School Bullying: Picture Story Elicitation of Bully and Victim/Target Experiences in a South African Primary School

Bullying starts in early childhood and continues into adulthood and beyond, leaving emotional scars. Bullying is currently rampant worldwide, including repeated reporting of violence and victimisation in South African (SA) schools. A qualitative research approach was used employing a case study design for this study. The sample comprises seven Grade 4 learners (mixed male, female and race equally chosen) from a public primary school and one white female homeschooler in the town, eMalahaleni, Mpumalanga Province. The two Grade 4 teachers selected the participant learners according to criteria to identify victims/targets and bullies. The main data collection tool is picture story elicitation images for learners, complemented by teacher and parent semi-structured questionnaires. Thematic data analysis was employed, resulting in three themes – learner bullying experiences; teachers’ and parents’ awareness of causes, and outcomes of bullying experiences; and learners’, teachers’ and parents’ solutions/interventions to prevent/ minimize/stop bullying at school as it manifests in the micro and meso system of Bronfenbrenner’s ecosystemic theory that forms the bedrock of this study. As a recommendation (one joining many existing anti-bullying programmes), the authors offer a value-driven bullying armor defence mechanism adapted for primary school learners, from a neighbouring secondary school’s existing and effective anti-bullying policy (with their permission).