Teachers’ Efforts to Foster an Anti-Bullying School Environment at Sukanegara Public Elementary School under the Merdeka Curriculum

Abstract

This study aims to describe teachers’ efforts to create an anti-bullying school environment at SD Negeri Sukanegara within the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum. This research employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observation, and documentation involving classroom teachers and student representatives from grades I to VI. Data validity was ensured through source and technique triangulation, while data analysis used the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, consisting of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings show that bullying at SD Negeri Sukanegara appears in physical, verbal, social, and early digital forms. Physical bullying is more common among lower-grade students, while verbal and social bullying are more dominant among upper-grade students. Teachers’ efforts to prevent and address bullying include character education, direct intervention, student supervision, victim support, classroom habituation, visual anti-bullying media, and collaboration with parents. These efforts are aligned with the Merdeka Curriculum through the strengthening of the Pancasila Student Profile, positive school culture, and social-emotional learning. However, several challenges remain, including students’ limited awareness of bullying, the perception that mockery is only a joke, victims’ reluctance to report incidents, limited supervision during vulnerable times, and the emergence of digital bullying. This study implies that anti-bullying efforts in elementary schools require continuous, collaborative, and systematic strategies involving teachers, students, parents, and school leaders.