Bullying Among School Students in the UAE Society

The purpose of this study is to research the bullying phenomenon among school students in the UAE society. This is done through showing the extent of prevalence of bullying, the rate of recurrence of bullying incidences, the most widespread forms of bullying among school children in the Emirati society, and finally, the variation with regards to the prevalence and forms of bullying as related to the student’s gender. Therefore, this study aims to probe the prevalence of this phenomenon in schools, and the frequency of bullying cases as well as its forms. For this purpose, a questionnaire was designed and conducted on a sample size of 1,309 students of both genders. The data were later analyzed using descriptive statistical and analytical metrics that are appropriate for the variables’ measurement level, and which achieve the objectives of the study. The study found that a third of the students (33.3%) were involved in bullying incidents. Furthermore, it was found that 14.2% were the party causing the bullying incident, while 19.1% were the party upon which bullying was inflicted. The study also revealed that within school premises the places where bullying was most likely to occur are corridors, and the places which students felt were the least safe are the closed spaces. As for the forms of bullying students are subjected to, offensive name calling or insults came in first place, followed by cyber/online bullying. The young age and smaller size of a student were among the most important motivators for students to bully him/her. It was also found that 32.8% of students who are exposed to bullying respond in a similar manner. The study showed that most of the bullied students (78.4%) know the person doing the bullying, the females being more cognizant of the perpetrator bullying them. Moreover, 40.7% of the students believe that the teachers and other employees are aware of the bullying taking place, female students to a greater extent than males in this regard. In the study sample, the students believe that strong and strict school administration would contribute to stopping the bullying phenomenon. The study additionally concluded a number of recommendations to reduce this phenomenon.