Prevalence and Academic Impact of Bullying in Senior High Schools: Evidence from the Sefwi Juaboso District in the Western North Region of Ghana (Published)
This study investigates the prevalence, forms, and academic consequences of bullying at Sefwi Juaboso Senior High School in Ghana. Using a mixed-methods approach involving 120 students and six teachers, the study reveals that 51.7% of students experienced or witnessed bullying, with verbal and physical-verbal bullying being most common. Bullying occurred frequently—often daily—and affected students’ emotional well-being and academic performance, particularly through absenteeism, classroom disengagement, and subject-specific failure. First-year and male students were especially vulnerable. Theoretical frameworks such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model provided insight into the psychosocial and institutional dimensions of bullying. The study emphasizes the absence of cyberbullying due to digital exclusion in rural areas and calls for systemic interventions including teacher training, counselling services, and anti-bullying policy frameworks. These findings contribute to the understanding of school bullying in rural African contexts and support context-sensitive strategies for school improvement.
Keywords: : Academic Performance, Anti-bullying strategies, Ghana, Psychosocial safety, School bullying, rural education