Date of Award

2025

Type

Dissertation

Major

Doctor of Education

Degree Type

Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Leadership (Educational Leadership)

Department

Teacher Education

First Advisor

Steven Wright

Second Advisor

Basil Conway

Third Advisor

Christopher LeMieux

Abstract

Bullying and student aggression are increasing in public high schools. Bullying and cyberbullying are a safety concern, and victims of bullying have shown a decline academically and emotionally. Additionally, high schools need increased support with bullying behaviors. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to explore school counselors’ and school social workers’ insights and perspectives regarding the support they provided to bullying victims in two school districts in rural Georgia. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory was the framework used to focus research on understanding how environmental systems influence an individual’s development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted from a purposeful sample of seven certified school counselors and two certified school social workers, all of whom had experience in supporting bullying victims in a high school setting. The secondary data collected and analyzed were school documents, board policies and artifacts. Priori coding and open coding were employed with Yin’s Five-Step Analysis. Findings revealed that school counselors and school social workers view bullying as a concern to student well-being and academic success. However, their perspectives emphasized gaps in agreement on stakeholder support, a lack of resources needed to implement interventions, and a desire to increase bullying prevention and awareness. Educational leaders and school counselors and school social workers may achieve improved success in supporting students through collaborative efforts framed by the ecological systems theory.

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