Abstract
D.Ed.
Bullying continues to be a complex international problem that has the potential to debilitate some individuals more than others, leaving those who are bullied with unpleasant memories, feelings of frustration and anger, and diminished self- esteem. There are several meta analyses of bullying interventions that indicate minimal or no change (Merrell, Gueldner, Ross, & Isava, 2008). The question thus arises, “What are the life experiences of children in middle childhood, who continue to be bullied?” This research study was conducted to more thoroughly investigate bullying in middle childhood and to determine more effective prevention efforts. A phenomenological design with a bioecological and social constructionist perspective was used to guide this research study. This qualitative approach was employed to investigate the significant life experiences of three middle childhood children who have been bullied consistently since early childhood. The data were collected through creative expressive arts, in-depth interviews with the participants and their parents, observations and conversations with the relevant teachers and peers. This study was conducted over four phases. In the first phase, planning and preparation took place, including the development and acceptance of the research proposal and a critical review of the literature. Phase 2 and 3 occurred simultaneously because as the data were collected the analysis of the data commenced. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was employed to interpret the data. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: the experiences of maternal stress; the experiences of trauma; the experiences of innocent versus wicked1; and the experiences of supportive relationships. The findings indicated that the experiences of maternal stress commenced in utero, also when the participants all first experienced trauma. All the participants found bullying to be traumatic, and insight into their various experiences of being bullied emerged. Lastly, the experiences of supportive relationships, including positive and negative experiences are discussed. In order to extend this study's findings to practical application, the fourth phase of this study highlight two important missing theoretical links, namely, the element of trauma is one of the criteria for the definition of bullying, and the importance of the mother’s womb for human development is lacking in Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model. The fourth phase...