Bystanders of school bullying are relatively under-researched in the literature on bullying because most studies in this area focus primarily on bullies or on the direct victims of bullying. In this study, we aimed to explore the lived experience of early adolescent bystanders who witnessed bullying in a South African school. We followed a qualitative research approach and adopted a phenomenological research design. We purposefully selected 10 early adolescent bystanders to participate in the study. We recorded the interviews that were then transcribed. We used inductive thematic analysis to analyse the qualitative data. The findings of this study revealed the various emotional and behavioural reactions of bystanders to witnessing school bullying. We recommend that anti-bullying programs be included in the curriculum so that teachers and school psychologists can emphasise the negative impacts of bullying that include psychological, educational, and emotional consequences on everyone who is exposed to it.

Despite emerging evidence from research studies showing positive influence of computer based learning on quality of education and academic achievement of learners, there is very limited research studies that synthesises factors that influence or contributes to the success or effectiveness of computer based learning methods. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesise factors that influences the efficacy of computer based learning. We followed the protocol from preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA). Major electronic educational databases were searched. In total, 20 studies that met inclusion criteria were reviewed in this study. After completing thematic analysis of the included studies, findings revealed that students’ characteristics factor such as attitudes, self-discipline, prior knowledge of computer use and motivation, also infrastructure factor such as easy access to computer and availability of technology influenced the efficacy of Computer Based Learning. Recommendations from the research reports are discussed.

Self-debasing cognitive distortion influences a person’s interpretation and increases the likelihood of negative reactions to events. Despite the theoretical support for the significant influence that cognition has in the onset and maintenance of behavioural and emotional reactions to victimisation, little research has been done on proactive cognitive strategy to down regulate negative emotional and behavioural reactions to witnessing bullying. For this reason, a qualitative descriptive-exploratory design was utilised to explore 10 early adolescent bystanders' reactions to school bullying following a self-debasing cognitive distortion restructuring intervention. Findings indicated that there were reductions in bystanders’ negative reactions to witnessing bullying that resulted from challenging the validity and reality of distortions in their thinking patterns. The study recommended that bystanders should be equipped with self-debasing cognitive distortions restructuring skills to root out the source of bias in their thought patterns with a view of down regulating their emotional and behavioural reactions to witnessing bullying.

Notwithstanding the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in the educational system, research indicated that teachers of learners with special needs carried out meaningful teaching activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the different strategies employed by teachers of special needs learners to enhance effective teaching have been thoroughly researched in the field of education, they were not investigated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to explore factors that enhance flexible teaching of learners with special needs in South Africa in the COVID-19 era. A phenomenological research design was adopted using a qualitative research approach. Ten teachers were purposefully selected to participate in the study. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The findings of this study revealed that teachers’ characteristic factors such as attitudes towards the use of ICT, prior knowledge of computer use and motivation, and infrastructural factors such as easy access to computers and availability of technology influenced flexible teaching of learners with special needs in the COVID-19 era. The findings of this research contribute to what is hoped will be a continually expanding body of empirical evidence-based insight about effective, flexible teaching strategies that may increase knowledge of the adoption and integration of flexible teaching in the field of education. Being well informed regarding enabling factors that enhance the effectiveness of flexible teaching is essential when designing and providing instruction to learners in a virtual environment. It is recommended that teachers of learners with special needs should gain new information and ICT skills to enable them to adapt from face-to-face teaching to teaching on virtual platforms, especially as educational institutions and research have shifted focus to understanding sustainable post-COVID-19 pedagogical needs. Keywords: Flexible teaching, Special needs learners, Special education, COVID-19 pandemic, Remote learning

Bullying and psychological distress among adolescents are considered serious social and public health concerns. Several research works concerning psychological distress among adolescents as a result of bullying experiences have been conducted but not many studies explore the differences in the bullying experiences of LGBT adolescents and their heterosexual counterparts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the comparative analyses of traditional bullying, cyberbullying, and psychological distress among heterosexual and LGBT adolescents in South Africa. The study adopted an ex-post-facto research design. A total of 140 respondents (73.6% self-identified as heterosexual and 26.4% as LGBT adolescents) who are students, were engaged using purposive random sampling. Participants completed the bullying victimisation components (B1 for the traditional bullying scale and B2 for cyberbullying scale) and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), which measures psychological distress among the study participants. Findings revealed that sexual orientations and gender identities do not significantly influence traditional-bullying victimisation among adolescents (t = 0.065, df = 138, p > .05). However, further analysis revealed that LGBT adolescents (ẋ=53.44; SD=05.03) reported higher experiences of cyberbullying, compared to their heterosexual counterparts (ẋ=45.84; SD=06.57). Consequently, LGBT adolescents (ẋ=30.28; SD=0.75) reported higher experiences of psychological distress because of cyberbullying victimisation, compared to their heterosexual counterparts (ẋ=24.87; SD=03.15). It is recommended that psychological assessments and insightful counselling should be encouraged among LGBT adolescents. The purposeful intervention might enable early identification of psychological problems, and in turn, enables early psychosocial interventions that will address the prevailing psychological distress experienced among LGBT adolescents because of bullying victimisation. Keywords: Bullying; LGBT; Heterosexual; Psychological Distress; Adolescents