Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Amy E. White

Abstract

Bullying was a pervasive issue affecting high schools in the United States despite anti-bullying programs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of former high school bullying victims about why anti-bullying programs have not reduced incidents of bullying. The conceptual framework that supported this study was Bronfenbrenner’s ecology of human development, a theory that assumes an individual’s development is affected by the changing environment and the larger social context in which the environment resides. The research questions were designed to find out why anti-bullying efforts have been ineffective in preventing bullying incidents and what participants believe is needed to prevent incidents of bullying. A basic qualitative research design was used to capture the insights of purposefully selected 10 former high school bullying victims through semistructured interviews. Emergent themes were identified through open coding, and the findings were developed and checked for trustworthiness through member checking, rich descriptions, and researcher reflexivity. The findings revealed shared perceptions regarding the reasons bullying programs were not perceived as effective and the types of efforts needed to prevent bullying; these findings suggest that anti-bullying efforts were ineffective and anti-bullying programs were nonexistent. Future research should explore the reasons anti-bullying efforts are ineffective to gain additional knowledge from all aspects. This study can influence positive social change by providing information that leads to improved outcomes for students who are victims of bullying.

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