prevalence, predictability, and interventions: a case study of bullying
DESCRIPTION
Prevalence, Predictability, and Interventions: A Case Study of Bullying. Kelli Bourne, health & science educator Lakeside middle school, Irvine, California Research conducted at California state university, fullerton (Master’s of science in secondary education) Contact: [email protected]. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
PREVALENCE, PREDICTABILITY, AND INTERVENTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF BULLYING
K E L L I B O U R N E , H E A LT H & S C I E N C E E D U C AT O RL A K E S I D E M I D D L E S C H O O L , I R V I N E , C A L I F O R N I AR E S E A R C H C O N D U C T E D AT C A L I F O R N I A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y , F U L L E RT O N ( M A S T E R ’ S O F S C I E N C E I N S E C O N D A RY E D U C AT I O N )C O N TA C T: K E L L I B O U R N E @ I U S D . O R G
RESEARCHER INTERESTS•Found a gap in research that focused on middle school student perceptions of bullying interventions•Found a gap in research on predictability of bullying (versus just physical violence) •Was curious to see if the school’s trends regarding the prevalence of bullying were similar to those at the state and national level•Wanted to contribute to the creation of a more positive climate for students at school
RESEARCH QUESTIONS1. What is the prevalence of bullying at
Lakeside Middle School?2. Is the time and place of bullying
predictable?3. What do students perceive are the most
effective bullying prevention strategies?
My hypotheses…
SCHOOL PROFILE• Located in Irvine, California (231,117
population)• 7th and 8th grade student body• 693 total students (2012/2013)• 32 certificated positions; 18 classified
positions• Student/family population:• Very ethnically diverse (~ 50 languages)• Middle to upper socioeconomic status majority• Title 1 School: 15% on free or reduced lunch
SURVEY DETAILS• Data from 643 7th & 8th grade
students• Balance between grades and
gender• 45 questions about bullying•From the beginning of 2012/2013 school year•Definitions & privacy given to support accurate responses
• 4 demographic questions
PREVALENCE OF BULLYING: • 38.3% of students report being bullied one or
more times• 65.6% have witnessed/seen bullying• 95.7% of teachers reported a perception that
there is more bullying than they are aware of• 86.2% teachers reported a moderate to severe
concern regarding bullying• Forms: verbal emotional physical (from most
to least common)• Most common places: lunch areas, snack areas,
classrooms • Most common times: lunch, break, classrooms,
after school
I hav
e no
t bee
n bu
llied
.
On th
e wa
y to
scho
ol
On th
e wa
y ho
me
from
scho
ol
Hallw
ays b
efor
e/af
ter s
choo
l
Hallw
ays d
urin
g pa
ssin
g pe
riod
Bath
room
Cafe
teria
Clas
sroo
m (w
hen
the
teac
her w
as in
th...
Clas
sroo
m (w
hen
the
teac
her w
as n
ot in
...
Medi
a Ce
nter
Whe
re I
go d
urin
g br
eak
Whe
re I
go d
urin
g lu
nch
Bike
rack
P.E.
lock
er ro
om (i
nsid
e)
P.E.
lock
ers (
outs
ide)
Othe
r (pl
ease
spec
ify)0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0% Question: If you have been bullied, WHERE has it taken place?
Campus Locations
Perc
enta
ge o
f St
uden
ts
I hav
e no
t witn
esse
d bu
llyin
g.
On m
y wa
y to
scho
ol
On m
y wa
y ho
me
from
scho
ol
Hallw
ays
Bath
room
Cafe
teria
Clas
sroo
m (w
hen
the
teac
her w
as in
the
room
)
Clas
sroo
m (w
hen
the
teac
her w
as n
ot in
the
room
)
Medi
a Ce
nter
Whe
re I
go fo
r sna
ck
Whe
re I
go fo
r lun
ch
Bike
rack
P.E.
lock
er ro
om (i
nsid
e)
P.E.
lock
ers (
outs
ide)
Othe
r (pl
ease
spec
ify)0.0%
5.0%10.0%15.0%20.0%25.0%30.0%35.0%
Question: If you have witnessed bullying, WHERE has it taken place?
Campus Locations
Perc
enta
ge o
f St
uden
ts
I hav
e no
t bee
n bu
ll...
On th
e wa
y to
scho
olOn
the
way
hom
e fr.
..Ha
llway
s bef
ore/
aft..
.Ha
llway
s dur
ing
pas..
.Ba
thro
omCa
fete
riaCl
assr
oom
(whe
n th
e...
Clas
sroo
m (w
hen
the.
..Me
dia
Cent
erW
here
I go
dur
ing
b...
Whe
re I
go d
urin
g l..
.Bi
ke ra
ckP.
E. lo
cker
room
(ins
...P.
E. lo
cker
s (ou
tsid
e)Ot
her (
plea
se sp
ecify
)0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
Q: If you have been bullied, WHERE has it
taken place?
I hav
e no
t witn
ess..
.On
my
way
to sc
...On
my
way
hom
e ...
Hallw
ays
Bath
room
Cafe
teria
Clas
sroo
m (w
hen
t...
Clas
sroo
m (w
hen
t...
Medi
a Ce
nter
Whe
re I
go fo
r sna
ckW
here
I go
for l
unch
Bike
rack
P.E.
lock
er ro
om (i
...P.
E. lo
cker
s (ou
ts...
Othe
r (pl
ease
spec
...
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
Q: If you have wit-nessed bullying,
WHERE has it taken place?
Lang
uage
/acc
cent
Mone
y
Appe
aran
ce
Cultu
re
Sexu
al p
refe
renc
e
Race
/etn
icity
/skin
colo
r
Frie
nds/w
ho th
ey h
ang
out w
ith
Disa
bilit
y
Socia
l awk
ward
ness
/act
diff
eren
t
Relig
ion
New
to th
e sc
hool
Athl
etic
abili
ty
Heig
ht
Gend
er
Bein
g ov
erwe
ight
Clot
hing
/how
they
exp
ress
them
selv
es
Hobb
ies/i
nter
ests
Othe
r (pl
ease
spec
ify)
36.1%
10.9%
59.9%
23.1%19.3%
31.3%36.3%
23.5%
51.8%
16.1% 13.8%
28.5%21.9%
7.3%
53.5%
40.4%
22.3%
11.9%
Reasons Students are Bullied
PREDICTABILITY OF BULLYING• Common theme: unstructured,
unsupervised times and places• Students who have been bullied:•Time: 66% report it is random, 34% report some degree of predictability•Place: 55% report it is random, 45% report some degree of predictability•Form: 25% report it is random, 75% report some degree of predictability
PREDICTABILITY OF BULLYING• Common theme: unstructured, unsupervised times and places
• Students who have witnessed bullying report:•Time: 48.8% report random, 25.2% report some degree of predictability•Place: 46.5% report random, 26% report some degree of predictability•Form: didn’t ask
STUDENT PERCEPTIONS: SOLUTIONS• Vast majority (96%) feel it is their duty to help someone being bullied
• However, when students are being bullied…• They are walking away (21%) • They are telling someone (15.4%)• They are standing up for themselves (14.5%)• But 20% aren’t doing anything about it…
STUDENT PERCEPTIONS: SOLUTIONS• Students are more likely to tell the
following people, in the following order:• Friend• Parent• Teacher/school counselor
• However, students want independence with preventing and coping with bullying
STUDENT SUGGESTIONS• How bullying can be prevented:
•Anonymous reporting (68.7%)•Train students to help each other (47.9%)•Get help from an adult (44.2%)•Train students to help themselves (42.7%)•Offer activities that encourage student connectedness (37.9%)
More
stud
ents
get
ting
hel
p fro
m a
n ad
ult a
t sch
ool
More
stud
ents
get
ting
help
from
a p
aren
t
More
adu
lt su
perv
ision
An a
nony
mou
s way
to re
port
bully
ing
Trai
n st
uden
ts to
hel
p ea
ch o
ther
Trai
n st
uden
ts to
hel
p th
emse
lves
Have
act
iviti
es th
at e
ncou
rage
stud
ent c
onne
cted
ness
&
belo
ngin
g
Have
scho
ol-w
ide
asse
mbl
ies
Have
mor
e di
scus
sions
in cl
ass
Othe
r (pl
ease
spec
ify)
44.2%32.7% 35.5%
68.7%
47.9%42.7% 37.9%
29.1%35.8%
7.8%
Student Perceptions of Effective Bullying Intervention Strategies
STUDENT SUGGESTIONS• Lakeside school wide connectedness can
improve by:•Consequences should be more clear (48.1%)•Teachers should create a more positive classroom atmosphere (46.8%)•Offer more student training (46.4%)•More clubs and lunchtime activities (45.5%)•Make school rules more clear (40.8%)•More education on the consequences of bullying (40.8%)
Allo
w st
uden
ts to
be
mor
e in
volv
ed w
ith se
tting
beh
av-
ior r
ules
and
stan
dard
s
More
club
s and
oth
er lu
ncht
ime
activ
ities
Make
mor
e cle
ar th
e sc
hool
's ru
les o
n bu
llyin
g
More
edu
catio
n on
the
effec
ts a
nd co
nseq
uenc
es o
f bul-
lyin
g
More
stud
ent t
rain
ing
on h
ow to
dea
l with
bul
lyin
g if/
when
it h
appe
ns
An o
ngoi
ng a
nti-b
ully
ing
prog
ram
at s
choo
l
Prov
ide
a fo
rum
for s
tude
nts t
o ta
lk o
penl
y ab
out w
hat's
go
ing
on a
t the
ir sc
hool
Allo
w st
uden
ts to
exp
ress
them
selv
es a
nd e
duca
te
othe
rs a
bout
thei
r rel
igio
ns, c
ultu
res,
sexu
al id
entit
es,
etc.
More
scho
ol-w
ide
asse
mbl
ies t
hat c
orre
ct in
accu
rate
pe
rcep
tions
and
cove
r top
ics li
ke ra
cism
, cul
ture
, re-
ligio
n, se
xism
, etc
.
Prov
ide
mor
e op
portu
nitie
s for
peo
ple
to m
eet o
ther
s ou
tsid
e of
thei
r reg
ular
gro
up o
f frie
nds
Teac
hers
shou
ld cr
eate
a m
ore
posit
ive
envi
ornm
ent i
n th
eir c
lass
room
s
The
cons
eque
nces
for b
ully
ing
shou
ld b
e m
ore
clear
and
co
nsist
ent Ot
her (
plea
se sp
ecify
)
40.6%45.5%
40.8% 40.8%46.4%
33.2% 33.7%38.3%
31.9%40.0%
46.8% 48.1%
8.6%
Student Perspectives on Improving School Wide Culture
STUDY IMPLICATIONS• One study has found that targets of bullying are
more likely to seek help if the bullying is chronic versus it being a short-term or one-time occurrence (Unnever & Cornell, 2004)
• Recent headlines inform us of students ending their lives or the lives of others (as a result of bullying)
• Research documents the known negative health consequences for both targets and bullies
• In response, schools cannot play a passive role and wait for targeted students and bullies to come forward seeking their assistance
STUDY IMPLICATIONS• Schools must be proactive in knowing the needs of
their students and having an awareness of their schools’ trends about bullying so that they can appropriately address them
• Schools must also do a fair job of educating their staff to recognize and intervene with bullying when they see it, and must provide training and encouragement in the establishment of positive and sensitive climates in their classrooms
• Lastly, teachers’ and students’ perspectives, perceptions, and ideas should be included and supported when planning and implementing a bullying prevention program, as they play a primary role in the establishment of acceptable versus unacceptable behavior within the culture and context of their school and within the classroom
STUDY IMPLICATIONS• On a larger level, bullying should not be viewed as an
isolated issue for schools alone to deal with – appropriate community and family involvement should be put in place. According to Pack et. al (2011), bullying is rooted in “social-ecological theory” in that this type of aggressive behavior is influenced by the “interaction of individual, family, peer, and community factors” (p. 128).
• Resources, funding, and professional guidance to help schools establish effective prevention and intervention programs that meet the needs of their varying student populations are significant elements, as well.
• Greater funding should be allocated to schools to reduce class sizes and student body sizes so that a greater relationships can be built between students, teachers, and their schools.
LAKESIDE’S CURRENT EFFORTS…• School-wide bullying awareness campaign
• Student-created slogans “Be Nice to People” and “Bullying. Just. Don’t. Do. It.”
• “Starting a Movement” for Kindness Campaign from Ted Talk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V74AxCqOTvg)
• Assemblies on tolerance and coping strategies• “Lunch Bunch” to promote social inclusion
• Bullying curriculum in 7th grade health class• “Let’s Get Real” Documentary• Building empathy and intervention strategies
• PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System)• Nationally-recognized, research-based framework for student
social/emotional development• Comprehensive in nature: school, classroom, parent
components• School-wide and classroom plans in development phases for
Fall 2014 rollout
“LET’S GET REAL” – HUMAN RELATIONS MEDIA
STUDY LIMITATIONS & A CALL FOR MORE RESEARCHResearch Limitations• Not possible to confirm accuracy of reported claims regarding the
prevalence of bullying as survey was anonymous• Students may have a skewed or inaccurate perception of the
definition of bullying, possibly invalidating some of their responses • Findings from the study emphasize descriptive statistics, describe
trends in attitudes and behaviors, are based upon percentile ranking, and do not demonstrate actual correlations or relationships
• Difficulty in predicting accuracy students’ actual behavior regarding bullying reporting and intervention due to hypothetical situation findings
Research Needs• Predictability of form of bullying (to assist with intervention
strategies development)• Effectiveness of anonymous reporting as a student-centered
intervention and prevention strategy (virtual vs. paper)• Effectiveness of student-recommended interventions (does
student buy-in and ownership increase the likelihood of a school wide cultural shift?)
THANK YO
U FOR YO
UR
TIME!
Kelli Bournekellibourne@ius
d.org