A Phenomenological Analysis of Filipino Students’ Experiences of Bullying In State Universities and Colleges

Abstract

Bullying has been a global issue, posing concern not only to primary and secondary schools but also to tertiary schools, specifically state-owned, where its forms may differ, and goals might shift. This study aimed to understand bullying through the lived experiences of three students who became bully-targets in state universities and colleges (SUCs) using a socio-ecological perspective. A semi-structured interview was utilized to probe their experiences and understand bullying. Through a qualitative approach using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study further explored how their bullying experiences were enabled or constrained by socio-ecological factors. Five super-ordinate themes with associated subordinate themes were identified: the dynamics of the bully-target experience; the consequences of being a bully-target; coping mechanism against bullying; seeking an explanation for being a bully-target; and factors that affect the bullying experience. The experiences of the participants revealed that a culture of bullying within the school context is created by the interactions of peer relationship, structures of adult authority and school systems. Hence, effective bullying interventions must involve students, families, teachers and school administrators to create impact against bullying.