Solutions and Approaches to Bullying in School and Online - Research Paper Example

? Solutions and approaches to bullying in school and online BY YOU YOUR SCHOOL DATA HERE HERE Solutions and approaches to bullying in school andonline Knowledge, Comprehension, and Application Bullying is an ever-increasing problem in today’s middle schools, affecting children from vastly different demographic and socio-economic backgrounds. Because of its widespread presence in multiple youth groups, especially those between 10 and 14 years of age, it is difficult for educators and general society to classify the main causes of bullying and create a template to assist in preventing its ongoing dilemma. Before any proper intervention can be created, it is first necessary to understand what drives bullying in these middle school youths. Bullying occurs both online and in the school environment, thus there are practical indications that educators and parents should have some involvement in its prevention. One of the main reasons that children experience bullying is the difference in physical characteristics that are often found in middle school-aged children. It is during this period where most youths enter puberty and begin their long physical development into adulthood. Some youths, biologically, enter this stage of human development much later than their peers, creating feelings of shame and uncertainty when measuring themselves against peer groups that have developed, sexually, much faster. Youths in this age bracket, this being between 10 and 14, begin their search toward moratorium or other identity formation efforts, thus they are often looking toward other peers to measure their own self-concept both emotionally and physically. Bullying often occurs because “abusers have an unfair advantage over their targets through physical size” (Janson, Carney, Hazler & Oh, 2009, p.320). In a situation where a youth is experiencing slow sexual development, especially true with males, power inequity is built that creates feelings of outward personal inadequacy, giving the bully considerable advantage over the victim. Late developing youths are often targeted and this abuse oftentimes continues until the youth has finally begun the sexual maturation process. Bullying also occurs due to sexual orientation, an inherent biological process. Gay and lesbian youths are often targeted by straight youths who remain either uneducated about the biological implications of sexual orientation or due to personal bias against homosexual peers. However, there is also the phenomenon of bullying youths that simply do not fit the social norms related to gender role or gender identity, creating verbal and physical assaults when called effeminate or inappropriately masculine (when pertaining to female victims). A recent study involving 251 students identified that 48 percent of the sample had been bullied, with the aggressors calling the youths gay whether they actually fit the label of homosexual (Swearer, Turner, Givens & Pollack, 2008). Particularly true with male students, there is a widespread fear for those that are either gay or just decide not to conform to social norms related to gender role that they will be ostracized as effeminate or improperly homosexual. These verbal or physical assaults create internal havoc in terms of identify formation and can create long-term self-esteem problems. Bullying also is produced due to the environment in which students learn. Brendtro & Mitchell (2010) identify that the style of educator leadership in the classroom also plays a significant role in the presence of peer bullying in the middle school environment. The authors indicate that authoritarian leaders, those who do not seek youth input in classroom decision-making, create higher levels of aggression in students. What the authors refer to as laissaz-faire leadership, those who are highly liberal in which there is little authoritarian structure, create long-term chaotic and unproductive environments for learning and socialization (Brendtro & Mitchell). On either end of the educator profile spectrum, lack of structure or too much structure can lead to youths finding opportunities or emotional changes that lead to bullying other students. As mentioned previously, it is during these years where youths begin to explore their own sense of self-worth and develop self-confidence for adulthood. Lack of a supportive social network is another reason why youths are bullied both online and in the classroom. According to Low, Frey & Brockman (2010) the presence of a supportive peer network yields positive psychological outcomes and can minimize aggressive tendencies in youths. Those students that avoid social encounters with peers or simply lack supportive friendship networks are targets of bullying online and in the educational environment as it often creates outward signs of emotional instability (such as low self-esteem) that attracts negative attention from those youths that rely on other peers to justify their own behaviors through their own highly-developed social networks. Students without these networks that participate in online social networks, such as Facebook, are often the target of harrassment based on experiences with these youths in the schoolroom. Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation Though there is not much that can be accomplished, scientifically, to change physical processes related to puberty, there is much that can be done by parents and educators to assist in minimizing bullying related to physical advantage caused by early sexual development. Adults need to be aware of the shame, humiliation, and uncertainty that is caused by late sexual development and provide a supportive environment to discuss the emotional problems associated with this phenomenon. Youths should be informed that late development is a common situation and provide examples of their own feelings of inadequacy that were formed during their own sexual development. In the classroom, during sexual education seminars, literature that describes diversity and late sexual development could prevent early developers from taunting late bloomers as a means to avoid a long cycle of violence or verbal assaults. In the situation of poor leadership in the classroom, state legislators that mandate school curriculum as well as local executive leadership need to develop a program that identifies opportunities for a more balanced classroom. It was found by Brendtro & Mitchell (2010) that democratic leadership creates a cohesive group environemnt and an overall climate where respect is the outcome, as well as providing motivation among students both for learning and socialization. In scenarios where bullying occurs as a product of inferior educational leadership, this being either authoritarian or laissez-faire leadership, group-minded and closely connected team methodology could prevent many of the hostile emotional responses that lead to bullying. Further, by providing structure in a laissez-faire classroom, unproductive social networking can be avoided that often leads to youth harrassment. Gender role non-comformity and homosexual orientation is one of the more difficult elements to manage when bullying becomes an outcome of these social or biological characteristics in middle school-aged youth groups. Swearer et al. (2008) identify that there should be adequate counseling services available for gay and lesbian students along with an intervention program that includes diversity and providing executive-mandated consequences for failing to adhere to these diversity expectations. Hyatt (2010) offers that many youths in this age simply do not trust adults and believe that adult leadership figures often demand conformity to practiced social norms and will not provide supportive assistance in the face of bullying. Educators and the systems that guide classroom activities should reinforce diversity campaigns among the adult leadership group so that youths gain a new perspective on how adults from varying backgrounds manage to work successfully with one another. Further, if trust is an ongoing issue with counselors, students should be given a mandated counseling session once per semester, as part of regulated school practice, so that they can familiarize themselves with the school counseling system and understand that these adults are resources to turn toward when problems with peer harrassment have been identified. This is a basic psychological principle designed to instill trust in adult leadership figures. The same should be provided to youths with poor social support networks that are harrassed in school and online, such as promoting more teamwork methodology in the classroom and giving students diverse opportunities to meet with one another in a structured environment. Special projects that involve multiple, ever-changing group membership is one method to provide more social support for youths that are known to be rather isolated. Avoiding social contact is unrealistic and not healthy for adult emotional development long-term, therefore parents should not simply regulate their online exposure, rather discuss the benefits of increased social networking either online or in the classroom. Educators can develop an online special project where youths communicate using Internet chatrooms or other social networking sites so that youths can become better acquainted, thus avoiding online bullying altogether. At the same time, teachers should be provided with new and modern social justice training. The difficulty with this solution is that state regulators and state-level budgets are streamlining special program development as new regulations demand more emphasis on basic content standards (Conoley, 2008). Teacher-mentor programs developed individualistically by the educator is yet another effort to assist in this intervention for prevention in the face of budget crunches and strong regulatory presence in the classroom. All of the proposed, potential solutions to different varieties of bullying involve direct contact with adult leadership figures both in and out of the classroom. These figures must understand the complex social and psychological dimensions associated with sexual orientation, physical development, and inherent emotional needs that youths experience in this highly-important period of self-development and self-awareness. Coupled with a balanced approach to leadership in the classroom, bullying appears to have methodology for minimialization even when externalities somewhat prevent a more rigorous approach. References Brendtro, L. & Mitchell, M. (2010). “The Profound Power of Groups”. Reclaiming Children and Youth, Bloomington. 19(3), pp.5-11. Conoley, Jane C. (2008). “Sticks and Stones can Break my Bones and Words can Really Hurt Me”. School Psychology Review. 37(2), pp.217-221. Hyatt, Laurie. (2010). “A Case Study of the Suicide of a Gifted Female Adolescent: Implications for Predication and Prevention”. Journal for the Education of the Gifted. 33(4), pp.514-537. Janson, G., Carney, J., Hazler, R. & Oh, I. (2009). “Bystanders’ Reactions to Witnessing Repetitive Abuse Experiences”. Journal of Counseling and Development. 87(3), pp.319-327. Low, S., Frey, K. & Brockman, C. (2010). “Gossip on the Playground: Changes Associated with Universal Intervention, Retaliation Beliefs, and Supportive Friends”. School Psychology Review. 39(4), pp.536-572. Swearer, S., Turner, R., Givens, J. & Pollack, W. (2008). “You’re so Gay!: Do Different Forms of Bullying Matter for Adolescent Males?”, School Psychology Review. 37(2), pp.160-174. Appendix A: A Model of Bloom’s Taxonomy Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BloomsCognitiveDomain.svg Read More