Bullying Widespread

Abstract

The issue of bullying features prominently in educational administration, academic research, journalism, and public discourse. In this paper, I present a critical examination of research on bullying by addressing dominant themes and preoccupations in the literature. I argue that the proliferation of policies and programs purported to reduce bullying in schools are anchored by what appears to be a common, but problematic, understanding of the notion of bullying. Such policies and programs are utilitarian but misguided. Here, I problematize the very notion of bullying and contextualize it within broader frameworks of educational administration and social oppression. By contrast, I highlight educational theorists who conceptualize school violence in social and political terms rather than psychological, behavioral, and individualistic ones.     

Managing Bullying and Managing Difference

Abstract

Much work on school bullying focuses on developing our understanding of the various factors that contribute to bullying and its management. This case study focuses on the possible connections between parts and offers a metaperspective of one mainstream secondary school. Demonstrating that bullying and its management is embedded within the network of relationships which together form the school system, a range of issues and dilemmas relevant to all schools are highlighted and discussed.     

Bullying and Difference

Abstract

Why are students who have special educational needs at greater risk of bullying than their peers when educated in mainstream settings? This case study of one mainstream secondary school describes the various facets of the peer group dynamics that underpinned social aggression and exclusion towards students who were hearing impaired. These students were subject to the same social pressures as their mainstream peers but in addition were at risk of stigmatisation. As a result of their deafness they were treated as second class citizens (discredited). This in turn could lead to denigration and actual bullying, as well as social exclusion/marginalisation.     

Gendered Pathways to Bullying Perpetration via Social Achievement Goals – Mediating Effects of Sense of Belonging and Non-inclusive Group Norms

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the gender-specific effects of social achievement goals – i.e., social development goals, social demonstration approach goals, and social demonstration avoid goals – on bullying perpetration in a sample of 788 adolescents (53.3% girls), taking into account the mediating role of sense of belonging and non-inclusive group norms. Two-group structural equation modeling results indicated that social demonstration approach goals positively predicted bullying perpetration for both genders. For girls, higher social development goals and for boys, higher social avoidance goals decreased bullying perpetration. Gender-specific effects of belonging and non-inclusive group norms on bullying perpetration occurred. For boys, non-inclusive group norms mediated the relation between all social achievement goals and bullying perpetration. Implications for future research and (gender-sensitive) bullying interventions are discussed.     

Responding to Children Victimized by Their Peers

Abstract

Because victimization results from the dynamic interplay between the victim and his or her parents, peers, and teachers, responding to this problem should involve both direct and indirect interventions. This paper describes and reviews empirically supported direct interventions with victims, as well as indirect interventions with parents, peers, and school staff. Although the primary focus is on bullying, research on related forms of peer victimization, such as rejection, are included, as these have been subject to more empirical study. The review concludes that there is empirical support for direct and indirect interventions for specific problems associated with rejection, though research studies on interventions for victims of bullying are lacking. In addition, comprehensive primary prevention approaches for reducing bullying have shown promise, but there is a lack of empirically supported secondary prevention efforts that focus on increasing social support for children who, despite primary prevention efforts, continue to suffer the consequences of peer victimization.     

Student Willingness to Seek Help for Threats of Violence in Middle School

Abstract

This study examined factors that influence a student's willingness to seek help for a threat of violence. The sample consisted of 542 middle school students who completed an anonymous survey that asked students how likely they would be to seek help in response to being bullied or threatened. The survey also included measures of type of bullying, attitudes toward aggressive behavior, and perceptions of teacher tolerance for bullying. Stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated that willingness to seek help is lower in higher grade levels and among males. Students who hold aggressive attitudes and perceive the school climate to be tolerant of bullying were less likely to report a willingness to seek help. Implications for improving student willingness to seek help are discussed.     

Sexual Harassment and Bullying Behaviors in Sixth-Graders

ABSTRACT

Sexual harassment is widely viewed as a form of bullying, but has received little attention in studies of middle school students. A survey of 109 6th grade students found that 29% of students reported at least one sexual harassment experience in the past 30 days, with 11% reporting harassment once per week or more. Although boys and girls reported similar rates of harassment, there were important gender differences-boys were more likely than girls to try to ignore sexual harassment, but girls were more likely to tell someone about their experience and to tell the perpetrator to stop. There was high concordance between sexual harassment and bullying for both boys and girls. These findings indicate the need to recognize the role of sexual harassment in bullying in middle school.     

Identification of Bullies and Victims

SUMMARY

Bullying studies frequently rely on student self-report to identify bullies and victims of bullying, but research in the broader field of peer aggression makes greater use of other informants, especially peers, to identify aggressors and victims. This study compared self, peer, and teacher identification of bullies and bully victims in a sample of 416 middle school students. Overall, there was poor correspondence between self-reports and reports made by peers or teachers, but consistently better agreement between peers and teachers, in identifying both bullies and victims of bullying. Peer and teacher identification of bullies were more consistently associated with subsequent school disciplinary infractions than were self-reports. These results raise concern about reliance on student self-reports of bullying and bully victimization.     

The Assessment of School Bullying

Abstract

This article examines the conceptual basis for and methods used to assess school bullying, including the core bullying behavior elements of repetition, intentionality, and power differential and instruments needed to foster comparability across studies and to improve the precision of intervention capacity. Common bully self-report procedures (Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire, Olweus, 2004; Reynolds Bully Victimization Scale, Reynolds, 2003; The Bully Surveys, Swearer, 2001) are examined for the thoroughness with which they assess these core elements that distinguish bullying from other forms of peer victimization. It is concluded that bullying assessment can be enhanced by systematically including all core bully behaviors, more thoroughly examining sources of power differential between bullies and victims, and giving more attention to the dynamic nature of the bullying process.     

The Relationship Between Bullying Victimization and School Avoidance: An Examination of Direct Associations,Protective Influences,and Aggravating Factors

This study examines the impact of bullying victimization on school avoidance by proposing the following hypotheses: (1) Net of other factors, students who have experienced bullying victimization are more likely to engage in school avoidance behaviors; (2) There are protective factors that will decrease this relationship between bullying victimization and avoidance behaviors; and (3) There are aggravating factors that will increase this relationship between bullying victimization and avoidance behaviors. Binary logistic regression models are estimated, using data from the 2011 National Crime Victimization Survey: School Crime Supplement, with a nationally representative sample of 6,547 middle and high school students. Findings provide strong support for the effect of bullying victimization on school avoidance, such that students who have experienced bullying are more likely to avoid places in school. Additionally, results suggest that participation in school activities and fear can influence the relationship between bullying victimization and school avoidance.     

Adolescent Females' Attraction to Male Adolescent Bullies and Victims of Bullying

Abstract

This study assessed adolescent females' self-reported attraction and interest in dating adolescent male bullies and victims of bullying. Thirty-six 9th and 10th grade female adolescents (mean age = 15 years; 69.2% White; 30.8% Non-white) from a city high school in the Mid-Atlantic United States examined three photographs and listened to a verbal account portraying two adolescent males in an episode of physical and verbal bullying. Participants were significantly more likely to be attracted and interested in dating a male victim of bullying than a male bully.     

Exposure to School Bullying and Psychological Health in Young Adulthood: A Prospective 10-Year Follow-Up Study

Being bullied at school is strongly related to psychological health complaints at the same time point. Studies have also found long-term associations, but few have combined a prospective design with children’s own reports on bullying, and conducted gender-specific analyses. The present study assesses health consequences in young adulthood of self-reported victimization in adolescence using data from Child-LNU in 2000 and the follow-up in 2010 (including 63% of the original sample, n = 813). At ages 10–18 a clear cross-sectional association was found for both girls and boys. Among girls, exposure to bullying also predicted psychological complaints 10 years later, at ages 20–28 (OR = 2.86). This association was not explained by socioeconomic circumstances, neither in adolescence nor in young adulthood. Instead, it can partly be understood as victimization, among adolescent girls, being associated with negative self-image and psychological health as well as with deficits in social resources more generally.     

A Review of the Use of Social Support in Anti-Bullying Programs

Abstract

Bullying is a significant problem in schools across America. Educators are dealing with the problem of bullying through the implementation of various anti-bullying programs. Additionally, researchers are studying the problem and have begun to focus on the importance of contextual factors surrounding bullying such as social support (Beran & Tutty, 2002; Demaray & Malecki, 2003; Furlong, Chung, Bates, & Morrison, 1995; Malecki & Demaray, 2004a; Natvig, Albrektsen, & Qvarnstrom, 2001; Rigby, 2000; Rigby & Slee, 1999). Social support is an important contextual factor to consider in the bullying cycle. However, the use of social support in anti-bullying programs and interventions is often not explicit or is lacking. This paper provides an overview of the research on social support as a contextual variable in bullying behaviors and reviews six existing anti-bullying programs with a specific focus on how they incorporate social support elements into their interventions.     

The Mark of a Food Allergy Label: School Accommodation Policy and Bullying

ABSTRACT

This study examines the extent to which specific school accommodation policies relate to bullying victimization among children with food allergies using a labeling framework. Data were collected through a web-based survey of parents of children with food allergies from several online support groups (N = 622). Using logistic regression, results reveal that school the self-carry rescue medication and hand-washing food accommodation policies are related to increased odds of bullying victimization. Potential policy implications of these findings are discussed.     

Evaluation of a Program Designed to Reduce Relational Aggression in Middle School Girls

Abstract

Physical and verbal aggression is an increasing problem inboth middle and high schools across the United States. While physical forms of aggression are targeted in traditional “bullying” programs, relational aggression (RA), or the use of relationships to hurt another, is often not detected or addressed. For girls in the stage of identity formation, RA can impact negatively on self-concept, peer relationships, school performance, and mental and physical health. An innovative program designed specifically to help middle school girls confront and cope with issues related to RA was developed, implemented, and evaluated in two school systems. Attitudes and self-reported behaviors were measured before and after the program. Results show an improvement in relationship skills after participation in the program. Most noticeable improvements were in a girl's stated willingness to become involved when witnessing another girl being hurt and girls benefiting from the mentoring they received from high school juniors and seniors.     

Pupil Insights into Bullying,and Coping with Bullying

Abstract

We report a bi-national study of children's perceptions of bullying and coping with bullying in Japan and England. The study focused especially on the children's opinions about coping strategies for different types of bullying, why victims of bullying often do not/cannot tell others about their being bullied, and what bystanders might do and why bystanders might not help the victims. Two hundred and seven pupils aged 13-14 years from one junior high school in Tokyo and one secondary school in London completed a questionnaire. Bullying (ijime) in Japan was seen as relatively more often characterised by larger groups of bullies, mostly in the same grade and “friends” of the victim, compared to bullying in England which was more often by a smaller number of bullies, often from a higher grade, and often not friends of the victim. Children of both countries were found to have a certain idea of coping strategies for different types of bullying. Problem-focused coping skills were considered more useful than emotion-focused coping skills. Most victims were, however, thought not to be able to actually use these coping skills, but too often do nothing and put up with it because of the fear of the bullying getting worse or of having not enough support from others. Pupils seemed to think they should actively intervene to help victims; however, most bystanders were actually thought to try not to be involved because of the fear of getting attacked by the bullies or of becoming the new target of bullying. Some national and gender differences were also examined.     

An Examination of Bullying Roles and Moral Disengagement Using Latent Analysis

ABSTRACT

Bullying persists as a concern in schools, including the question of why some children bully. One idea differentiating bullying roles (e.g., bully, victim, bully-victim) is that some individuals are morally disengaged, or able to disconnect their moral understanding and behavior. The present study examined types of bullying involvement and moral disengagement. To address the methodological debate within the bullying literature, the present study used latent analysis. The findings revealed that bullying and victimization behaviors vary by degree of involvement. The present study found that moral disengagement was related to students’ degree of participation in bullying; students in the bully-victim class had the highest levels of moral disengagement, followed by students in the victim class, social victim class, and outsider class. Further research should explore moral engagement as a strategy to enhance anti-bullying efforts.     

Warning Signs of Problems in Schools

SUMMARY

One need not look hard to find evidence of concern related to the nature of student behavior in our schools. School violence, aggression, bullying, and harassment (e.g., racial or sexual) are often cited as challenging behaviors confronting educators and community leaders. Unfortunately, most schools address these concerns with aversive consequences delivered to individual perpetrators in a hope of reducing the future probability of undesired behavior. A growing body of literature identifies the need to explore the social context of behavior. The community, school, classroom, family, and peer group interact with student characteristics to help prevent, support the development of, and even exacerbate the display of both desired and undesired behavior. This article applies the logic of warning signs and functional behavioral assessment to schools as it explores the social context of the school and the classroom. The school-wide and classroom-based factors that have been associated with or found to support problem behaviors are discussed. Information is provided that will allow educators to assess their own schools and classrooms in an effort to promote a climate that will aid in the prevention of violence and aggression.     

The Effect of Peer Victimization on Learning

Abstract

Incidents of school violence have prompted calls for school communities to create environments that encourage student by-standers to act responsibly and proactively when they confront a range of violent incidents, from bullying and fights to weapon carrying and other serious threats to school safety. It is not always clear, however, what bystanders would—or should—do when faced with violent or potentially violent situations. This article describes findings from focus groups conducted with 54 middle school students and 97 staff in an urban, predominantly African American school district with relatively high levels of community violence. Discussions addressed bystander norms, attitudes, and behaviors, and identified barriers that prevent youth as well as adult bystanders from taking positive action. Findings inform violence prevention strategies for building consensus and supporting positive bystander responses.     

Role of School Psychologists in Violence Prevention and Intervention

Abstract

Kansas school psychologists were extremely accurate in their estimates of violence in their own schools and viewed school violence prevention as an important part of their job, regardless of the rates of violence in their districts. Most had at least some involvement in their own school's violence prevention program, although many reported that they had little or no training. Despite the fact that the majority of respondents work in districts with relatively low rates of violence, over half reported that fighting, bullying, and substance abuse, early warning signs of school violence, occur a lot or a fair amount in their districts.