ongoing
Friends On / Bullying Off
principal investigator / project leader
Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
project value: PLN 10,000
funding source: SWPS University
discipline: psychology
research center: SWPS University
location: Katowice
duration: 2024 2025
Researchers from SWPS University will investigate the role of friendships established outside of school on the well-being and self-esteem of secondary school students who have experienced bullying in school.
The project is financed by SWPS University from the Faculty Mini-grant Fund.
Research objectives
The goal of the project is to examine the perception of friendship among students who have experienced bullying in school.
Bullying is a widespread phenomenon and is very harmful to its victims. Our research team wants to emphasize the role of friendships developed outside the school. We want to understand how victims perceive themselves at school and how non-school friendships and belonging to peer groups outside of school impacts their self-esteem and confidence.
Research indicates that friendships formed in a classroom serve as a significant deterrent against bullying. Friendship acts as a shield, providing a sense of security, support, and empowerment. However, not all students find it easy to cultivate and sustain meaningful relationships within the confines of the school environment, which can be highly regulated and limiting. Our goal is to explore whether friendships developed in alternative peer groups, outside the school setting, can offer similar protective benefits. Can these external friendships foster feelings of security and agency? And can they bolster confidence in navigating the complexities of social dynamics within the school environment?
Wójcik, Małgorzata
Principal Investigator
Specialization
psychologist
First and last name
Małgorzata Wójcik
Academic degree or title
Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
Email
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Role in the Faculty
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Role in the Department
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Role in the Research Center
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Role in the Institute
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Ph.D. / Assistant Professor Małgorzata Wójcikpsychologist
Methodology
The study will be carried out simultaneously at SWPS University, by a project manager and their team, and at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. This will enable a joint analysis of the collected data and a comparison of the results in terms of cultural characteristics.
The study will be informed by the Grounded Theory methodology (Thornberg, Keane, Wójcik, 2023). We will conduct 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with secondary school students who have experienced or are experiencing bullying, and at the same time, participate in some form of extracurricular activities (sports clubs, scouting, extracurricular activities such as theatre, film, games etc.).
Research team
The project is carried out by students of SWPS University in Katowice, under the guidance of Małgorzata Wójcik, Ph.D.
- Wojciech Augustyniak-Laube (project coordinator)
- Magdalena Auguścik
- Weronika Białczak
- Aleksandra Jung
- Aśka Kuźma
- Patryk Pastuszek.
Practical application of results
We hope that the results of the study will help us to identify factors that might have some potential to influence well-being of students, improve relationships in the classroom, and reduce a tendency for secondary isolation or hostile attribution.