Does the type of school matter in preventing bullying? Knowledge, experience, and readiness to face bullying by students enrolled in public and private schools in the Philippines

Abstract

As the Philippines is historically endowed with a number of private schools and is the only predominantly Christian nation in Asia, it is conventionally expected that students enrolled in these institutions will have distinct campus experiences from those enrolled in public institutions (De Guzman, 2011; Arcilla, 1972; Cruz, 2014; Palma, 2012; and Lasquety-Reyes, 2018). However, bullying is a significant impediment to a nurturing environment in today's schools, necessitating that it be adequately explored and represented in academic literature. In this regard, a total of 765 students were randomly selected from public and private secondary schools and surveyed about their preparedness to face bullying. Specific variables investigated included the advice they received on bullying, their attendance at religious services, their attendance at meetings and seminars on bullying, their awareness and knowledge of the law on bullying, their sources of information, their experience of bullying at home, people they could rely on in the event of bullying, and the types of bullying they perceived at school.Results revealed that students in public schools have received more advice and have more people to rely on when bullied compared to those in private schools. Additionally, students from private schools rely more on friends than teachers or parents when bullied, and more of them have attended meetings and discussions regarding bullying. Meanwhile, students from both types of schools reported at least one incident of verbal abuse at home, limited knowledge of RA10627 (the 2013 Philippine Anti-Bullying Law), and concern about being bullied by teachers. Finally, while snobbery and malicious rumors were the most common forms of bullying experienced, physical bullying remains a reality for some.