Comparing Anti-bullying Interventions - Essay Example

RUNNING HEAD: COMPARING ANTI-BULLYING INTERVENTIONS A Tale of Two Schools: Comparing Anti-Bullying Interventions for Grade 6 s in South London Your Name Your Uni, Your Campus, Year There has been much public concern lately regarding bullying within schools, the safety of students and their learning development (Rigby, 2003). Solutions for school-based bullying are not easy to identify or to explain (Smith & Brain, 2000). Practical implications for this vein of research include, the psychological welfare of the students, teachers and parents, as well as the wider community. Hence there is a growing emphasis to rectify the limited research into evaluation of anti-bullying interventions in schools (Smith & Sharp, 1994; Rigby, 2003). Power relationships are characteristic of human interactions, although they do not have to, and usually do not, include an abuse of that power. No universal definition of bullying exists (Smith & Brain, 2000), yet it is agreed that bullying can be either direct (physical, verbal) or indirect (social exclusion, rumor mongering). A review of the last two decades of research into bullying in schools accounted for data across 16 European countries, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the USA and Canada. It was concluded that the bullying relationships cross-culturally, had a similarity of structure (Smith & Brain, 2000). The consensus being that bullying is not solely a bully-victim relationship. Rather, bullying is seen as a violent group process, where participants reinforce each other's behavior. The collective nature of bullying means that social relationships within the group greatly influence the bullying process. As a social problem, it has been established that school bullying is a systematic abuse of power, involving three dominant factors: a bully, a victim, and by-standers (Smith & Sharp, 1994). Undesirable consequences of bullying include the victim's fear of reporting being bullied, and the increased risk of depression and low self-esteem, that negatively impact on a student's ability to learn and problem-solve (Salmon, James & Smith, 1997; Smith & Sharpe 1994). Male students tend to be bullies (3:1), using direct bullying methods. Whereas female students tend to use indirect bullying styles, that are more difficult to pin down, or affect with intervention. It is noted that gender differences in bullying behavior may aid in the focus of anti-bullying programs and accurate measurement of bullying behavior. Roberts (2005) contends that current availability of research makes it difficult for policy makers to determine the best choices of intervention. There is a vast amount of information, theories, models and results to sort through. Programs such as Quality Circles, the No Blame approach, Pikas, befriending and peer support, or peer mentoring and mediation, adult counseling and or mediation, playground changes as such as more sport and games, and gardens, or trained monitors (Smith & Brain, 2000; Roberts, 2005). Hence, it is difficult to evaluate which intervention/s are best for a school. Roberts suggests systematic reviews of anti-bullying interventions to filter information, and to provide consensus on where research stands to date. Smith and Sharpe's (1994) School Bullying: Insights and Perspectives, propose that anti-bullying policies of schools are not as effective as they could be. However, Salmon et al.'s (1997) research found completely the opposite. The two English schools compared found only 4.2% of respondents had experienced bullying. Victims tended to be the younger high school students. A review of two decades of bullying research in schools has revealed that bullying remains an international issue (Smith & Brain 2000). Through the evaluation of school-based anti-bullying interventions more of the nature and effects of bullying can be understood. Using surveys, Whitney & Smith (1994) evaluated an anti-bullying school program that used Olweus's (1992) self-report bullying survey, the first of its kind (cited by Smith & Brain, 1997). An "information pack" was then developed and distributed nationally. In Scotland, the Edinburgh Council introduced two similar information packs during the 1990s. Anti-bullying videos were produced, and an Anti-Bully Center built in 1993 in Wales. Also at this time, the Ministry of Education in the UK set national guidelines to reduce bullying within schools. In 2000, the Department for Education also in the UK, distributed the Don't Suffer in Silence Pack throughout English and Welsh schools. All of these programs are considered effective. However, few evaluations exist, and so the effects of their policies on the well-being and education of the student remain unknown. There has been some headway into evaluation of anti-bullying programs. O'Morre (2000) reviewed the whole school policy that uses an ecological paradigm, and found it to be quite successful. As well, Ortega Ruiz and Lera (2000) evaluated the ecological approach of Seville schools that focused policies on interpersonal relationships of the school. It was concluded that analyses of students, teachers, parents and the wider community, as well as incorporating curriculum change, manifests in a successful anti-bullying intervention. It appears that research evaluating current anti-bullying programs is critical, although limited. This present research study will compare levels of bullying behaviour and awareness of anti-bullying interventions, of two London schools. The different school policies and intervention methods will be described and evaluated. Students, teachers and parents will be surveyed, and selected in-depth interviews will take place. It is expected that levels of bullying activity, and awareness of anti-bullying intervention/s, will differ with respect to student inclusion in the development of anti-bulling programs. Method Participants All co-ed primary schools across the 33 regions of Greater London are eligible to take part in this study (http://www.schoolsnet.com/). Two schools will be chosen using a random numbers table. Parent-and-community committees, as well as school principles, will receive a letter explaining the aim of the study and asking permission to evaluate their anti-bullying programs. For this exploratory study, only Grade 6 students will be asked to participate. A parental consent form will be issued to all students, and those who return their forms will be able to take part. The consent form will provide contact details of the primary researcher. Also, the form will outline participant rights, such as voluntary participation, withdrawal without penalty, and anonymity through the use of participant numbers. Participants will be assured of secure storage of all data relevant to this study, and that after 5 years the data will be shredded. These ethical precautions are necessary because some student demographics need to be collected as control variables, including, socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender and age. No incentives were provided for participation in this study. All results will be shared with the students, their parents and the schools, to contribute to their policy reviews. Materials Students will complete The Olweus Revised Bully/Victim Questionnaire (2001) using a computer. The 40 item multiple choice survey consists of bully/victim questions about experiences of direct and indirect bullying, where incidents of bullying have taken place, bullying attitudes of the respondents, and perceptions of the extent to which others such as peers, parents and teachers are aware of bullying, and their levels of intervention. The instrument has very high reliability, content and construct validity. Olweus' questionnaire has been adapted for this study to include four questions that specifically measure awareness of current anti-bullying programs and perceptions of the programs effectiveness within each school. An additional four questions are used to gauge student perceptions of personal involvement in the development of programs within their school. The questionnaire yields three sub-scores: a bully/victim score, an awareness score, and an involvement score. Summed, these provide an overall total score to represent each student's contribution to these three dimensions. For the individual interviews 5 students, 5 teachers, and 5 parents (couples are considered as "one"), will be randomly selected from a pool of volunteers. Students eligible for an interview must have completed a survey. The structured interview for students shall inquire into perceptions of bullying behavior towards/perpetrated by themselves, as well as perceptions of bullying activity within their school. Also, as part of the in-depth interview, participants will be asked their feelings about involvement/lack of in the development of anti-bullying programs. The interview for parents and teachers shall ask about perceptions of bullying, awareness of anti-bullying programs, and attitudes towards bullying, and the involvement of students in decision-making processes for programs. Design This is a non-parametric study that will identify relationships between the categorical variables school and gender, and continuous scores on a questionnaire. Frequencies, Percentages and Cross-Tabulations shall be provided, using Chi Square test for significance. Spearman's Rho will be used for correlation analysis. All tests will be run on SPSS v. 12. Procedure An announcement will be made to grade 6 classes of each school asking them to take part in a study about their school. The participants' will not told that the study is about anti-bullying programs within their school. This is so they do not try to guess the hypothesis, and also to protect participants from bullying for taking part. Each student will be given a parental consent form and asked to return it by a set day. The following week, the primary researcher shall go to each school on a separate day to distribute and collect the questionnaires. The day following the survey, interviews of students, teachers and parents will begin. While students and teachers can be met during lunch hours or after school, meetings with most parents will be in the evenings after work. All surveys and interviews will be administered personally by the primary researcher to control for possible inconsistencies in explanation of terms (Mellor, 1990). On completion of the study students, teachers and parents will be thanked, and will be briefly informed of the study's hypothesis, and of their part in the research. Results will be made available to all participants and school boards following thesis submission. In summary, it is expected that the degree of involvement of grade 6 English students in the development of anti-bullying programs will influence bullying activity within their schools. An ecological approach will be taken for this initially, small-scale exploratory research. An ecological paradigm is much more globally relevant in regards to evaluation of anti-bullying programs, because it considers both pedagogy and interpersonal relationships of students, their parents, teachers and the surrounding community. This research aims to extend understanding of how a school can better cultivate an atmosphere of positive learning for the children of our future. References Greater London: Search by Region. (2005) Schoolsnet. Available from: http://www.schoolsnet.com/ [November 19th, 2005]. Mellor, A. (1990) Bullying in Scottish Secondary School: Spotlight 23. Edinburgh: Scottish Council for Research in Education. Olweus, D. (2001) The Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire, PC Program and Teacher's Handbook. http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/model/BPP_OrderForm.pdf O'Moore M. (1990) Bullying in Schools (Council of Europe). Western European Education, 22(1). Rigby, K. (2003) Consequences of Bullying in Schools. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 48(9), p. 583-90. Roberts, H. (2005) What Works [Online] City University, London. Available from: http://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/publications/msd/journal/issue24/24-pages34-54.pdf [November 19th, 2005]. Salmon, G., James, A., and Smith, D. (1998) Bullying in Schools: Self Reported Anxiety, Depression and Self Esteem in Secondary School Children. British Medical Journal, 317, p. 924-925. Smith, P. K., and Brain, P. (2000) Bullying in Schools: Two Decades of Research. Journal of Aggressive Behavior, 26(1), p. 1-9. Smith, P. K., and Sharp, S. (eds.) (1994) School Bullying: Insights and Perspectives. London: Routledge. Appendix Parental Consent to Participate in Research You are being asked to participate in a research study conducted by (Your Name) from Your University. The purpose of this study is to investigate school policy and its impact on student learning for grade 6 students. This study will contribute to the completion of a thesis, master's thesis, etc. The investigator does not perceive any risks to the student from involvement in this study. Potential benefits from your child's participation in this study include, a better understanding of their school community, and contributions to a safer learning environment. This study consists of a survey for the student, and a possible interview (if selected for an interview) to be conducted at the school. The student will be asked to provide answers to a series of questions related to particular school policy, as well as personal, classmate, parent/s and teacher behaviour in regard to school policy. The interviews will not be video or audio-recorded. The results of this research will be presented to the school board following thesis submission. Responses will be coded with participant numbers so that respondent's identity will remain anonymous and confidential. All data will be stored in a secure location accessible only to the researcher. Student participation is entirely voluntary. Each student is free to choose not to participate. Should your child choose to participate, they can withdraw at any time without penalty of any kind. You or your child may have questions during the time of your participation in this study, or after its completion. If you have any questions about the study, please contact (Your name, and Supervisor's name, and contact details). I have read this consent form and I understand what is being requested of my child as a participant in this study. I freely consent for my child to participate. Name of Participant's Parent (Printed) Name of Researcher(s) (Printed) Signature of Participant's Parent Signature of Researcher(s) Date: Date Read More