School management team strategies to curb bullying in Mafeteng Secondary Schools for effective teaching and learning

Abstract

Lately, learners show different negative emotional and behavioural changes in schools due to bullying. These bullying incidences have affected learners‟ performance and attendance at school. Some learners have resorted to dropping out of school because of fear of being bullied. This study explores strategies that School Management Teams could use to curb bullying for effective teaching and learning because School Management Team is the administrative team in the school responsible for daily running of the school. The collection of data was done using qualitative approach employing a case study design as it allowed the researcher to gain deeper first-hand information about the extent of bullying in schools. Data was then analyzed using thematic analysis. Twenty six purposively selected participants were interviewed. The findings of the study show that learners go through different types of bullying because of socio-economic backgrounds, gender orientation, ethnicity and other differentiation factors. They also reveal that physical and verbal bullying are the most common types of bullying. Moreover, the findings also reveal that in some schools, victims are not supported while in others they are counseled and perpetrators punished. Participants also showed that in order to curb bullying, perpetrators should be expelled while other participants were of the view that they should be suspendedas that will give them time to reflect on their actions. The study recommends to the Ministry of Education and Training development of clear policies that address bullying with the aim to help SMTs and create favourable teaching and learning environments. Additionally, the study recommends that SMTs should also develop school-based policies that address bullying