Koolikiusamine ja ennetamine - sotsiaalpedagoogide vaade

Abstract

,,School bullying and prevention – the perspective of social pedagogues” Bullying in schools is a sidespread and persistent issue in Estonia and is affecting an increasing number of students. A study conducted in 2015 revealed that nearly 20% of students in grades 5-9 have experienced bullying (Mark et al., 2015), indicating that one in five students experiences school bullying. In recent years, efforts to prevent bullying in schools have been on the rise in Estonia, and various prevention programs have been implemented. Bullying cases in schools are primarily handled by social pedagogues, making it essential to investigate their experiences In my work, I aim to obtain answers to questions about the perception of social pedagogues regarding the causes of bullying, how different schools prevent bullying, the programs they use, how they interact with the bully and the victim, how collaboration with parents functions, the shortcomings social pedagogues experience in their work, and how school bullying prevention in Estonia could be further improved. The objective of this bachelor's thesis is to explore the experiences of schools’ social pedagogues in relation to school bullying. The primary research questions are: ● What are the experiences of social pedagogues in addressing school bullying? ● How do social pedagogues describe the victim and the bully, and how do they interact with them? ● What are the challenges social pedagogues face in dealing with school bullying? ● How can school bullying be further reduced more effectively in Estonia? Findings indicate that bullying prevention is facilitated through the implementation of programs such as the KiVa program, which social pedagogues perceive as effective and believe should be adopted in all schools. Additionally, schools place significant emphasis on teaching social skills, emotional coping, and communication skills. According to social pedagogues, addressing the bully and the victim in schools follows similar approaches. The focus is on understanding the root causes of bullying and the underlying conflicts. Additional support is provided to both the bully and the victim when necessary. Key concerns raised by social pedagogues include a lack of time and resources. In addition to preventing and addressing bullying, social pedagogues have numerous other duties. Finding suitable time for collaboration with teachers is challenging due to heavy workloads and limited free time. It is crucial for the entire school community, not just social pedagogues, to address school bullying. Teachers should be observant and intervene when necessary to prevent major conflicts and incidents of bullying. Shortages of support specialists were also identified as an issue. Schools have a limited number of support professionals, and for example outside of school long waiting times for psychologists are common. Most often, students' issues require immediate solutions, and school staff must provide necessary support until the students can access a specialist. A significant portion of a student's time is spent either at home or at school. It is important that both environments are supportive and stable, with effective cooperation between the school and the home. Additionally, it is crucial for children to have supportive attachment relationships with adults at home and at school. Parents play a role in instilling proper values in their children and supporting their learning. Furthermore, parents' attitudes influence children, so it is important to consider how parents handle and behave in different situations. The school environment should also be supportive for students, as learning can be stressful, and students require assistance in coping. In addition to educational arrangements, it is necessary to consider options for children's leisure time. When children's free time is structured, there is less time for conflicts and incidents of bullying to occur. Reducing bullying requires a collective effort from society as a whole. Bullying is prevalent in various domains of life, and it receives significant media coverage. While school bullying is occasionally discussed in the media, negative incidents are predominantly highlighted. It is challenging to reduce school bullying when bullying occurs in different areas of society. Children look up to adults as role models, and it is difficult to guide them away from bullying if they witness adults engaging in such behavior. To effectively reduce school bullying, attention must be directed toward addressing bullying in society.