BULLYING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AS PERCEIVED BY KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS IN SELECTED PRIVATE SCHOOLS OF THE DIVISION OF LUCENA CITY

The study aimed to identify the perceptions of kindergarten teachers in the private schools in terms of bullying in early childhood education. It sought to answer the problems namely the frequency of the forms of bullying which occurred in the early childhood, the causes of bullying, the perceptions of kindergarten teachers, the preventive measures employed in early childhood education to reduce bullying cases, and the actions taken by the early childhood providers to address the bullying problem. This study used the descriptive method of research and employed quantitative approaches in gathering data. The researcher used a survey questionnaire for the preschool teachers in the private schools in Lucena City. Data gathered from the respondents were the basis of the proposed intervention program. The result of this study showed that different forms of bullying such as physical, verbal, and psychological bullying seldom happen in early childhood education setting. In addition, physical, emotional, and social factors seldom cause bullying in the early childhood setting among private schools in Lucena City. However, the respondents strongly agreed that the child’s social and environmental contexts affect the child’s behavior. Moreover, the respondents strongly agreed that parenting styles may relate to early childhood bullying and aggressive behavior is common during early childhood that could lead to bullying. Children are very observant; they learn while watching the behavior of adults. Hence, it is very important to have a positive influence of behavior from their environment and the people around them.