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Faculty of Philosophy, University PIM , Banja Luka , Bosnia and Herzegovina
Faculty of Philosophy, University PIM , Banja Luka , Bosnia and Herzegovina
Faculty of Philosophy, University PIM Banja Luka , Banja Luka , Bosnia and Herzegovina
This paper analyses the phenomenology of bullying in secondary schools in the area of Banja Luka, with the aim of examining its prevalence, forms and perception among students. Bullying is defined as intentional and repeated aggressive behaviour among same-age peers, which may take verbal, physical, social and digital forms, and may have significant consequences for the psychological and social functioning of young people.
The study was conducted on a sample of 100 students of Banja Luka Gymnasium and High School of Electrical Engineering, using an anonymous survey questionnaire comprising 15 questions related to prevalence, forms and context of bullying. Particular attention was given to the comparative analysis between the two schools, as well as to students’ subjective perceptions of safety.
The results indicate the presence of bullying in both schools, with verbal violence being the most prevalent, particularly through spreading rumours and the use of offensive content. Physical and social violence were present to a lesser extent, while economic forms of violence have not been recorded. Cyber bullying has been significantly present, indicating the increasing influence of the digital environment on patterns of peer aggression. Certain statistically significant differences were also observed between the schools in specific forms of violence and in the perception of victims.
In conclusion, the findings confirm that bullying represents a relevant issue in the school context, with the dominance of verbal and digital forms. The obtained findings represent a preliminary insight into the phenomenon of bullying and point to the need to conduct more extensive research, as well as the need for the development and implementation of preventive programmes, the improvement of the school environment and the empowerment of students to cope effectively with violence.
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