An exploration of bullying in physical activity environment

Wei, Mengyi

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117630 Copy

Description

Title

An exploration of bullying in physical activity environment

Author(s)

Wei, Mengyi

Issue Date

2022-09-29

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Graber, Kim C

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Graber, Kim C

Committee Member(s)

• Woods, Amelia Mays
• Richards, Kevin Andrew
• Espelage, Dorothy L

Department of Study

Kinesiology & Community Health

Discipline

Kinesiology

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Bullying
• physical education
• physical activity
• teaching physical and social responsibility
• occupational socialization

Abstract

Bullying has long been a considerable concern with nearly 20% of children in the United States who have reported being exposed to this type of behavior. The negative influences of bullying have been associated with poor academic performance, negative health-related outcomes (e.g., anxiety, depression, troubled sleep, headache, and fatigue), and a high likelihood of leaving school early. While the majority of research has predominately focused on investigating bullying behaviors in classrooms, less is known about incidents in physical activity settings, such as physical education (PE). Therefore, this dissertation aimed to systematically review and document the literature, including research studies and non-research articles on bullying and PE, and to investigate different aspects of bullying through two separate studies. The scoping review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews Extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist and aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of physical education studies related to bullying. Six electronic datasets were searched for English-language articles published in peer-reviewed journals that focused on bullying and PE. A total of 43 articles conducted in 16 countries met the eligibility criteria. All survey instruments (n=20) employed in 23 quantitative and mixed-method studies were originally developed and applied within the field of psychology and not specifically within PE contexts. Results identified individual-, school-, and family-level factors that trigger bullying in PE, which highlighted the importance of adopting social ecological perspectives to address bullying behavior and guide anti-bullying interventions. Bullying in PE negatively impacts children’s physical activity participation, desire, and enjoyment of physical activity while placing children at a higher risk of dropping out. Future intervention studies are encouraged to promote positive behaviors and encourage students to implement learning outcomes in other settings outside of school (such as at home). A qualitative study was conducted to provide insights into how teachers’ socialization experiences influence their perceptions of bullying in PE and investigate the strategies they employ to respond to and prevent bullying. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 in-service physical education teachers (18 males, 12 females) with a range of 1 to 37 years of teaching experience. Data analysis employed inductive and deductive techniques. Results suggest that PE teachers understand and respond to bullying based on how they were socialized during the different phases of the socialization process. PE teachers developed strategies to address bullying but emphasized the difficulties of detecting traditional bullying and addressing cyberbullying. Five strategies were employed by participants to prevent bullying; some were perceived to be more effective than others. Future studies should address student perspectives related to which bullying prevention strategies are most effective and how to detect bullying behaviors that are intended to be undetectable. A mixed-methods study was conducted to examine children’s, camp counselors’, and activity leaders’ perceptions toward the effects of a four-week TPSR model-based summer learning and enrichment program and its ability to reduce bullying behaviors among school-age children. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 child participants (21 boys, 9 girls) and eight camp staff participants (2 male, 6 female). Child participants completed the following pre- and post-surveys: Personal and Social Responsibility Questionnaire (PSRQ), and the Illinois Bullying Scale (IBS). In addition, daily observations over a four-week period were recorded in a field notes log. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations, and all observational and interview data were coded using inductive and deductive techniques. The results indicated that the implementation of the TPSR model was perceived to be associated with a reduction in bullying. Findings from the present study suggest TPSR facilitated social and emotional learning (SEL) improved children’s personal and social responsibility. Overall findings of this dissertation indicated the importance of addressing SEL in managing bullying in the physical activity environment (e.g., PE). Instructors, such as PE teachers play a critical role in managing bullying. Implementing TPSR might be a promising approach for PE teachers to promote SEL and reduce bullying behavior among school-age children. PETE programs should be encouraged to provide a learning experience for preservice teachers to better understand and address bullying in PE. Research that has been conducted on bullying and PE is limited. Future investigations should focus on: (a) validating surveys and measurement of bullying in PE and physical activity environments, (b) investigating PE teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy in managing bullying, and (c) determining the effectiveness of anti-bullying interventions in PE.  

Graduation Semester

2022-12

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2022 Mengyi Wei

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