Understanding Bullying Victims Through Poetry: UNU Jogja Lecturer's Research-Based Poem Published in an International Journal

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – A scholarly work by a lecturer at Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Yogyakarta (UNU Jogja) on bullying prevention has been published in a prestigious international journal. Uniquely, the research is presented in the form of poetry, offering an arts-based approach that is expected to resonate emotionally with educators and policymakers while inspiring more compassionate responses to bullying in educational settings.

We move the desks into an oval—

not perfect, like the week’s attendance—

and breathe the room into sharing size.

A. sits small inside a big hoodie.

His mother texts from the late shift: clocked in,

then the three dots fade like a promise on hold.

The handbook calls it incident.

We call it lunch, hallway, laughter that bruises,

the joke that always finds the same face.

“Say what you need to feel safe,” I begin.

The floor knows more than the adults do.

Silence makes a careful map.

We pass a soft ball, not forgiveness.

A. names the corner behind the trophy case,

the blind spot where cameras blink like tired gods.

Classism hums in the attendance ledger;

ableism hides under behavior problem;

sexism arrives as toughen up, son—

and we pretend our markers are neutral.

An excerpt from the poem Circle forms part of the scholarly work Circle, Screen, and Scar: Radical Casework in a Spectacle Society, written by Dr. Hidar Amaruddin, M.Pd., a lecturer in the Department of Elementary Teacher Education (PGSD), Faculty of Education, UNU Jogja.

Published in mid-July, the work appears in Volume 37 of the Journal of Progressive Human Services (Taylor & Francis Group). Indexed in Scopus Q2, the international journal focuses on research exploring humanitarian practice in social work and education.

Hidar explained that the publication takes the form of a scholarly long poem, an arts-based scholarship approach in which field experiences and critical analysis are conveyed through literary and lyrical expression rather than a conventional research report.

In Indonesia, however, particularly in the field of elementary education, this form of literary scholarship remains uncommon and has rarely been adopted by academics for scholarly publication.

"Arts-based research has become a well-established tradition in qualitative research internationally. Certain international journals, including the Journal of Progressive Human Services, welcome this kind of work because it is considered capable of capturing dimensions of human experience that are often lost in conventional academic language," Hidar said on Friday on July 17, 2026.

The poem follows the story of a child identified only as "A," who becomes the victim of bullying. Divided into four sections—Circle, Screen, Scar, and Aftercare—the narrative traces A's journey from being bullied in a school hallway, to having the incident spread across social media, become part of the school's official records, and ultimately leave lasting emotional scars.

According to Hidar, the work emerged from years of engagement with bullying research, including during his doctoral studies.

"This poem is a reflective testimony shaped by the many encounters I experienced while researching and supporting bullying cases in elementary schools," he said.

Throughout his research, Hidar documented the experiences of numerous children who had experienced bullying and distilled them into the composite character of A. While identifying details were intentionally altered to protect the children's identities, the emotional truth of their experiences was carefully preserved.

"There were things I witnessed in the field that felt incomplete if written only as a research article. Poetry allows me to bear witness without exposing any individual child, while expressing what quantitative data cannot capture—such as what it feels like when a wound continues to follow a child," he explained.

Through this work, Hidar argues that institutional language often fails to fully express what children who experience bullying actually endure. At the same time, digital platforms frequently transform children's suffering into content for public consumption.

"As an alternative, the poem imagines healing not through surveillance and punishment, but through human closeness, shared responsibility, and restorative practices that are slow, patient, and genuine," he said.

Hidar emphasized that the work is intended for educators, researchers, and education practitioners seeking a deeper understanding of bullying and more meaningful approaches to preventing it in educational settings.

"I hope this poem reminds teachers and schools that responding to bullying does not end with CCTV footage or incident reports. What truly helps children heal is the presence of caring adults who are willing to listen," he said.

The research-based poem forms part of Hidar's broader, long-term research agenda on bullying among schoolchildren. It will be followed by an in-depth study involving eight elementary schools across Yogyakarta.

The project, titled Children, Screens, and Everyday Bullying: Digital Popular Culture, Families, and Schools in Yogyakarta's Elementary Education, has received a research grant from the Spencer Foundation, a United States-based philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing education research.

"Ultimately, the poetic testimony presented in this work will be complemented by empirical field evidence that can serve as the foundation for practical guidelines for teachers and parents," Hidar concluded. [Arif]