1. Negative Effects of Verbal Bullying on learners of
English.
Authors’ names: Clelia López, Diana Calderón, Yuri
Guevara, José armando Alfaro and Jesús Escobar.
Universidad Católica de El Salvador

2. ABSTRACT
Bullying is defined as a repeated aggression
in which one or more persons intend to harm
or disturb another person physically, verbally
or psychologically. It can take many forms
such as physical aggression, verbal
aggression or social isolation. Bullying is a
significant social problem and has likely
occurred throughout human history.
Research has shown that bullying not only
affects a students learning but it also has
detrimental consequences on human being
future development. Effects on victims
include low self-esteem, depression, college
failure and anxiety. Implications for
aggressors include delinquent behavior and
low levels of happiness. It will be argued that
bullying is not normal and that learners are
not able to cope with it.
That is why; this research was aimed to
examine the negative effects of bullying in
the learning process of learning the English
language by following a process of collecting
data through a literature review, an
observation, an interview, several check lists,
and workshops treatment to answer a set up
research question. The main principle is that
Motivation refers to bullying is a form of
aggressive behavior manifested by the use of
force or coercion to affect others,
particularly when the behavior is habitual
and involves an imbalance of power. It can
include verbal harassment, physical assault
and may be directed repeatedly towards
particular victims, perhaps on grounds of
race, religion, gender, sexuality, or ability.
The "imbalance of power" may be social
power and/or physical power. The victim of
bullying is sometimes referred to as a
"target”.
In addition; this study was directed at
assessing the effects of Bullying in speaking
activities.
The interview was the main instrument used
to gather the needed data. This study was
conducted during the second semester of
college year 2013. Based on the findings, the
following facts are showed to the public;
Bullying negatively affects both the students
being victimized and the students who are
the bully. There are always short-term
effects and if the bullying is severe enough
there can also be long term effects. Students
who are bullied can suffer from low selfesteem and other emotional problems and
students who do the bullying are much more
likely to have problems with low grades and
socialization.
INTRODUCTION
Bullying is an all times problem at college
that affects students learning process and, as
a consequence, their performance in
classroom activities. It has been truly stated
by Olweus who defines bullying in a general
way as "repeated negative, ill-intentioned
behavior by one or more students directed
against a student who has difficulty
defending himself or herself. Most bullying
occurs without any apparent provocation on
the part of the student who is exposed."
Mistreatment and being bullied have been
recognized as health problems for students
because of their association with adjustment
problems, including poor mental health and
more extreme violent behavior. It is
therefore important to understand how
bullying and being bullied affect the wellbeing and adaptive functioning of youth. It
was sought to use multiple data sources to
better understand the psychological and
social problems exhibited by bullies and
victims. Victimization can affect everyone,
those who are bullied, those who bully, and
those who witness mistreatment. Hounding
is linked to many negative outcomes

3. including impacts on mental health,
especially in the learning process of a second
language.
We applied a variety of instruments
to
collect data on students of the second year
of the major of English. Such as; observation
checklist; to see the natural behavior of
students during an English class and how
they approached the speaking skill, also
interviews in order to get students personal
reactions about the perceptions and feelings
they had during the development of
communicative activities which was the most
reliable mechanisms used. Taking into
account that, intimidation is unwanted,
aggressive behavior among students from all
levels, the behavior is repeated, or has the
potential to be repeated, over time the
primary damage is that bullying causes loss
of identity and self-esteem, aside of stopping
the learning process of English and
performance of the students. That is why,
those victims of bullying were taken apart
into a treatment which was a motivational
lecture powered by a psychologist who
determined and explained deeply the
negative effects of oppression on students
and wisely advised how to apply strategies to
overcome barriers to go back on track to the
business that really matters which is to
become an English teacher. All above
mentioned is regarding to answer the
research question which creates strategies
for stopping these increasing problems which
is growing up all around the world in every
classroom and help people to have better
time when learning a language.
The research methodologies
used are
described as follows: The first method
applied was the checklist which was focused
on identifying the characteristic presented by
the students: bullied or victims, with the aim
of observing their reaction when they are
exposed to stressed situation by bullies.
Attempting to identify the students who are
particularly susceptible to bullying and,
considering that the range of characteristics
that may predict harrying. Then, the checklist
took the most regular aspects faced in a
classroom. After that, it was decided to make
an Interview to the students; in which it
could be identified behavioristic patterns in
the attitude towards learning English and
simplify some doubts about the research
question.
It was also presented to them a movie called
“Speak” in which researchers could
encourage those students who had been
affected by bullying and push them to speak,
to not remain silent. Investigators wanted
them to see that the best solution for their
problem is to talk about it and proposed
ideas to overcome it. Formerly, a
psychologist was invited with the purpose of
giving a motivational lecture about the issue
of bullying; in which each student could
participate and ask questions related to it.
The objective of it was to clarify any doubt
about that problem and also give them
solutions to be applied in the real
environment. Finally, the research group
wanted to see the advance in the students,
so it was decided to make some oral
activities in which was provided a space in
which they could share ideas to wipe out
bullying situations; it could be realized that
many of them were more confident at the
time of speaking and also they were more
participative and that was one of the goals
for this inquiry.
It has been analyzed and synthetized how
bullying has affected students, in the first
place these learners showed a behavior of
anxiousness,
downheartedness
and
seclusion. Mostly they did not like to
participate in activities done by the teacher

4. during English classes that is why; they were
not able to get concentrated in the oral
activities, besides when they had oral
evaluation they always got not only nervous
and angry with the classmates who made
bullying to them but also got irritated with
themselves because they could not defend
their position in an assessment nor even in
class participation. Equally; the results
revealed that victims of bullying avoid
working in group at any time because of the
lack of security, confidence because they
simply did not like to get evolved in any
social group which researchers could realized
that some victims did not have set up goals
to accomplish in a short or long period of
time. As a result, it could be grasped that
English classes were not gratifying to them
thus; they have lost interest in participating
in any oral activity related with English. One
of the most remarkable evidences that the
research has exposed is that victims of
bullying have lots of problems in the whole
context about learning English specially
when speaking, reading and writing as they
do not have enough practice, there is not
improvement of any of these skills and as
result their grades are really low most of the
time which ends in a huge frustration for
victims.
The lack of confidence would make students
to become reluctant from working in groups
and significant participation, which stops
the learning process of English. As upshot it
decreases fluency in the evaluated oral
activities from a sample of ten students, 3
presented characteristics of bullies and the
rest, 7 students, showed characteristics of
being victims. The evidence indicates that
bullying is a problem that affects students’
oral activities performance which is the
explanation to the research question. In fact;
the effects of bullying contribute to the
development of a hazardous environment in
the classroom and to deterioration in the
academic and social relationship of students
who are involved in bully/victim experiences,
especially disconcerting victims’ confidence,
improvement and interaction with other
students.
At the beginning of the research, there was
sort idea about bullying effects which
basically were just the decay in grades and
low self-steam. However, at this point, it
could be declared without hesitation more
important factors than the expected which
in any case bullying has a very deep
undesirable influence in any human being
which not only affects the academic
performance but also it really causes
incurable injuries on students dignity and
personality. Especially in their performance,
is a real problem and, there are so many
people doing it as many ways in which this
problem exhibits, as it has been stated by
Amreen Bi “The effects of bullying can be
both short and long term. One effect that is
both short and long term is when bullying
stops a student learning and results in
reduced academic performance.”
Most of the time students who get good
results at schools tend to show a bullying
behavior, especially because they want to
call classmates and teachers attention.
Sometimes this can be seen as a normal
behavior, all of us have had classmates that
used to make jokes, but this is not taken
offensively but as a child or teenage
behavior. This practice can become in
bullying in the way they turn more serious
and start to affects victims. Rarely, those
students
who
show
an
excellent
performance in the classroom and get good
grades participate on it, but there are cases
in which low graders students can also be
victims of bullying and, in this case the
problem can become more difficult because

5. even teachers tend to show this behavior
with those students, which most of times
finish deserting.
On the other hand, an unpredictable factor
that the study discovered is that Bullies react
aggressively in response to provocation or
perceived insults or slights. It is unclear
whether their acts of bullying give them
pleasure or are just the most effective way
they have learned to get what they want
from others. Nevertheless; one thing is for
sure; the victims of oppression often loose
self-assurance, start having trouble in
college, and withdraw from friends and
activities. If it is not stopped and continues
for long enough, students can suffer these
problems permanently creating unstable
behaviors.
It is important to say that the number of
students who are victims of physical bullying
are few in number compared to those who
are involved in oral bully/victim experiences,
because is less evident, is more dangerous
and negative for students.
This research supports the concept that at
the starting point in college, students do not
know how to face victimization and most of
the time, do not respond to bullies especially
because they are not conscious of the
relevance of this problem. And that those
same students believe that this situation is
normal and no one else is interested in their
problem.
Whether bullying occurs in the form of
physical aggression, intimidation, sexual
harassment, ridicule, or teasing, students will
not be able to demonstrate appropriate
interpersonal skills and fear the environment
where they are will affect directly their
learning process and, also their fluency and
confidence at the moment of performance
oral activities. That is why it is truly
important to take seriously into account
problems on learners of languages in order
to spark reliable solutions to help eradicate
this dreadful issue from classroom. That is
why this study exhorts not only students but
also teachers and institutions to apply the
afterward strategies suggested to have a
better quality of learning on students all
around the world.
• Know your institution and District Policies
on Bullying: teachers should do their part to
implement them effectively, by having a
strong leadership and communication with
the students in and out of classroom.
• Treat Students and Others with Warmth
and Respect: As teacher, let students know
that you are available to listen and help them
at any time. Be patient and approachable
without judging any attitude or behavior.
• Conduct Classroom Activities around
Bullying: Help your class identify bullying in
books, TV shows and movies, and discuss the
impact of that bullying and how it was/could
be resolved.
•Hold class meetings in which students can
talk about bullying and peer relations.
•Discuss Bullying with Colleagues. As a
group, you will be better able to monitor the
institution environment. Discuss both bullying
in general and concerns regarding specific
students.
•Take Immediate Action Failure to act
provides tacit approval of the behavior and
can cause it to spread.
•Implement cooperative learning activities in
your class to spark solidarity and
companionship among students.

6. CITATIONS
-Olweus´s, P. (1993). Bullying implications
for the classroom. Buenos Aires
-Amreen, B. (2011). How Bullying affects on
students. United States of America.
-Scott, Dayton. (1996). Anti-bullying policies,
procedures
and
practices.
Madison
Metropolitan School District. United states
of America.