ERIC Number: EJ853020
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Sep
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1052-0147
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Children's Experience of Loneliness at School and Its Relation to Bullying and the Quality of Teacher Interventions
Berguno, George; Leroux, Penny; McAinsh, Katayoun; Shaikh, Sabera
Qualitative Report, v9 n3 p483-499 Sep 2004
Forty-two children aged between 8 and 10 years were interviewed about their experience of loneliness at primary school. The children were further asked to describe their experiences of being bullied, as well as to comment on their perception of the consequences of particular teacher interventions. It was found that a majority of children (80%) had periods of being lonely at school and that these experiences were associated with boredom, inactivity, a tendency to withdraw into fantasy, and a passive attitude towards social interactions. Moreover, children who invested in very few friendships were more vulnerable to becoming isolated. Similarly, a majority of children (68%) claimed to have been bullied, with lonely children being more likely to be victimized by peers. Furthermore, children reported that teacher interventions were on the whole not effective in bringing an end to their victimization experiences. Thus, the findings indicated that both bullying and particular kinds of teacher interventions were contributing factors to children's prolonged sense of loneliness at school. A developmental model of the interrelationship of these three variables is proposed and discussed. (Contains 2 figures.)
Descriptors: Children, Elementary School Students, Interviews, Psychological Patterns, Interpersonal Relationship, Bullying, Fantasy, Social Isolation, Teacher Behavior, Intervention, Student Attitudes
Nova Southeastern University. 3301 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33317. Tel: 954-262-5389; Fax: 954-262-3970; Web site: http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A