Bullying Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Bullying - Research Paper Example Bullying is the act of intimidating or influencing someone who is weak in terms of strength, status or experience. According to Harris, Ireland and Forsyth, bullying is a way for the powerful to suppress the weaklings or just express their dominance over them (Harris 302, Ireland 80 & Forsyth 225). What leads to this attitude of the bullies’ and their underlying need to be accepted as superior is a different debate altogether. Bullying is considered as an everyday part of the society, but this does not mean that it should be accepted as a norm by the society. The society and the stakeholders need to counter this issue since those who are victims as well as bullies fall in the age bracket of those categorized as children and are considered as the most important section. The research question that this study sorts to address in this research is â€Å"whether childhood bullying impacts the adult life of the bully as well as the victim?† The hypothesis of the present study is that â€Å"bullying negatively impacts the childhood as well as the adult life of a bully as well as victim†. ... Psychological studies suggest that some children resort to bullying to overcome their fear of non-acceptance (Kostelnik 382). Copeland conducted a research to find out the effects of bullying on adult life and for this, they took a sample of 1420 young people and researched them at two age points 6-11 years and 24-26 years (Copeland 423). The group was classified into the bullies and victims and a third group of people that fell into both the categories, changing from the victim to a bully in adolescent, bully victims. After a comprehensive study, it was revealed that the bullies fared fairly well in their adult life as compared to the victims. The victims were researched to be six times more vulnerable to psychiatric disorders and other health problems as compared to people not involved in bullying or being bullied. Social Development of Bully and Victim In childhood, the effects of being bullied at school, neighborhood or elsewhere can be detected very easily. According to Maudlin, the characteristics of victims of bullying may or may not include â€Å"anxious, insecure, cautious, low self-esteem, defenseless, lower number of friends, experiencing social isolation and relatively newer to a particular school† (Maudlin 31). Since a child is too scared generally to discuss such an experience at the fear of being mocked or victimized again, this becomes an innate experience that eats up the child from the inside. He tends to feels oppressed and low most of the time which results in his retreating nature. The bully, however, is bound to have a dominating nature and a rowdy personality. His lack of regard for other’s feelings is a symptom of his bullying. As the child enters adolescent age, with

Analysis of how Theories of Learning and Teaching have Impacted on Essay

Analysis of how Theories of Learning and Teaching have Impacted on Current Educational Practice - Essay Example In most cases, learning theories are based on two functions: (1) the first serves as a framework that provides people a specific set of vocabulary as a means to interpret observations; and (2) implications as to how one can find elucidation to realistic problems. It is important to note that these theoretical assumptions do not provide solutions to the complex process of learning, rather, it focuses on the key principles in which people must concentrate on and analyze as a means of identifying resolutions (Harlen, 2007). Learning Theories On the perspective of the academe, learning theories can be categorized into three groups, namely: behaviorist; humanistic; and cognitive. Learning theories classified under the behaviorist perspective tackles a personification of positivistic method towards learning that can be characterized as scientific or systemic. It mainly focuses on the objective approach in regards to the discernible facets of learning (Harlen, 2006). On the other hand, the humanistic approach is in accordance with one’s values, which serves as the driver that empowers and liberates an individual. The third type is cognitive, which can be considered as the staple form of learning through utilizing one’s mind (Vosniadou, 2001). ... The learning theory of constructivism lies between the humanistic and cognitive approach, as it involves the learner to generate new thoughts and concepts based on the information available (Hart, Dixon, Drummond & MacIntyre, 2004). Behaviorism This theory has been formulated by B.F. Skinner, elaborating on three principles in the aspect of learning which are as follows: (1) learning is associated with behavior modifications; (2) environment molds one’s behavior; and (3) learning is based on contiguity and reinforcement, basically focusing on the difference between the period of two conditions in order for a learning process to be established (Kim & Axelrod, 2005). The latter pertains to the events or actions that would increase the probability that a situation would happen again. In essence, this type of learning theory focuses on the premise that learning is the process of acquiring new behavior through the process of habituation or conditioning. Habituation can be classifie d into two types, which are (1) classical conditioning and (2) operant conditioning (Gibbons, 2004). The context of classical conditioning follows the premise that an individual’s behavior is a spontaneous effect to a stimulus. A stimulus triggers a specific response, and once this trigger is often repeated, it forms learning. An example of classical conditioning is the experiment carried out in regards to Pavlov’s dogs, wherein Pavlov identified that triggered the dog’s drooling (Harlen, 2006).Through assessing the correlation of the dog’s responses with specific factors, it was found that the dogs drooled when they knew that they were about to eat- which were initially triggered by the coat worn