Students’ reflections on bullying roles : a narrative vignette study in an Islamic boarding school

Abstract

Bullying remains a persistent and complex issue within the communal environment of Islamic boarding schools, where close social interactions and hierarchical structures can perpetuate cycles of aggression and social exclusion. This research investigated the lived experiences and reflections of students regarding their roles as victims and bystanders in bullying incidents, specifically within the context of a modern Islamic boarding school in Jakarta. Twelve students were purposively selected based on early adolescent age (13–15 years), a critical developmental stage marked by emotional and psychological transitions. Data were collected using a narrative-based vignette method within a qualitative social-constructivist framework. Findings revealed that students reflected both as victims and bystanders in bullying situations. Victims consistently reported emotional distress such as fear, loneliness, and sadness. Yet, often remained passive, with this passivity inadvertently creating space for further victimization. Many victims also lacked a reliable support system, and their marginalization was often tied to factors such as personality traits, perceived differences, or mistakes that became the basis of social sanctions. Meanwhile, bystanders exhibited varied responses: some reinforced or remained silent out of fear of social consequences, while others defended victims, often motivated less by moral conviction than by a desire to align with majority opinion and maintain peer acceptance. This reflects the significant weight of social belonging in adolescence. Moreover, the boarding school environment itself, with its communal living and disciplinary structures, was found to both shape and sustain these bullying dynamics, making it challenging to break the cycle. The study concludes that addressing bullying in boarding schools requires not only fostering empathy and resilience among students but also rethinking institutional practices and policies that inadvertently enable exclusion. Such efforts are essential to disrupt entrenched patterns of aggression and to cultivate a more supportive and inclusive school culture. Findings revealed that the imaginary and students’ life reflection, victims were consistently portrayed as experiencing intense emotional distress, particularly fear, loneliness, and sadness, often linked to low social standing or perceived deviance from peer norms. Meanwhile, bystanders were categorized into passive observers, reinforcers, and active defenders, with their responses shaped by multiple factors, including personal empathy, peer influence, and perceived social risk. A minority of students become defenders motivated by driven empathy and moral conviction, despite the risk of social backlash. This study concluded that bullying in boarding schools is sustained by complex social dynamics and power structures, and implies a need for increased awareness and multi-level interventions, from fostering empathy and courage among students to reforming school policies by school management, to disrupt these patterns and cultivate a more supportive school culture.