected as participants with the aim
of representing learners in the junior and intermediate phase. Observation,
interviews and document analysis were used as data collection methods. The data
collected was developed through thematic content data. The results indicated that
bullying is receiving increasing attention with appropriate responsiveness and
effective management strategies. Additional measures that can help reduce the
prevalence of bullying and impact were explored and included bullying intervention
strategies, increased playground supervision, behaviour modification strategies,
encouraging learners to report bullying incidents and the adoption of School Based
Support Team to assist in combating bullying. It is recommended that the
department of education, educators and learners can adopt the explored strategies
as part of intervention process to combat bullying in the school environment and to
ensure that schools are still seen as safe places for all learners
