1. Introduction Bullying occurs when a person or a group of people shows aggressive behavior towards another by physically or emotionally hurting them, or forcing them to do something against their will. As stated in the Singapore parenting magazine “The Asian Parent Singapore Edition”, a 2006 survey conducted by the Harvest Centre for Research, Training and Development and the Coalition Against Bullying for Children and Youth, shows that in Singapore bullying can occur among children who are as young as pre-school students.
Out of the 4000 Singaporean students surveyed, 70% reported to have experienced one or more forms of bullying while attending school. (Wong, 2011). According to its Washington-based executive editor Parry Aftab, who has “been to Singapore and seen how well-behaved the children are”, the statistics that resulted from the conducted survey were extremely appalling. While bullying cases in Singapore are not as vicious and severe as in other countries such as in the United States, it is still an important social issue that should not be left disregarded.This paper aims to raise an awareness of the bullying issues in kindergarten and primary schools in Singapore.
It will cover the causes of bullying, the effects it has on the victims and the bullies themselves, and the solutions for parents to prevent the rise of bullying in schools in Singapore.2. Causes of bullying Many factors contribute as causes of bullying. The most prominent ones are family problems, social issues and personal history.
2.1Firstly, the family and home environment of young children greatly affect how their behaviours outside will be like. Families that lack affection and focus on control and superiority tend to produce more children who become bullies. There are also cases when children who bully experience abuse in their own homes from parents and their siblings.
This in turn cause them to have a built-up of aggression which they express through physical violence towards their classmates and peers in school. Hence, the contentious behaviours of bullies oftentimes do not just show their personality alone but also their family values and home environment. (Duncan, 2009).2.
2Another factor that cause bullying is social issues. At their very young age, kindergarten and primary students will naturally crave for attention from those around them. Some of these young children feel that unfavourable behavior will gain them more social recognition from their peers and teachers than if they behave politely and obligingly. Many television shows made for children, such as The Simpsons with main characters like Bart Simpson who is notorious for his misbehavior seem to relay that message even more so.
Parents who don’t supervise what their young children watch might be at risk of having their children picking up inappropriate things from television shows. Additionally, feelings of resentment or envy may also result in aggressiveness especially if the student does not possess the appropriate social skills to deal with these emotions in a more positive way. (“Why Do People Bully?”, 2013).2.
3Lastly, it is also possible for a victim of bullying to become the perpetrator. Children who have experienced bullying at a young age may end up bullying others when they get a little older. One victim, Samuel (not his real name), who experienced daily bullying since kindergarten had turned to unfriendly acts such as name-calling, making hateful remarks, and purposely bumping someone in the school corridor. He did this with the aim of appearing tougher so that future bullies would think twice about disturbing him. (Byrne, 2012). This case shows that bully-victims situations are real and not impossible to occur.
3. Effects of bullying Consequently, bullying has negative impacts on the victims and the bullies themselves, both short-term and long-term.3.1Being a victim of bullying can result in short-term effects such as drop in grades.
Students who are being bullied in school will typically want to avoid school for fear that they will face their perpetrators again. When they miss school far too often, and when they spend more time coming up with ways to avoid the trauma than focusing on their lesson, their academic results suffer. Apart from that, there are also long-term effects like a case of “bullycide”, whereby the victims commit suicide after suffering from constant bullying. (“Facts on Bullying”, 2008).3.2Bullying does not only affect the victims, but also the bullies themselves.
Perpetrators tend to have continued aggressive behaviour in adulthood whereby they face increased possibility of marital violence and child abuse. This may lead to jail time for the perpetrator. Similarly, the bullies face a greater risk of depression and suicidal tendencies. (“Facts on Bullying”, 2008).4.
Solutions to prevent rise of bullying in schools It goes without saying that cases of bullying in schools can definitely be prevented or decreased. Parents have the most important role in nurturing their children to possess important manners and social skills to be better-behaved as they grow older.4.1It is important for parents to ensure that their children live in a more supportive and affectionate environment in their homes by ensuring that they display kindness and positive acts in front of their children. It is also important to make it clear to their children that negative behaviours will not be condoned and unkind actions will result in a punishment such as “removing certain privileges” and “reflection time about bullying act”.
(“Helping Bullies”, 2008). As a result, children will know the proper way to act and socialize with their classmates and peers in school as they have learned at home.4.2It is equally important for parents to praise and acknowledge positive behaviours more. By doing this children will know that being well-behaved will get them attention just as likely as negative behaviour would without landing themselves in trouble.
This way, they will be more encouraged to behave more positively in the future. (“What Parents Can Do”, n.d.)Furthermore, parents should also make sure that their children do not watch television shows that promote violence or bad behaviour.
Children tend to be highly influenced by what they see, so it is better for them to be watching shows that are non-violent ones. (“Helping Bullies”, 2008)4.3In order to prevent victims of bullying to resort to violence and become bullies themselves, parents can suggest other forms of substitutes to aggressive behaviours. It will help by telling their child that it is more advisable for them to walk away, talk it out, or seek help from teachers or counsellors when in a dangerous situation. (“What Parents Can Do”, n.
d.) Furthermore, if parents suspect that their child is being bullied in school, they should talk to the school director or teachers about the situation to ensure that their children have a safe learning environment in school. (Sassu, K.A.
, Elinoff, M.J., Bray, M.A.
, Kehle, T.J., 2004).5.
Conclusion This paper has provided information regarding the causes and effects of bullying as well as the possible solutions parents can adopt in order to prevent the rise of bullying in schools in Singapore. The factors that give rise to bullying among children are preventable through proper parental guidance and awareness. In order to decrease or completely wipe out bullying cases in schools in Singapore, parents will have to ensure that they are playing their part in instilling good behaviour in their children. For instance, parents should supervise their children when they are watching television but most importantly, parents should ensure that their children do not witness any violent or aggressive acts at their homes. Young children are greatly influenced by what they see, especially actions that are displayed by their parents.
Hence it is important for children to have a positive living environment at home. This will help ensure a pleasant future for their children as they grow, and also a better learning environment for their peers in schools once bullying is eradicated.
