Study of Bullying Behaviour Among Pre-School Children in Private Schools in Anambra State

Early manifestations of bullying in pre-school settings require identification and intervention to prevent established patterns from developing, and examining this phenomenon in Anambra State private schools informs prevention programming for South East Nigeria. This study investigated the prevalence and patterns of bullying behaviour among children aged 3 to 6 years in private nursery schools in Awka South and Onitsha North Local Government Areas, Anambra State. A mixed-methods design employed teacher observations using a structured Peer Aggression Observation Scale and parent interviews with 120 parents from 15 schools. Physical bullying was the most prevalent form at 63 percent of reported incidents. Verbal bullying was observed in 28 percent and relational bullying in 9 percent. Boys were the perpetrators in 71 percent of observed incidents. Children from households experiencing domestic conflict showed significantly higher bullying perpetration rates. Classrooms with consistent rule reinforcement showed 40 percent fewer bullying incidents than those without. Most teachers (76.7 percent) had not received training in early childhood conflict resolution. The study concludes that pre-school bullying is present and requires systematic teacher preparation and institutional policies. Recommendations include social-emotional learning integration in the pre-school curriculum, teacher training in positive behaviour support, parent education on home environment factors, and school-wide anti-bullying policies for Anambra private nursery schools.

Keywords: bullying behaviour, pre-school children, private schools, Anambra State, social-emotional learning