This document presents a thesis project that analyzes the effects of bullying on the English performance of 6th grade students at Escuela Jesús Magdaleno Vargas in Cacao, Alajuela, Costa Rica in 2018. The project aims to define bullying, identify its causes, determine students' knowledge of bullying, and develop strategies to mitigate its negative impacts. Data collection methods include observation, questionnaires, and interviews. Preliminary results show that while many students report never experiencing bullying, some have been exposed a few times. Bullying most commonly occurs at school and negatively impacts students' participation and performance in English class. The proposal recommends teacher training, student awareness campaigns, and classroom activities to address bullying and promote a supportive learning environment.

1. UNIVERSIDAD MAGISTER
FACULTAD DE EDUCACIÓN
LICENCIATURA EN LA ENSEÑANZA DEL INGLÉS
TESIS DE GRADUACIÓN PARA OPTAR AL GRADO DE LICENCIATURA EN LA ENSEÑANZA
DEL INGLÉS
“ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF BULLYING IN THE ENGLISH PERFORMANCE OF 6TH
GRADERS AT ESCUELA JESÚS MAGDALENO VARGAS IN CACAO, ALAJUELA, 2018”
Xenia Cortés Herrera

2. BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM
The bullying is a topic that has been studied for different
institutions, however; there is a tendency to ratify the
existence of violent behavior in schools without focus in other
points of the problem, as is the case of the role of the three
components of it: victim, aggressor and witnesses.

3. JUSTIFICATION
The consequences of bullying in the performance of students
of all levels justify the relevance of this project, not only
because of the interest it has in this major, but also because
of the importance of its focus in educational centers, students
face a growing society demanding.

4. PROBLEM STATEMENT
How the bullying affects the English performance of
6th graders at Escuela Jesús Magdaleno Vargas in
Cacao, Alajuela, 2018?

5. GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To analyze the effect of bullying in the English performance of
6th graders with the intention of developing a Proposal that
reduce any negative impact, at Jesús Magdaleno Vargas
School in Cacao, Alajuela, 2018.

6. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
 To define bullying as a factor that interfere in the proper development of
English performance of 6th graders.
 To identify the causes of bullying in 6th graders with the purpose of
mitigating its effects among students.
 To determine the level of knowledge of 6th graders relating bullying for
building awareness of the real situation.
 To develop a Proposal of a set of training strategies that mitigate the
effects of bullying in the English performance of 6th graders.

7. BULLYING
Bullying involves basically three people, the victim (the weakest),
the bully (the intimidator, the strength), and the witness (who does
not participate in the act). The ways a bully has to intimidate his
victim could be: physical, verbal, and others, in order to
demonstrate his power and superiority. These conducts may be
direct (hitting, verbally assaulting face-to-face, and others.) or
indirect (rumors, gossip, and more). Donegan (2012, p.33).

8. CHARACTERISTICS OF BULLYING
 There must be an imbalance of power in favor of the aggressor.
 There must be an intention to harm and,
 It must be systematic; that is, repeated in time.
 Cobián (2015, p.12)

9. FACTORS THAT CAUSES BULLYING
Bullying has factors of diverse origins, it involves aspects of type:
 Personal (biological, cognitive, personality),
 Environmental type as (family and school),
 In addition to others such as "the influence of the media, leisure forms and
some legal approaches, such as the scarce coverage of help to the victim"
Cerezo, (2008, p.6).

10. TYPES OF BULLYING
 DIRECT violence is frowned upon, although it occurs before the patient gaze of the
observers of an act where a classmate, using his strength, mocks, insults, hurts his
victim, without them doing anything to avoid it. Morales and Pindo (2014, p.40).
 INDIRECT it occurs in a premeditated and almost always systematic way, including
ignoring the victim to exclude her from any activity, isolating her from the group,
sending her offensive messages and causing the group in general to isolate him/her
as well. Morales and Pindo (2014, p.41).

11. ACTORS INVOLVED IN BULLYING
Osorio (2013, p.54), proposes that there are protagonists in the school bullying
conflict, these are the following:
 The abuser or victimizer.
 The victim.
 The collaborator or covert, and
 The non-participant witnesses.

12. CONSEQUENCES OF BULLYING
There are consequences such as anxiety, crying, panic at school, tantrums,
irritability, depression, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, as well as
physical health problems such as: vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal and muscular
pain. While the consequences for the aggressor tend to be anxious and
depressive disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction, vandalism, poor school
performance and desertion, as posed by multiple authors Kumpulainen (2008,
p.99); Romelsjö and Jokinen (2012, p.120), cited in Arroyave (2012, p.121).

13. BULLYING RELATED WITH STUDENTS
PERFORMANCE IN THE SCHOOL
Bullying can impact academic performance in several ways. Victims of bullying
are more likely to report feeling unhappy and lonely at school, and having
fewer good friends, Boulton and Underwood (1992, p.80). A victim of bullying is
more likely to develop new psychosomatic and psychosocial problems
compared with children who were not bullied. Kumpulainen and others (2001,
p.105); Fekkes and others, (2006, p.117), thereby an adverse effect on coping
with loneliness, anxiety and depression in study and daily life.

14. TYPE OF INVESTIGATION
The present study is descriptive because it fits with the two research
methodologies used (quantitative and qualitative), it also provides the means for
the collection of data for its description or characterization, one of the aspects
pursued is to define bullying as a multicausal phenomenon, to achieve this
objective the type of descriptive study is the most successful.

15. SUBJECTS OF INFORMATION
 The convenience sample of this research is the 6-1 grader.
 Children between 12 and 14 years old.
 This level has population of 20 students, 14 women and 6 men.

16. INSTRUMENTS TO COLLECT DATA
 The data has been gathered by:
 Observation
 Questionnaires
 and Interviews.

17. INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
According to interviews with people in the community, this school was founded
at the request of a group of neighbors on March 17, 1931, with the name of
Mixed School of Cacao. It started working in the warehouse of a sugar mill
located in the ranch of Mr. Jesús Magdaleno Vargas Aguilar.
In the years from 1936 to 1940 the first two classrooms were built on a piece of
land donated by Don Jesús Magdaleno Vargas, under León Cortés Castro
administration. Later, two other classrooms were built in1962 being the teacher
Dora Vega in the administration of Mario Echandi Jiménez.

18. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Generally speaking, ‘Education’ is utilized in three senses: Knowledge, Subject and
a Process. When a person achieves degree up to certain level we do not call it
education. As for example if a person has secured Masters degree then utilize
education it a very narrower sense and call that the person has achieved education
up to Masters Level. In the second sense, education is utilized in a sense of
discipline. As for example if a person had taken education as a paper or as a
discipline during his study in any institution then utilize education as a subject.

19. ANALISIS AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

20. Population: the population of this research is composed of 368
students, 24 6th graders from Escuela Jesús Magdaleno Vargas, that
is the group under investigation about the effects of bullying in their
English performance.
Sample: The participants of this study correspond to 24 6th graders,
one English teacher and two administrative staff of Escuela Jesús
Magdaleno Vargas.

21. ANALYSIS OF THE OBSERVATION
 During the observation of this class it was stated that there are few shy
students who did not want to participate in the speaking activities.
 It also reflects the little knowledge about the language in those students who
performed in that way during their English class.
 They were checking what their peers were doing, instead of take care about
their own duties.
 There was a student who was bothering two girls because of their English
performance.

22. ANALYSIS OF INTERVIEW
 The teacher said that even though her contact with them has been for only three
months, she has noticed some cases of bullying during her class, specially there is
a case where most of students do not like to work with, they discriminate this
student and do not allow him to participate in their work groups.

23. Relating the strategy that she uses to identify if a bullying situation is going on,
she answered that first of all, she observes, analyses the mood of the student
and finally the relationship between the students involved in the situation.
In her experience, she considers that bullying influences the academic
performance of the students, especially in English because it is something
new for them. As a consequence, they do not like the English class.

24. ANALYSIS OF THE QUESTIONAIRES

25. STUDENTS EXPOSURE TO BULLYING
SITUATION
5%
15%
25%
55%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Always Often Few times Never

26. THE MOST COMMON PLACE FOR
BULLYING
100%
0 0 00
20
40
60
80
100
120
School Home Town Other

27. TEASED DURING ENGLISH LESSON
5% 5% 10%
80%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Always Often Few times Never

28. FEEL EMBARRASSED DURING ENGLISH
LESSON
5% 5%
15%
75%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Always Often Few times Never

29. TEACHER TALK ABOUT BULLYING DURING
THE ENGLISH LESSON
65%
25%
10%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Yes No N/A

30. WITNESS OF PEERS PUSHING, PULLING
OR BEATING
65%
30%
5%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Yes No N/R

31. THE MOST AFFECTED ACTOR BY
BULLYING
50%
30%
20%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Girls Boys Both

32. KNOWLEDGE OF 6TH GRADERS
RELATING BULLYING
100%
0% 0%0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Yes No N/R

33. KNOWLEDGE OF 6TH GRADERS ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN BULLYING AND OTHER PROBLEMS
80%
15%
5%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Yes No N/R

34. CONCLUSIONS
 It is clearly shown that there is a big amount of 6th graders that have never been
exposure to a bullying situation. However, there is still a considerable portion of
students that at least have been exposure few times to a situation where they feel bully.
 Students think that causes can vary from different aspects such as pulling, pushing, and
beating their peers, besides, they are also aware that bullying is going on in their
presence, since they have been witnesses of that activity.

35.  They managed the meaning of bullying; however, they seem to be
confused with some concepts that are not completed clear for them, for
example, when asking about the difference between bullying and just a
simple problem where some of them did not have clear that difference.
CONCLUSIONS

36. COST OF THE STUDY
ITEM QUANTITY UNIT COST
(COLONES)
TOTAL COST
(COLONES)
TOTAL COST
(DOLLARS)
Photocopies 900 20 18.000 31,57
Professional hours 150 18.136 2.720.400 4.772,63
Transportation 20 10.000 200.000 350,87
Food and beverages 26 3.500 91.000 159,64
Total 3.029.400 5.314,71

37. RECOMMENDATONS

38.  To sensitize the teaching and administrative personnel through campaigns and trainings
on the subject, especially the management of ridicule, the situations of shame of the
students and that prevents them from participating adequately and safely and other
aggressions that arise during the lessons of English in order to properly handle the
situation.
 To include in teacher planning the treatment of bullying, so that students can understand
their causes and consequences in an integral way to break down or stop the scourge of
this evil that afflicts so much students today.

39.  To create a web platform for the design of online courses for teachers and
students, with information on bullying in order to promote learning about
the issue as well as how to treat it. In addition, the use of posters
distributed throughout the school, especially in the English classroom, and
they can be in this language with the purpose of stimulate also the use of
that language without fear. As well as other activities like contests,
parades, familiar picnics and more.

40. PROPOSAL OF
STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF
BULLYING FOR PROMOTING A GOOD
PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH

41. GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To provide 6th graders at Escuela Jesús Magdaleno Vargas with a set of
strategies to mitigate the effects of bullying in order to promote the good
performance of English during those lessons.

42. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
 To design strategies against bullying for performing during English class
 To propose some activities for developing each strategy

43. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPOSAL
This Proposal includes basically three different aspects. Those activities vary from:
1. Trainings to take advantage of some online courses that are offered to them by
UNED and others.
2. Campaigns for students where they will understand that bully behavior ends in
bad situations, and,
3. Activities for classroom where all together can work for avoiding any kind of
violence and construct a peace environment at school and as a result for their
lives.

44. STRATEGIES AND THEIR ACTIVITIES
1. TEACHER TRAINING
 This is one of the most essential elements since teachers deal directly with the
problem: Online training is one of the most used options currently, for this
purpose a search was made of platforms that provide online courses that are
useful for the teaching staff.
 The virtual campus is known as Upe.

45. 2. AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS FOR STUDENTS
 This material promotes the promotion of an environment that encourages tolerance among equals.
The visual material by its nature is used by marketing to introduce a new product or as an opinion
shaper.
 The second proposal is to locate sentences in different parts of the school, this implies that this
type of phrases provokes an internal dialogue that promotes greater criticality in the learner.

46. 3. AWARENESS ACTIVITIES FOR THE CLASSROOM
 Activities are proposed that must be developed by teachers in the classroom
with the objective of informing, sensitizing and training students about bullying.
Also, it is intended to give a type of training to students to act against possible
cases.
 It is sought that through reflections, trainings, simulation of experiences,
investigations among other activities by students that develop a greater
awareness and obtain an empowerment to act against possible cases of
bullying.

47. COST OF THE PROPOSAL
ITEM QUANTITY
UNIT COST
(COLONES)
TOTAL COST (COLONES) TOTAL COST (DOLLARS)
Design 250 4,200.00 1.050.000,00 1.842,10
Development 155 4,200.00 651.000,00 1.142,10
Transportation N/A N/A 65.000,00 114,03
Food and beverages N/A N/A 75.000,00 131,57
Office supplies N/A N/A 40.000,00 70,17
TOTAL 1.881.000,00 3.299,97

48. SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS to have hand to hand everything related to the management of
bullying situations through the courses offered.
WEAKNESSES lack of training for its use. Depend on the computer
infrastructure of the School.
OPPORTUNITIES to provide a tool to the staff of the school to take better
management of the bullying situation.
THREATS do not use or maintain it. Resistance to change.

49. IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSAL
It is more and more common to see student dropouts, transferences of students to
other schools, or suspended, wounded, psychologically affected or even worse,
dead.
Bullying is wrong. It's never ok. It's never cool. It never makes somebody look
good by doing it.
The hope is that children learned something from this topic and they can take it
seriously.

50. OTHER STUDIES DERIVED
• The survey may measure aggression broadly rather than the subset of
aggression which is bullying.
• Future studies should pay more attention to the interconnections among
settings of the micro-system (family, school, and community) regarding
bullying among adolescents.

51. THANK YOU VERY
MUCH!