Category: Educational Psychology

How Moral Disengagement explain Bullying?

Why does bullying difficult to be stopped/ controlled? With the current issues going on about bullying (refer to Almarhumah Zara Qairina and others), one could not help from thinking, why does bullying persist?

There are many psychological theories can explain why bullying happens. But at this moment, I will focus on one theory aka Moral disengagement theory by Albert Bandura to explain why individuals engage in bullying behavior without feeling guilt or shame. According to Bandura’s theory, people use psychological mechanisms to disconnect their actions from their moral standards, allowing them to justify or minimize the harm they cause. Here’s how each of the eight mechanisms can apply to bullying:

1. Moral Justification

Bullies may believe their actions “serve” a purpose, such as enforcing social norms or teaching someone a lesson.
Example: “They deserved it for being weird” or “I was just helping them toughen up” or “I have been in the same situation and I turn out alright. So, by doing this, I help them to be resilient” or “Saya pun pernah kena juga macam ni dulu. Bila saya buat dia macam ni, saya membantu dia sebenarnya supaya menjadi lebih tabah”

2. Euphemistic Labeling

Using softer language to describe harmful behavior makes it seem less serious.
Example: Calling bullying “just teasing” or “messing around.” or “Biasa la budak-budak bergurau je tu“.

3. Advantageous Comparison

Comparing their behavior to worse actions to make it seem acceptable.
Example: “At least I didn’t hit them” or “Others do way worse.” “Dia buat lagi teruk dari aku”

4. Displacement of Responsibility

Blaming authority figures or peer pressure for their actions.
Example: “The group made me do it” or “The teacher didn’t stop it, so it must be okay.” or “Aku bukan nak sangat pukul dia. Orang lain yang suruh aku”

5. Diffusion of Responsibility

Spreading the blame across a group to reduce personal accountability.
Example: “We all laughed at them and it wasn’t just me.” or “I am just doing what others are doing”

6. Disregard or Distortion of Consequences

Minimizing the impact of their actions on the victim.
Example: “They’re just being dramatic” or “It didn’t really hurt them.” or “I just hit him/her once. It is not that painful as compared to falling down on your own” or “Ala benda kecik je pun nak dibesarkan”

7. Dehumanization

Seeing the victim as less worthy of empathy or respect.
Example: Using derogatory names or labels that strip away the victim’s humanity. “Gendut, kau kena terima memang kau gendut. Aku bukan panggil kau gendut kalau kau tak gendut“

8. Attribution of Blame

Blaming the victim for the bullying.
Example: “They brought it on themselves” or “If they weren’t so annoying, I wouldn’t have done it.” or “She likes to show off. She is the one who starts this”

Moral Disengagement

A lunch date with my niece (a lecturer) and nephew (A level student) gave us opportunity to chit chat about life as academicians and university life. Inadvertently, our chat took a different turn when my niece told us about a recent cheating incident that happened last week. Her student. Her course. My mind keeps on thinking this phenomenon “Cheating during final examination” and about psychology theories to explain why people cheat, lie etc. Well, there are many theories and one of them is by Albert Bandura called moral disengagement theory. To explain about cheating phenomenon, students may justify cheating through mechanisms such as moral justification: “I need to pass for my future. I cheat because this is my final semester so I need to get good grades”, diffusion of responsibility: “I am not the only one who cheat. Everyone else is doing it too but they are not caught.” and minimizing consequences: “It is just a small note. It does not help me much to answer all questions.” The trivialization is utilized to temporarily separate students from their moral standards in order to lessen guilt and justify cheating. Trivialization in this context suggests that cheating is not a big concern. “Why should we make such a big fuss? Chill. Relax. No harm was done.”

In his book, Bandura proposed eight mechanisms that people use to disengage from moral convention. So, what is moral disengagement? It means people mentally reframe their behavior so it doesn’t feel wrong when they do something which is clearly violates ethical norms. It is a cognitive process. We have a choice either to follow or disconnect ourselves with moral and ethical standards. Essentially, it is a choice.

COVID-19: Unleashed your creativity_Part 2 (Future teachers)

Before the MCO, I never thought of giving an assignment that requires students to create a video because I was afraid that they need to learn video editing (which I don’t know how myself).  Video editing is a skill that I don’t have (yet) and I don’t teach.

But knowing how tech savvy the kids are nowadays, I decided to give two options of reporting: written (normal version + presentation using PPT slides with audio/voice note) or non-written (video) for this semester course that I teach SPPP/SHPP1012 Educational Psychology.  I just let their creativity unleashed and let them have fun while completing the assignment. (But how do I evaluate/mark their assignment as there are two options that I give to them?  HERE is how I do it)

Students nowadays are different from my generation.  They are more tech savvy and video editing is not an alien thing to them.  Indeed.

Wow.  What can I say!  I am impressed.  These are some of their works:

  1. Pelaziman klasikal by Muhamad Asyraf Bin Yahya
  2. Operant conditioning by Mohamad Fahmi Bin Abu Bakar, Muhamad Ibrahim Bin Johari, Mohd Zuhairie Bin Mohd Aidil and Mohamad Ridhwan Bin Othman
  3. Pelaziman operan by Muhammad Ikhwan Bin Abdullah
  4. Operant conditioning by Mohamad Farhan Bin Mohd Tap
  5. Operant conditioning by Nur Syamimi Binti Ahmad
  6. Self-regulation by Afifuddin Mahyudin
  7. Learning (behaviorism) by Kimberly Elsie Peter, Sharmila a/p Gobi, Kirooshini Navarathnaraja and Hannah Ruth a/p Ramesh
  8. Learning (behaviorism) by Arisha Balqis Binti Abdul Razak
  9. Social learning theory by Nur Aliya binti Amran
  10. Teori pembelajaran sosial by Nurul Nadiah Fadlil Alamin
  11. Operant conditioning by Fatin Maisarah Mohd Ariff
  12.  Teori pelaziman klasikal by Nurzahira Bt Rapani
  13. Teori pelaziman operan by Noorfarah Aimi Bt Habali
  14. Operant conditioning by Nur Aqila Farhana Bt Ismail
  15. Teori pelaziman klasikal by Wan Nursyahmi Idriss B Wan Nura
  16. Teori pembelajaran sosial by Nurulaian Nawwarah Bt Arif
  17. Teori pembelajaran sosial by Zanariah Bt Md Resad
  18. Teori perkembangan Vygotsky by Mohamad Zulsyauqi Bin Basarudin
  19. Operant conditioning by Ahmad Azmirul Hisyam B Ahmad Azam
  20. Teori pelaziman klasikal by Muhammad Nur Hamizan Bin Mohd Zaidin
  21. Teori pembelajaran behavioris by Nurul Ain Binti Zulkifli
  22. Teori pembelajaran behavioris by Muhamad Azfar Haiqal B Jamian
  23. Teori pelaziman operan by Aisyah Bt Yakop
  24. Teori pembelajaran sosial (Bandura) by Ahmad Nabil B Wan Ahmad
  25. Teori pembelajaran sosial by Siti Saidatul Asma Bt Zulkafli
  26. Learning (behaviorism) by Raihan Nadia Bt Roslan
  27. Operant conditioning by Ahmad Farhan B Shai Puddin
  28. Pembelajaran sosial by Nor Shuhada Bt Mohamad Sharapi
  29. Classical conditioning by Zainul Ariffin B Kamarul Azli
  30. Learning (behaviorism) by Nur Umi Rasyidah Bt Mohd Nor
  31. Learning (behaviorism) by Nurul Nazira Bt Mat Juri
  32. Teori pelaziman operan by Muhamad Sahirin B Abdul Sharif
  33. Teori pelaziman operan by Muhammad Zulfikri B Zul Edwar
  34. Teori pelaziman klasikal by Nurul Nasyita Binti Ahmad Fuad
  35. Teori pembelajaran behaviorisme by Amirah Afiqah Bt A Rashid
  36. Teori pelaziman operan by Nurfatinnajwa binti Rusli
  37. Teori pelaziman operan by Sulaiman B Hapit
  38. Operant conditioning by Aeron Tan Kwok Hou
  39. Operant conditioning by Muhammad Amin B Abdul Razak
  40. Teori pelaziman operan by Mohd Haizal Hariz B Jamhuri
  41. Teori pelaziman operan by Muhamad Faez B Mohmed Zi
  42. Operant conditioning by Qalida Aima binti Muhammed Khiruddin
  43. Teori pelaziman operan by Mohammad Syafiq Bin Roslani
  44. Operant conditioning by Afiq Hamizi B Jetan
  45. Pelaziman klasikal by Amir Ikhwan Bin Mohd Elham
  46. Teori pelaziman operan by Muhammad Hakimi Bin Mohd Fazil
  47. Teori pelaziman operan by Farizalmi Bin Juhari

Note to the haters: Come on, guys!  I know there are better videos according to your standard, but give my students a break ok!  They have done their best.  These are the future Malaysian teachers!  I am proud of them!  I think I need to learn video editing and whatsnot.  I feel old and outdated.

Chocolate, anyone?

Every semester, I aim to do something new and learn at least one new thing.  I know some might say that I am capable to do or learn more than one thing but my aim is to do something or learn something new extremely well.  That is challenging.

I had a quick look at my Elearning before coming to my first undergraduate class today.  I noticed that there were three students who have “visited” my Elearning five days ago (5 February 2020).  At that time, Nihra told me that the Elearning was not that stable yet so I have to wait at least few days to start uploading materials and whatsnot.  I uploaded some materials on Friday (7 February 2020).

What should I do to reward the students who made such attempt to visit my Elearning?  I looked around my office.  Apparently, my junk food stock has “diminished” and all what left is the chocolate that one of my seniors gave me when she went to Jogjakarta last year.  An artisan chocolate.   So, I looked at the names again and wrote it down before I went to class.

As I started my class with introduction to the course, I remembered about those students.  So, I stopped my explanation for awhile and started to call their names.  They were shocked.  But I know that they are flattered as well.  Something that might has never happened to them before.  Who would care to reward a simple attempt of logging to the Elearning, right?

I reward them because it is unusual for students during their semester break to log in to Elearning, just to have a look at “what’s-new”.  Of course, it is related to the things we are going to discuss this semester.

This is not the chocolate that I gave them. They are not that lucky though (tongue in cheek remark)

What did I normally do during relief class?

It was quite common for me to have relief class during Latihan Ikhtisas.  Sometimes, I had few relief classes almost every day.  At first, I didn’t know what to do during relief class other than “following” the normal practice i.e. let the students do their own work.  But after some time, I decided to do some activities (with rewards). 

Among the activities that I would do was spelling bee and trivia (quiz about general knowledge) but for form 3 and form 5 students, I would normally ask the teachers if they had handouts that they want me to use when I had their relief class and we would have discussion after that.  In a way that, I would end up teaching the students.   I did these few times and later on the principal and the GPK knew about it and thus, I would end up taking ALL relief classes for English regardless of the forms.  For examination classes i.e. form 3 and form 5, I would normally assign to do revision exercise with them for grammar, writing, literature and such.  

Normally, what I did was if I knew in advance that I would be given a relief class, sometimes I would book the computer room and did activities using Quizziz such as online trivia.  Of course, some students were hesitated but I normally would reward those who got the right answer etc. with chocolates.  The funny thing was sometimes when the students knew that they would get a relief teacher on certain time, they would ask me if I would be the relief teacher because they wanted to “play English game”.  Yeah right!  The power of positive reinforcement.  Indeed.