School-Based Education Program to Solve Bullying Cases in Primary Schools

1.1 Study Sites

This research was conducted in Padang City, West Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world, 277,749,853, and has 1,340 ethnicities in cultural diversity (Nur & Shi, 2022). Generally, the people speak the local language, but all communities understand the Indonesian national language used in the curriculum for writing works, theses, and newspaper language. The majority of Indonesia’s population is Muslim (86.93%); other religions are Protestant (7.47%), Catholic (3.08%), Hindu (1.71%), Buddhist (0.74%), Confucian (0.05%), and others (0.03%). Padang City, the capital of the West Sumatra Province, has a population of 928,541 (July 2023) and is situated on the west coast of Sumatra Island. Padang city is inhabited by multi-ethnic groups comprising the Minangkabau ethnic group (642,328), Java (23,271), Chinese (13,5380), Batak (8,896), Malay (6,838), Nias (5,782), Sundanese (2,561), and Mandailing (1,535). The composition of religions adhered to is Islam (96.82%), Protestantism (1.53%), Catholicism (1.32%), Buddhism (0.32%), and others (0.01%) (Ananta, Arifin, Hasbullah, Handayani, & Pramono, 2015).

2.1 Research Participants

To carry out the FGD, we randomly selected 10 schools from 573 primary and junior high schools in Padang city based on the school’s academic achievements, number of students, learning facilities, and the economic status of the student’s families. At each school, we select five teachers who teach the curriculum of Islamic Education, Pancasila Education, Health Education, counseling and guidance, and homeroom teachers. If more than one teacher in the same curriculum is available, the most senior and experienced teacher will be selected. The Pancasila curriculum contains state ideology and principles of behavior according to customs, culture, and traditions based on noble values. We conducted I-DI with ten school principals to implement I-DI, and we selected three of the ten schools for participant observation. Character education is integrated into extracurricular education in these five curricula.

2.2 FGD and I-DI Procedures

In the first step, we developed interview guides for FSG and I-DI. The FGD guide was tested through a pilot FGD, while the I-DI guide was not tested because this guide contains the same questions. During the FGD and I-DI implementation, the definition of bullying, violence, and oppression was confirmed among the participants, and they were asked how to identify and prevent bullying, violence, and oppression. Participants were also asked how they collaborate with other teachers to find solutions. Then, FGD and I-DI were conducted in Indonesian and assisted by local researchers and staff at Padang State University to serve as moderators, recorders, and local language translators (Minangkabau ethnic). All FGD and I-DI results were recorded and transcribed based on participant consent. FGD and I-DI last 100 and 60 min and end when the data are saturated, meaning no additional data from participants are available.

2.3 Participant Observation

Participant observation was done at three selected schools with 1–2 visits through interaction with students and teachers who were not involved in the FGD. This observation is conducted for 2–3 h at each school. Observations focus on guidance and counseling teachers in their rooms, the school environment, and extracurricular activities such as morning prayers, reading the Qur’an, and flag hoisting and de-hoisting ceremonies. During these activities, observation notes were made. We chose Padang City as the study area, and field studies were conducted from September 15 to November 25, 2023. We use the results of document review and participant observation in the analysis, which are presented in the analysis section accompanied by images (Table 1).

2.4 Data Processing and Analysis

Relevant data from transcripts, discussion results, and audio recordings of FGDs and I-DI obtained in the local language (Minangkabau) were rewritten and translated into Indonesian and then into English by native language speakers in the form of MS Word documents. Then, the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Transcripts were coded repeatedly to ensure data were included and recovered. The data were then collected and concluded based on the codes created to produce various themes.

2.5 Thematic Analysis

1. We conducted a thematic analysis using the N-Vivo 12 application, which resulted in 9 nodes (theme/categories) and 82 child nodes (subthemes). In this study, we describe these nine categories below while we explain the subthemes in the category descriptions. Nine themes, including (1) bullying as a fundamental issue, (2) causes of bullying, (3) causes and impacts of bullying, (4) institutional intervention, (5) extracurricular interventions, (6) cultural intervention, (7) religious intervention, (8) family intervention, and (9) challenges and recommendations.

2. Bullying as an issue: The results described that in Indonesian, bullying is translated as the behavior of an individual or group of students who attack using physical force with their feet, hands, body, or other limbs and, for example, pinching, pushing, sexual, and physical actions that harm other students. Meanwhile, violence is an act of physical or sexual violence, emotional bullying, or neglect against students, and oppression is the majority of violence that occurs at school, at home, or in the environment where children interact. An act of violence is an attitude that disrupts other students physically, verbally, or emotionally. Thus, violence and oppression are included in the meaning of bullying (Rettew & Pawlowski, 2016).

3. Causes of violence: Many factors cause bullying, including having seen other people commit violence, mistakes in too harsh family parenting, wanting to have power and control, and wanting to be considered popular (Duriesmith & Meger, 2020).

4. Impact of violence: The impact of bullying is a change in students’ social attitudes, including the psychological impact of fear, self-alienation, trauma, declined learning achievement, fear of meeting other people, suicide, and being lazy about coming to school (Williams, Osman, & Hyon, 2023).

5. Institutional intervention: Padang city government has issued regulations on beneficial curricular and extracurricular curricula for reducing cases of violence, oppression, and intimidation among students and advocating for all activities in association with violence and bullying (Hui et al., 2021; Kelly & Varghese, 2018).

6. Curricular interventions (Tuason, Carroll, Schutz, & Buchanan, 2023): Pancasila education aims to enable students to become good citizens, understand their rights and obligations as citizens, and have a sense of love and nationalism for Indonesia.

7. Religious intervention: It is incorporated into Islamic education modules in primary schools, aiming to grow and increase faith through providing and cultivating knowledge, appreciation, practice, virtuous, tolerant, polite, honest, and great character to become human beings who continue to grow in good character (Hansen, Jackson, & Ryder, 2017; Somasundram, Sirag, Rasiah, & Habibullah, 2017).

8. Cultural intervention (Fontes, 1993): Cultural practices in combination with religion are included in extracurricular activities based on the Local Regulation of the West Sumatra Province No. 3 of 2007. This regulation is the individual contribution of every teacher and principal to activities to prevent acts of violence, bullying, and intimidation in every primary school.

9. Family intervention: Parents are expected to start identifying their children’s emotions and feelings so they can express their desires, feelings, and what their children do not like from bullying perpetrators and be firm without acting aggressively (Lozada, Halberstadt, Craig, Dennis, & Dunsmore, 2016). For example, they maintain a stable speaking tone, neutral expression, and body posture (Braithwaite, 2015).

10. Challenges and recommendations: Curricular activities that are intervened with character education and extracurricular activities that are intervened with cultural and religious education create values of togetherness and an understanding of tolerance, which are believed to be able to prevent and minimize cases of bullying. The emergence of bullying cases is always presumed by poor evaluation of curricular and extracurricular school interventions and is considered a challenge (Brank, Hoetger, & Hazen, 2012).

3.1 Informant Characteristics

A total of 50 teachers (28 women and 22 men) participated in the FGD. The participants’ agreement at Padang State University Hall determines the FGD location. They have an average of 13.8 years of teaching experience (range 6–29 years). For implementing I-DI, 7 of the principals were men with an average of 33.7 years of teaching experience (21–46 years). We combined the FGD and I-DI results and presented them in a table that revealed nine main themes (Table 2).

The research findings identified several intervention variables to prevent oppression and violence among primary school students in the city of Padang, namely curricular and extracurricular interventions modified by cultural and religious education. Curricular education is a mandatory subject performed by every primary school student as indicated by a curriculum passing score. In contrast, extracurricular education is a student’s opportunity to implement and practice it in an activity/event. Curricular and extracurricular education activities are based on their religious and cultural education and an environment that supports their comfort in school and reduces bullying under teacher supervision.

Extracurricular education: The correlation between religious and cultural education variables seems very strong in Indonesia (Michie, 2017) because it is incorporated into the basic curriculum and becomes mandatory. In Padang City, the basic religious curriculum is supported by mayor regulations, and all levels of society advocate and respond when bullying contrary to culture and religion occurs. Pancasila education and religious education are incorporated into extracurricular activities. In contrast, character education is incorporated into all curricular curricula, which includes anti-bullying learning, such as embedding attitudes of tolerance, honesty, politeness, respecting other friends, speaking without shouting, using the right hand, and smiling when shaking hands with conflicting friends, and all this is incorporated into the curricular curriculum (Setiawan & Suwandi, 2022).

The education combined with character education covers topics on the principles and practices of conflict resolution, prohibits students from exacerbating differences in religion, ethnicity, and race, and prioritizes tolerance and respect for individual and group rights, which is prioritized in this curriculum. To implement it in everyday life, every primary school provides extracurricular subjects. Every student learns to be independent, polite, and respectful of friends in cultural and religious subjects. Students practice being tolerant, honest, and polite, respecting other friends, speaking without shouting, using the right hand, and smiling when shaking hands with conflicting friends and within the family. Parents at home improve family character by behaving politely towards both parents, helping parents who experience difficulties, and embedding an attitude of togetherness with other family members.

Religious education in many countries does not have a place, and their education system does not formally recognize a bachelor’s degree in religious education. Conversely, in Indonesia, religious education is a crucial curriculum (Nuryatno, 2014). Primary education units up to tertiary institutions provide Islamic religious education for Islamic students, Christian religious for Christian students, and Hindu religious education for Hindu students. Informal education is also recognized by the Government and protected by State law. In primary schools, teachers with master’s and doctoral degrees in religion also provide religious subjects that students must take. The curriculum is also considered effective in minimizing cases of bullying.

This study shows that in curricular education, the interaction of religious education combined with culture can effectively influence bullying variables, and the impact is to minimize bullying cases every year in the city of Padang by emphasizing the importance of character education (Surikova & Fernández González, 2022). In conclusion, character education, implemented in the city of Padang, can effectively minimize the prevalence of bullying cases. These research results are almost the same as previous research the researchers have conducted by Onnekikami, Agboto, Esmail, and Taiwo (2017) and Noboru et al. (2020); the difference lies in the intervention of religion, family, and good religious practices in extracurricular education.

Extracurricular education: In practicing cultural and religious values, most school teachers become examples of behavior such as tolerance, mutual respect, virtuousness, honesty, discipline, responsibility, care, cooperation, peace, courtesy, and responsiveness (Awalina, Wellyalina, Hafizulhaq, & Lubis, 2023). Primary school students can easily imitate teacher activities at cultural events such as the Minangkabau ballet, which is performed every day, breakfast before class hours start, and lunch together after school is finished to show togetherness. There, students have fun while exchanging side dishes and drinks among them. All student interventions are influenced by Minangkabau culture, where they have to share every day, avoid being stingy, and feel for students who may not have brought food that day.

Based on the results of document review and participant observation, it appears that the Padang City program is effective in reducing the number of cases of bullying and violence among students. Teachers believe cultural and customary interventions are effective in preventing violence, intimidation, and oppression between students at school. However, such practices cannot be singly intervened, and these practices must also be accompanied by solid social relationship variables, communities, and society that initiate them simultaneously. The approach using the Social Ecology Model (SEM) method was studied by Lee, Bendixsen, Liebman, and Gallagher (2017), Noboru et al. (2020), and Thiagarajan and Jayasingh (2023), which produces several bullying prevention strategies that can be used at every level of the individual, social relations, community, and society at the same time. This method is considered more effective in preventing bullying (Akoto, Nketsia, Opoku, Fordjour, & Opoku, 2022; Patel & Quan-Haase, 2022).

We try to expand a better understanding of these research results by observing the SEM method in combination with the FGD results (Hancock, Amankwaa, Revell, & Mueller, 2016; Kotluk, Memduhoglu, & Yayla, 2017). The SEM model considers the complex interactions between individuals, relationships, communities, and society (De Vos, Biggs, & Preiser, 2019). This model helps identify the factors that cause violence and protects people subject to violence cases. The circles in the model describe factors that occur at one level and influence other factors. To prevent violence and oppression, this model recommends that various actions be taken at each level simultaneously (CDC, 2022). All actions taken will be effective in addressing bullying prevention over time and positively impact population levels (Figure 2).

Figure 2

The social–ecological model: A framework for prevention. Source: CDC (2022).

Therefore, in the conditions in Padang City, a relationship is needed between each intervention. This understanding is considered significant because, in practice, the relationship between levels must be given a relatively equal burden and not be encumbered on the individual level (teachers and students at school). At the individual level, everything can be implemented, especially in cultivating students’ attitudes, beliefs, and good character. At the level of relationship, cultural, and religious interactions in extracurricular education, it can be implemented by forming students to become independent, increasing togetherness between teachers and students, and between students and students, and implementing this in the family (Alfarikh et al., 2021; Fatimah, Sutama, & Aly, 2020).

At the institutional intervention level, the Padang City Education office and NGOs, expert organizations, and Universities are involved in case-by-case advocacy to prevent oppression and intimidation cases. Our research has yet to identify the role of NGOs and experts in-depth and needs to understand how they educate intimidated students fully. School regulations also support the comfort of teachers and students. At the community level, societal, customary, cultural, and religious norms and values strengthen student development and are incorporated into the curriculum. Teachers, principals, and guidance counselors play an active role in behaving according to values and norms.

Because the city of Padang has ethnic diversity and speaks local languages separated by various dialects indicating their origin, they are grouped into 97 tribes. The number of members of each tribe ranges from several thousand to hundreds of thousands. The main ethnic group in the city of Padang is the Minangkabau tribe, which maintains informal ties through customs, culture, and religion, which play a crucial role in maintaining social unity with the migrant community (Armiati, Effendi, & Efi, 2019).

Previously, extracurricular activities were not mandatory, but based on a Mayor’s Regulation, they have become mandatory in recent years, and students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular educational activities. Students participating in this activity can increase their interaction and tolerance toward other students and their environment. Studies by Celik (2024) and Henderson Smith, Hernandez, Joshua, Gill, and Bottiani (2022) reveal that school-based prevention programs must be sensitive to students’ cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Two studies on school-based school programs in Indonesia will be more effective if they consider cultural practices, values, and traditions (Noboru et al., 2020; Tahlil, Woodman, Coveney, & Ward, 2015).

Meanwhile, research on religious education has been proven to help individuals deal with situations of stress, anxiety, alienation, and suicide. Research studies of Baker, Stroope, and Walker (2018) and Estrada et al. (2019) have revealed that religious education in secular schools provides a deep understanding of religion and religious culture around the world and enables students to acquire values, norms, and the formation of moral awareness that they integrate into everyday life (Sözer & Eskin, 2022). In association with previous research, the interventions we found in our research play an important role in preventing oppression and intimidation (bullying) cases among primary school students. If we observe the research results from Gladden et al. and Miftahuddin et al. that acts of violence and bullying will be reduced if an excellent social environment is created, then in this research, we found activities in schools through extracurricular education programs leading to the creation of a social environment that benefits students to grow in good character (Johnson, 2019).

We hope further studies on basic education produce new findings in cities with high heterogeneity, with a high prevalence of violence and intimidation (bullying), and with more comprehensive problem-solving. In this research, we have observed several students and identified in depth the role of NGOs and experts in advocating for bullied students. This research has revealed essential findings on the impact of cultural and religious education among primary education students, which is the cause of the decline in bullying levels in schools. Perhaps the local government and teachers in Padang City are not aware of what they have done for the good of their future generations—but theoretically—based on the SEM method, they have followed the pattern in the model, which, in the end, they received the Transformative Local Government award for the Smart Indonesia Program from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, in June 2023.

The results of this research can be applied to other cities because, in general, every city in Indonesia has ethnic diversity. Thematic analysis and exploring ethnic diversity characterized by strong customs, religion, and culture can suppress the influence of external culture in the use of violent information.

4.1 Geolocation Information

The study area is in Padang City, the capital of West Sumatra Province. It is located on the western edge of Sumatra Island, Indonesia. Geographically, Padang City is between 00 44 00 and 1 08 35 South Latitude and between 100 05 05 and 100 34 09 East Longitude.