The school chosen for the purposes of the study was an all boys independent school, located in south Dublin. The annual intake of year one students was just under 100 and each year group were looked after by a ‘Year Head’. These year heads provided much of the daily information relating to behaviour, attendance and punctuality and also acted as a reference point for weekly briefings regarding the progress of the group. Class teachers, form teachers and extra-curricular staff also provided information which was added to the continuous stream of formal input and which was valuable in terms of providing a complete account of each student’s experiences. On their entry into year one of secondary school, the study group (91 students aged 12-13) began a series of tests, surveys and assessments that would continue for the three years of their junior cycle experience. Ten variable categories were studied and numerous data collection techniques were employed: – Ability and intelligence tests were administered to all students; – Daily reports were compiled in the areas of behaviour, attendance and punctuality; – Six-weekly continuous assessment reports were presented by individual teachers; – Twice years surveys on esteem, attribution and socialisation were organised; – Annual assessments of involvement in extra-curricular activities and involvement in bullying were completed; and – The normal school records (eg: academic results at Christmas and summer of each year) were also made available for the purposes of the study. Each of these tests, surveys and assessments was administered directly by the researcher, who was working as a teacher in the school for the duration of the project. The information gathered was added to a selection of computerised data files at the end of every day and a summary of the results in each category was produced at the middle and end of each academic year. These results were collated over a three year period and were cross-referenced and correlated in an attempt to identify trends and patterns in the data.
We have developed the following database of research theses on bullying from all academic institutions in the UK and Ireland. The aim of this database is to assist those who are interested in the field of bullying and want to see what research has already been done. We have attempted to ensure that we have included all relevant theses here; but if there is an omission please let us know by emailing geraldine.kiernan@dcu.ie.
The database is here for information purposes. Those who want access to the texts of the theses need to contact the author, the relevant institution, or both.