BULLYING IN UNIVERSITY: A CASE STUDY OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Abstract

The objective of this research was to study patterns, causes, effects, and solutions of bullying in university: a case study of students with special needs, including the roles of related persons who are professors, personnel, and classmates, in order to represent the guidelines for prevention, solution, and management of bullying. This is a qualitative study that applied the in-depth interview with the purposive samples for 11 persons. The author exerted the qualitative data from the in-depth interview and documents to analyze and process the result. The results of this study are as follows:

Based on this study, it is found that bullying in university with students with special needs has frequently occurred through social bullying and verbal bullying. The 2 main reasons for bullying are the incomprehension of different symptom characteristics and behaviors and different expressive behaviors of students with special needs. After learning the effects of bullying towards students with special needs, it is evident that the action primarily affects their minds and their learning’s abilities. Furthermore, the roles of related persons, particularly the professor and the classmates, might be assistants for their study and living in the university, the protectors or the rescuers. Meanwhile, they could take the role of the bully or the bullying supporters as well.

The solution guidelines should begin from the major unit which is the university itself in evaluation, screening, and managing to help them with the good system, giving knowledge, making understanding about students with special needs, and campaigning or encouraging the related projects, for example.