SCHOOL OF APPLIED HUMAN
SCIENCES
ASSIGNMENT COVERSHEET
Student Name BOITEKO KOPONG
Student Number 223143352
Module Name INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY STUDIES B
Module Code PSYCH102
Module Coordinator NTOKOZO NTAMBO
Campus HOWARD CAMPUS
Assignment RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
Deadline 13 SEPTEMBER 2023
Wordcount 904 EXCLUDING COVER PAGE
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considers plagiarism a form of Academic Misconduct (Rule 9.28 of the Rules
for Students Handbook).
I understand what plagiarism is and I am aware of the University of KwaZulu-
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Student Signature B. KOPONG
Date Signed & Submitted 12 SEPTEMBER 2023
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[Link] the effects and the consequences of school bullying on the
“psychological wellbeing” of learners. (Carol D Ryff;2008;13)
[Link] method of research to explore the consequences of bullying in the
school would be a mixed methods approach, a combination of both the “qualitative
and quantitative” methods. This is because the bullying is a “complex and multifaced
issue that requires a comprehensive understanding” (Jonathan A Smith;2015;1-312)
- Quantitative methods include that include surveys that gather information on
the “frequency and prevalence of bullying incidents, identifying pattens and
trends. This method usually provides statistical analysis and conclusions to
understand the overall scope of the problem.” (Jonathan A Smith;2015;312)
- On the other hand, qualitative methods such as interviews can provide an “in-
depth understanding of the experiences and perceptions of individuals
involved in bullying incidents. It can capture the nuanced aspects of bullying
which include the psychological impacts on victims and underlying motives of
bullies.” (Penny Mukherji, Deborah Albon;2022;1)
3. – Are there contextual factors that increase the influence in the dynamics of
bullying in schools?
- How does bullying in school affect the academic performance and
achievement?
4. “Sampling is a process in statistical analysis whereby number of observations
from a large population that can help researchers to select the group that they will
actually collect data from, for their research.” (Shona Mc Combes;2022)
- Probability sampling is a valuable method in bullying research as it can help to
“define the population, random sampling, data collection, generalizability,
statistical analysis, reporting and conclusions.” (Shona Mc Combes;2022)
5. – Define the population> firstly it is wiser to identify the population that one
wants to study. In bullying research, this might be students or learners in a
particular school, grade, or region.
- Random sampling> the use of probability sampling techniques like simple
random sampling to select a sample from a defined population. This ensures
that each learner that is the victim or the suspect of bullying has an equal
chance of being included in the study.
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- Data collection> collect information through surveys, observations and ensure
that the data collection methods are standardized to maintain consistency.
- Generalizability> because of the random selection process, I can generate the
findings from the sample to the larger population with a certain level of
confidence. This is crucial for drawing meaningful conclusions about bullying
behaviors.
- Statistical analysis> analyze the data using appropriate statistical techniques to
identify trends and correlations related to bullying behaviors.
- Reporting and conclusion> present the findings and conclusions based on the
analyzed data. Be clear about the limitations of the study and the extent to
which the results can be generalized to the broader population (polices, social
workers, teachers, and parents)
6. – Data collection> before I can begin with the analysis, its wiser to collect reliable
data on bullying incidents in schools. This can involve surveys, interviews,
observations. The data will have to be cleaned to remove errors, missing values,
and inconsistencies.
- Analyzing the objectives and research questions> can define the objectives of
the analysis such as what aspects of bullying do I want to consider or work
with? What information did I get using the research questions. It is said that
this step helps the researcher with analysis and guide on the approach.
- Descriptive analysis> can start by descriptive statistics (quantitative research
method) whereby the use of calculating things like the frequency of bullying
incidents and use frequency tables for categorical data. (Qualitative research
method) can also be included using interviewing students about bullying cases
that happens in the school.
- Hypothesis testing> can form hypothesis based on the research questions and
again use statistics to assess their validation. An example can be testing
whether there is a significant difference in rates of bullying comparing grade
by grade.
- Policy recommendation> based on the research and analysis, can provide
actionable recommendations that can be used to address bullying in schools.
The recommendations will go along with evidence and will align with
challenges that are identified in the case study.
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- Monitoring and communication> after the implementation of policies, can
continue to collect data and analyze it to access the effectiveness of the
measures on bullying. At the end I can adjust strategies for ongoing analysis.
7. – Introduction> the description of the purpose and objectives of the study about
bullying in the schools using the explanations on why the study of bullying in
schools is a major concern and important by proving overview of the report
structures.
- Methodology and findings> mention the research methods used to analyze the
data on bullying, can also describe the ethical considerations and limits of the
study about bullying.
- Recommendations and discussions> analyze and address how the results relate
to the research questions and topics can also discuss the relevance of anti-
bullying efforts in schools. On recommendation, can provide actionable
recommendations based on the study’s finding and offer specifics strategies
that schools, lawmakers and other stakeholders can use to prevent bullying
effectively.
8. – Confidentiality and privacy> provide and assure the confidentiality of indirect
and direct victim’s information. respecting the privacy of victims include avoiding
personal questions.
- Ethical review> should obtain ethical approval from institutional review board
before going on with the study of bullying and best ensure that it meets the
ethical standards.
- Long term impact assessment> consider the impact of the study of participants
mostly when the information can expose individuals to risk or potentially
stigmatize the victims.
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REFERENCES
Caro, D.R., & Burton, H.S., (2008). Know thyself and become what you are:
A eudemonic approach to psychological well-being; journal of happiness
studies (9) pp 31-39
Penny, M., Deborah, A., (2022). Research methods early childhood: An
introductory guide; sage
Shona, M., (2022). Descriptive research method: types, methods & examples
Jonathan, A.S (2015). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research
methods: Qualitative psychology. (1) pp 312
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