Abstract
The study aimed to determine the reasons why respondents engage in bullying practices among Grade seven and eight students at Talacogon Integrated School during the 2019-2020 school year. The school is situated between Lower and Upper Talacogon, Lugait, Misamis Oriental. Employing a descriptive correlation design, this study examined the correlation between two variables: the level of bullying practices and the academic performance of the respondents. The subjects comprised 35 identified Grade seven and eight students from Talacogon Integrated School. Pearson correlation coefficient was utilized to ascertain the significant relationship between respondents' level of bullying and their academic performance, as well as the significant relationship between respondents' profiles and their bullying practices. The hypothesis regarding the relationship between demographic profile variables (age, gender, grade level) and bullying practices revealed that while age did not significantly correlate with physical bullying, it did with verbal and social bullying. Similarly, gender showed no significant correlation with physical bullying but did with verbal and social bullying. Grade level, however, exhibited a significant correlation with physical bullying but not with verbal and social bullying. The researcher identified revenge, amusement, and feelings of inferiority as the main reasons behind bullying. The study found that the level of bullying practices in terms of verbal and social behavior, as well as academic performance, were within acceptable standards. However, the level of physical bullying practices was significantly correlated with academic performance, as the level of significance was lower than the standard value. Consequently, the researcher recommends implementing a teachers' training matrix for character formation to address bullying behaviors effectively.
