CHARACTERISTICS OF BULLIES AND TYPES OF BULLYING AMONG PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

Bullying is a significant issue that may affect all ranges of human beings, regardless of age or ethnicity. Numerous studies on bullying in primary and secondary schools have been conducted, but few studies focus on bullying in early childhood. This study aims to examine the characteristics of bullies among 6-year-old children in preschool and to identify the types of bullying that usually occur in preschool settings. This research implemented Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods, which involves two data collection phases, quantitative and qualitative methods, to collect, analyze, and interpret data. The data collection methods used in this study are sociometric ratings, observations, and semi-structured interviews. This study involved 24 children in a 6-year-old classroom for the sociometric rating and observation. Then, this study also involved four children selected from the sociometric rating and observation for the interview session, which also involved two teachers from the 6-year-old classroom. The instruments used in this study are a sociometric rating scale, observation checklist, and interview protocol. This research describes the characteristics of bullies and the types of bullying that mostly occur in preschool. The findings of this study are consistent with the results and writings of previous research.