Issue of Bullying in the Schools - Essay Example

Bullying in Schools January 1999: Manchester, England: Marie Bentham (8) Hanged herself with a jump rope to avoid bullies January 1995: Belfast, Ireland: Maria McGovern Deliberate overdose to escape bullies April 1997: Nanaimo, British Columbia: unidentified 4th grade student Boy pulled a knife on another student who had been bullying him August 1997: Invercargill, New Zealand: Matt Ruddenklau (15) Suicide reports point to bullying as a significant factor in his death (Coloroso, 2004) The list of young people who have committed violence upon themselves or others as a direct result of bullying goes on and on. The significant factor within this list is the repercussions experienced. While the students on the list are driven to drastic and all too often fatal actions following sometimes years of harassment and abuse, the perpetrators of the original violence, the bullying that led to these measures being taken, are left free to pick another victim. Although this may seem like the bully is getting off easy, a more detailed understanding of the situation reveals that they are also often lifetime victims of abuse. Before anything can be proactively done about bullying in the schools, the problem must first be fully recognized, its magnitude must be realized, its process of development must be identified and adults in key positions must be aware of potential effective strategies to reduce or eliminate bullying behavior in the schools. The word ‘bullying’ as it is used in this context describes a specific behavior pattern of intimidation and varying, sometimes escalating, use of violence. The objective is often nothing more substantial than the feeling of mastery over another individual making the behavior traditionally associated more with boys than with girls. “Bullying is characterized by bigger and stronger youngsters’ ‘victimizing’ their peers through the repeated use of negative actions, such as physical, verbal or relational aggression” (Pellegrini & Bartini, 2000: 700). While there remains a marked difference between the number of male versus female bullies, this is changing with the increased number of women expected to enter into the competitive social sphere. According to Maccoby (1998), the traditional gender difference was determined to have been largely the result of a culturally stronger male association with physical aggression as an appropriate means of establishing and maintaining peer status or dominance. Whether victim or bully, though, the patterns for an individual’s later social treatment and behavior in school are typically first established in the home. A study conducted by Schwartz, Dodge, Pettit and Bates (1997) discovered children who grew up to be aggressive victims in elementary school had usually experienced punitive, hostile and abusive family relationships during their preschool years. Children who become involved in aggressive acts have usually witnessed greater incidences of adult aggression at home and act out what they’ve seen as they model adult behavior. That they are willing to inflict this pain on others usually illustrates that they had not directly experienced this aggression themselves. Children who become passive victims of bullying did not share this characteristic. Most of them were not much different in their private home experience than children who were not victims. Bullying behavior between children can have long term effects on all parties concerned. “It is surprisingly common; there is evidence that over half of children have been victimized and over half have been bullies. It causes immediate harm and distress to the victim and has negative long-term consequences for the victim’s mental health. It also has negative consequences for the bully” (Farrington, 1993: 382). Numerous studies have been conducted which indicate bullying behavior practiced in school might indication a greater likelihood of criminal behavior in adulthood. As the bullies perfect their criminal skills, the victims of childhood bullying have been proven to have a higher risk for later social maladjustment (Schwartz, Dodge & Cole, 1993: 1755). It may seem strange to consider the recurrent nature of bullying behavior as a positive element of this social issue, but the reality is that bullying usually takes place between two people who already know each other and the perpetrator can be both identified and stopped. This common attribute of bullying behavior means that it can usually be identified and prevented quicker and easier than later deviant behavior. The patterns of bullying and the social rejection that results from this type of behavior are established early. One study (Dodge et al, 1990) suggested that boys often come into play situations with a specific set of behavioral characteristics that are quickly recognized and categorized by other boys as a result of early cultural conditioning and association. A child with overly aggressive tendencies among his peers will quickly become labeled as a bully and will be socially rejected from the group. This hurtful exclusion then contributes to further disruptive behavior on the part of the more aggressive boy. A study conducted in 1977 on adolescent and pre-adolescent boys found the same results, indicating that aggressive behavior patterns, once established, tend to become long-term and predictably more difficult for instructors to modify (Olweus, 1977). It is probable that the problem of bullying begins primarily within the realm covered by behavioral theories. Dominance theory suggests that each group of individuals defines status through the relationships established between individuals organized from most to least dominant to determine access to valued resources (Hinde, 1980). The necessity of using physically aversive strategies and alliances to enforce this hierarchy is especially important in the early stages of group formation (Dunbar, 1988). As a result of these studies, teachers of pre-adolescents know they can expect greater incidents of bullying within their age group than is usually exhibited in other age groups. “When younger and smaller individuals enter a group of older and physically larger individuals, we expect their status to decline. Further, when individuals enter a new group, status within this group must be established. They typically use deliberate agonistic strategies, such as hitting, threatening, or social ostracism, or more general forms of bullying to achieve dominance” (Pellegrini & Bartini, 2000: 701). In attempting to discover appropriate intervention strategies, studies conducted looking into the naturalistic behavior of children on the playground indicate that those children who experience low acceptance levels among their peers tend to “engage in more aggression and disruptive behavior and/or more solitary behavior, whereas high accepted children to participate in more prosocial activities and group games” (Boulton, 1999: 944). Therefore, it becomes important for teachers to recognize the social structures developing in their classroom and on the playground so as to be in better position to head off dangerous behavior before it gets out of hand. Intervention strategies can then be used to assist at risk children in learning how to handle difficult social situations in a more effective, healthy way, thus breaking the cycle of aggression. Studies conducted in the field have identified several groups that typically have a higher risk of being involved in bullying behavior as either the aggressor or the victim. This knowledge can help teachers determine when and how intervention might be appropriate. Because boys tend to be involved in bullying behavior more often than girls, it is important to recognize the unique issues facing children of this gender group. Within the school setting, it has long been known that boys who are able to achieve some sort of academic success typically become associated with the feminine among the other boys. Studies proving this social characterization have also demonstrated that this association makes these boys the probable victims of bullying because of a perceived lack of masculinity evidenced by their academic achievements (Mac an Ghaill, 1994). Another study looking into the various ways in which boys perceive school accomplishment support the conclusion that most boys consider studious behavior to be feminizing. When it is accepted, it is still considered risky for social acceptance. Other activities identified in the study as risky include being quiet, being seen in settled study and visibly working hard at a given academic task. Reading, being seriously concerned with reported grades and/or publicly acknowledging school is cool are still more behaviors considered too risky if one wishes to be accepted into the crowd. “By engaging or perceived to be engaging in any of these activities/body postures, boys potentially leave themselves open to verbal abuse and ridicule, and are positioned daily as ‘swots’, ‘geeks’, ‘nerds’ and ‘squares’. Two-thirds of the boys went to great lengths to avoid studious behaviors, particularly boys who were deemed high achievers” (Renold, 2001: 373). Common methods boys will use to try to deflect attention from their academic prowess include initiating the bullying behaviors such as teasing and ridiculing others or participating or initiating disruptive, rule-breaking behaviors. It should be remembered that teachers who bring attention to a boy’s studious methods, thinking they are handing them praise, could actually be inflicting more harm than good upon this student. Children at risk of having higher aggressive behavior patterns include those living in impoverished conditions (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan, 1997). It is important that teachers are not too quick to assess a student as a possible bully or victim based solely on their economic status despite the results of these studies. A number of factors must be in place for these children to become bullies or victims and an impoverished condition or a series of high grades is not necessarily synonymous with bully or victim. A study (Barbarin, 1999) working to demonstrate differences in the detrimental effects of poverty on specific populations compared the behavior of African American children with the behavior of South African children. The purpose was to determine whether the effects of poverty were consistent across major cultural groups or if differences would manifest, indicating the problem was predominantly social. Because the study found that South Africans rated much higher in those behaviors that resulted in bullying, including breaking rules, destroying property, not being liked by other students and demanding attention at all times, as compared to African American students who tended to internalize many of their issues, the study is important in pointing out the dangers inherent in judging too quickly. In spite of these obstacles, teachers wishing to help prevent bullying behavior and its associated long-term detrimental effects must understand how important it is to trust his or her instincts regarding a child’s intentions for aggression. According to Dodge and Cole (1987), most teachers can reliably and validly distinguish between proactive (bullying) aggression and reactive aggression (intended to protect) based on intuitive understanding. However, many teachers, especially in the upper grade levels, seem to expect students to learn how to solve their own interpersonal problems with classmates on their own (Newman, 2003). The teacher’s reluctance to interfere in the unhealthy development of children serves to reinforce the reluctance students report feeling regarding approaching adults for help when they don’t know how to handle peer conflicts (Hopmeyer & Asher, 1997). This finding is significant because many children who are harassed by their peers will react in either passive behaviors, which serve to escalate the violence as it perceived they will not defend themselves, or in other ways that only serve to heighten the danger presented without ever having the benefit of an elder to advise them on more effective means of handling the situation (Olweus, 1978; Schwartz, Dodge & Coie, 1993). A review of the available literature thus illustrates that bullying is a growing issue in schools throughout the developed world. Teachers, parents and other officials continue to report the problem as among the highest detrimental issues they have to deal with. In addition to the physical danger this places individual children in when they are supposed to be focused on learning what they need to know for a future career or to fulfill state mandates, bullying has long-term consequences for the bully, the victim and society at large. In many cases, it has been shown that students can experience the detrimental effects of being both bully and victim through a variety of means. This causes them to be socially ostracized and introduces them to an unending cycle of detrimental self-image. While some of these issues are started at home, in the form of abusive family relationships or impoverished conditions, they are continued, exacerbated and often observable and perhaps therefore preventable in the classroom and on the playground. The importance of intervention is discovered as it is seen that violence gradually increases as children grow older and enter pre-adolescence, creating a greater potential for adult criminal behavior. Unfortunately, it is when children enter one of their most vulnerable periods, when they are attempting to establish a sense of self as they also learn to cope with changing bodies, changing hormones and changing social configurations, when bullying emerges at full strength. This is consistent with the findings of studies engaged to test the validity of Dominance Theory, which indicates it is necessary for children entering this stage in their lives to establish a new social hierarchy that is typically based upon physical aggression, particularly as it applies to boys. While certain physical health conditions may exist that escalate this problem, behavioral theories such as Dominance theory are more likely to improve understanding of why children turn to bullying as a means of enforcing their social positioning. Efforts to reduce the amount of bullying behavior taking place on the playground or in the classroom have identified several characteristic behaviors and conditions that might point to potential problems, but few consistent solutions or real intervention techniques have been discovered. Students with low social acceptance levels are known to be at a higher risk of being a participant in bullying behavior, as the aggressor, victim or both. These social patterns are established relatively quickly and consistently among playgroups. As a result, they can possibly provide a means of identifying those children requiring greater attention or instruction in appropriate social integration techniques. Children living in impoverished conditions have also demonstrated a stronger tendency to exhibit behavior problems, but the way in which these issues manifest themselves depends to a high degree upon their cultural base, making this characteristic difficult to use as an indicator. Because boys tend to be involved in bullying behavior more than girls, this gender group requires greater study and attention regarding how these behaviors emerge and progress, including real-life strategies on how to intervene and redirect. It is apparent that teachers can play a significant role in intervention techniques as they are frequently accurate in identifying those students most involved in disruptive bullying behaviors as well as those most at risk. Unfortunately, a demonstrated reluctance on the part of teachers to interfere with a vital growth process is made worse by poor information sources and no proven techniques or intervention strategies to follow. This problem is made deeper as the teacher’s reluctance to interfere feeds the child’s reluctance to request assistance, even when it could be potentially dangerous not to do so. What is clear is that more studies must be conducted at the same time that teachers need to make themselves more available as a guide to students obviously at risk. References Barbarin, Oscar A. “Social Risks and Psychological Adjustment: A Comparison of African American and South African Children.” Child Development. Vol. 70, N. 6, (November-December 1999): pp. 1348-1359. Boulton, Michael J. “Concurrent and Longitudinal Relations between Children’s Playground Behavior and Social Preference, Victimization and Bullying.” Child Development. Vol. 70, N. 4, (July/August 1999): pp. 944-954. Brooks-Gunn, J. & Duncan, G. “The Effects of Poverty on Children.” The Future of Children: Children and Poverty. Vol. 7, (1997): pp. 55-71. Dodge, Kenneth A.; Coie, John D.; Pettit, Gregory; & Price, Joseph M. “Peer Status and Aggression in Boys’ Groups: Developmental and Contextual Analyses.” Child Development. Vol. 61, N. 5, (October 1990): pp. 1289-1309. Dunbar, R.I.M. Primate Social Systems. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, (1988). Farrington, David P. “Understanding and Preventing Bullying.” Crime and Justice. Vol. 17, (1993): pp. 381-458. Hinde, R.A. Ethology. London: Fontana, (1980). Hopmeyer, A. & Asher, S.R. “Children’s Responses to Peer Conflicts Involving a Rights Infraction.” Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. Vol. 43, (1997): pp. 235-254. Mac an Ghaill, M. The Making of Men: Masculinities, Sexualities and Schooling. Buckingham: Open University Press, (1994). Maccoby, E.E. The Two Sexes: Growing up Apart, Coming Together. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, (1998). Newman, Richard S. “When Elementary School Students are Harassed by Peers: A Self-Regulative Perspective on Help Seeking.” The Elementary School Journal. Vol. 103, N. 4, Special Issue: New Directions in Motivation Research: Implications for Practice, (March 2003): pp. 339-355. Olweus, D. Aggression in the Schools: Bullies and Whipping Boys. Washington D.C.: Hemisphere, (1978). Olweus, Dan. “Aggression and Peer Acceptance in Adolescent Boys: Two Short-Term Longitudinal Studies of Ratings.” Child Development. Vol. 48, N. 4, (December 1977): pp. 1301-1313. Pellegrini, A.D. & Bartini, Maria. “A Longitudinal Study of Bullying, Victimization and Peer Affiliation during the Transition from Primary School to Middle School.” American Educational Research Journal. Vol. 37, N. 3, (Autumn, 2000): pp. 699-725. Renold, Emma. “Learning the ‘Hard’ Way: Boys, Hegemonic Masculinity and the Negotiation of Learner Identities in the Primary School.” British Journal of Sociological Education. Vol. 22, N. 3, (September 2001): pp. 369-385. Schwartz, David; Dodge, Kenneth A.; & Cole, John D. “The Emergence of Chronic Peer Victimization in Boys’ Play Groups.” Child Development. Vol. 64, N. 6, (December 1993): pp. 1755-1772. Schwartz, David; Dodge, Kenneth; Pettit, Gregory S. & Bates, John E. “The Early Socialization of Aggressive Victims of Bullying.” Child Development. Vol. 68, N. 4, (August 1997): pp. 665-675. Read More