Influence of bullied status on academic achievement of higher primary students

Introduction

Bullying has become a major concern in educational institutions as it affects the social, emotional and academic development of school children. It generally refers to repeated aggressive behaviour where one student intentionally harms or intimidates another student who is perceived to be less powerful. Such behaviour may occur in different forms including physical aggression, verbal harassment and social exclusion. Olweus (1994) [19] described bullying as a situation in which a student is repeatedly exposed to negative actions carried out by one or more peers over a period of time. These actions may involve teasing, threatening, spreading rumours or intentionally excluding an individual from social activities. Experiences of bullying can lead to several negative consequences such as emotional distress, anxiety and reduced participation in school activities. Academic achievement refers to the level of performance attained by students in educational settings and is commonly measured through grades or standardized examinations. It reflects how effectively students are able to meet educational goals and learning outcomes established by schools. Previous research has shown that bullying experiences can negatively influence students' academic performance. Delprato et al. (2017) [5] reported that victimization in schools can disrupt students' learning processes and reduce their academic engagement. Similarly, Huang (2022) [10] indicated that bullying may affect students' sense of belonging in school, which ultimately influences their academic progress. Therefore, examining the relationship between bullying and academic achievement is essential for understanding its impact on students' educational outcomes.

Materials and Methodology

The present investigation was carried out among higher primary school students aged between 11 and 13 years who were studying in grades 5 to 7 in selected schools of Dharwad and Mudhol taluks of Karnataka state. A total sample of 240 students was selected for the study. Information about the schools was obtained from the respective Block Education Offices. From the list of available schools, two institutions were selected for data collection and students from these schools were included in the sample. Prior to the data collection process, necessary permission and informed consent were obtained from the concerned authorities. Background information about students was collected using a self-structured questionnaire. The bullied status of students was measured using the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (1996) [19] . Academic achievement was assessed using students' previous academic grades obtained from school records. The collected data were analysed using SPSS software (version 26) to obtain descriptive statistics and to examine the relationship between bullied status and academic achievement.

Results and Discussion

Table 1 presents the distribution of students according to www.extensionjournal.com their individual characteristics in Dharwad and Mudhol. With respect to gender, equal proportions of male and female students were included in the sample in both locations, accounting for 25 per cent each. Similar proportions were observed among students from Mudhol. Regarding class distribution, 16.70 per cent of students belonged to 5th standard, 6th standard and 7th standard respectively in Dharwad. The same pattern of distribution was also observed among students in Mudhol. Table 5 shows the academic achievement of students in Dharwad and Mudhol. In Dharwad, a majority of students had low academic achievement (58.30%), whereas 41.60 per cent demonstrated high academic achievement. On the other hand, in Mudhol most students showed high academic achievement (55.80%), while 44.10 per cent had low academic performance.

Conclusion

The findings of the present study indicate that bullying is prevalent among higher primary school students and may influence their academic performance. In Dharwad, a larger proportion of students belonged to the non-bullied and moderately bullied categories, whereas in Mudhol a relatively higher percentage of students experienced severe bullying. With respect to academic achievement, most students in Dharwad demonstrated lower academic performance, while a higher proportion of students in Mudhol showed better academic achievement. The analysis also revealed that students with lower academic grades were more frequently associated with moderate levels of bullying, whereas students with higher grades were more commonly found in the non-bullied group. These results suggest that bullying experiences can affect students' academic engagement and learning outcomes. Therefore, it is important for schools to implement effective anti-bullying strategies and supportive learning environments that promote both students' academic success and psychological well-being.

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