"I didn’t want to be known as a snitch": Using PAR to explore bullying in a private day and boarding school

Bullying research in secondary schools is plentiful in the literature but in the context of private day and boarding schools research is limited. This study used a Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework embedded in the philosophy of social constructionism to add to the knowledge in this field. PAR is quite distinct from traditional research because it includes participants collaboratively in the research process. To this end a group of students in a private day and boarding school were recruited and trained in research methods. We worked together to answer the main research question: What do young people in this private day and boarding school view as the core issue of bullying in the school and how do they want to address this? This study followed three distinct cycles of PAR through inquiry, action and reflection. Cycle one investigated the bullying definition used by the school in terms of how it is understood from the viewpoint of students, teachers, and parents. Cycle two investigated the concept of the ‘snitch’ and how safe students feel to report school bullying. Cycle three focussed on dissemination. Through these cycles, a school anti-bullying policy was devised and improvements to how the school deals with bullying implemented.