Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Children's Experience Of Loneliness At School And Its Relation To Bullying And The Quality Of Teacher Interventions, George Berguno, Penny Leroux, Katayoun Mcainsh, Sabera Shaikh

The Qualitative Report

Forty-two children aged between 8 and 10 years were interviewed about their experience of loneliness at primary school. The children were further asked to describe their experiences of being bullied, as well as to comment on their perception of the consequences of particular teacher interventions. It was found that a majority of children (80%) had periods of being lonely at school and that these experiences were associated with boredom, inactivity, a tendency to withdraw into fantasy, and a passive attitude towards social interactions. Moreover, children who invested in very few friendships were more vulnerable to becoming isolated. Similarly, a majority …