Bullying in Schools

1. Bullying in Schools Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services Albuquerque NM

3. The Problem of Bullying in Schools • Bullying affects students’ sense of security. • Bullying is widespread and perhaps the most underreported safety problem in schools. • Bullying is now KNOWN to have long-lasting harmful effects. • Approximately 2/3 of school shootings, the attackers had been bullied.

4. The Problem of Bullying in Schools • Bullying occurs at all grade levels-most frequently during elementary school. • Bullies are more likely to develop a criminal record than peers. • Bullying victims suffer psychological harm long after the bullying stops.

5. Definition of Bullying • Bullying has two key components: • Repeated harmful acts; and • Imbalance of power It involves repeated physical, verbal or psychological attacks or intimidation directed against a victim who cannot properly defend him-or herself because of size or strength, or because the victim is outnumbered or less psychologically resilient.

6. Assault Tripping Intimidation Rumor spreading and isolation Demands for money Destruction of property Theft of valued possessions Destruction of another's work Name-calling Sexual harassment Ostracism based on perceived sexual orientation Hazing Definition of Bullying includes:

7. Definition of Bullying • Not all taunting, teasing and fighting among schoolchildren constitutes bullying. • Bullying entails repeated acts by someone perceived as physically or psychologically more powerful.

8. Extent of Bullying Problemother countries: • Between 8 to 38 percent of students are bullied with some regularity. • Between 5 and 9 percent of students bully others with some regularity. • Chronic victims, bullied once a week or more, are at 8 and 20 percent of school population

9. Extent of Bullying ProblemUnited States: • 13 percent of sixth through tenth grade student bully. • 10 percent reported being victims. • 6 percent are victim-bullies. • Several smaller studies confirm high levels of bullying behaviors, with 10 to 29 percent of students reported to either be bullies or victims.

10. Extent of Bullying Problem The percentage of students who are bullies and victims varies by research study, often depending on the definition used, the time frame examined and other factors. Despite these differences, bullying appears to be widespread in schools in every country studying the problem.

11. Fearing retaliation Feeling shame at not being able to stand up for themselves. Fearing they would not be believed. Not wanting to worry their parents Having no confidence that anything would change. Thinking their parents’ or teachers’ advice would make the problem worse. Fearing their teacher would tell the bully Thinking it was worse to be a “snitch” A Threshold Problem: The Reluctance to Report

12. A Threshold Problem: The Reluctance to Report • The same is true of student-witnesses • Rarely tell teachers and infrequently intervene • Worry that intervening will make them the next target. • Falsely believe that no one person has responsibility to stop the bullying, absent a teacher or parent.

13. A Threshold Problem: The Reluctance to Report • Student-witnesses appear to have a central role in creating opportunities for bullying. • In one study of Juniors and Seniors, 88 percent reported having observed bullying.

14. A Threshold Problem: The Reluctance to Report

15. A Threshold Problem: The Reluctance to Report Studies suggest only between 10 and 20 percent of noninvolved students provide any real help when another student is victimized.

16. Bullying Behavior • Despite country and cultural differences, certain similarities by gender, age, location and type of victimization appear in the U.S. and elsewhere. • Takes place at school most often. • Boy bullies rely on physical aggression. • Girl bullies often use teasing, rumor spreading, exclusion and social isolation.

17. Bullying Behavior • Direct and Indirect bullying: • Direct: physical and verbal (may be also indirect). • Physical is the least common. • Verbal is the most common. • Indirect: teasing, rumor spreading etc… • Girls tend to bully girls, boys will bully girls and boys. • Research shows boys are more likely to bully than girls.

18. Bullying Behavior • Bullies often do not operate alone. Almost half of the incidents are one-on-one, the other half involves additional kids. • Bullying by boys declines at age 15. • Bullying by girls declines at age 14.

19. Bullying Behavior • Researchers believe bullying rates are unrelated to school or class size, inner city or suburb. • Socially disadvantaged areas seem to have higher rates. • Classes with students with behavioral, emotional or learning problems, have more bullies and victims.

20. Bullying Behavior • Racial bullying: 25 percent of students victimized, reported they were belittled about their race or religion. • Black youth reported being bullied less than Hispanic and White peers.

21. Bullying Behavior • Unknown: • Whether certain types of bullying are more harmful than others. • If certain types of bullying have longer-term impact on victims. • What happens when the bully stops, does another step in? • Must the victim change behavior to prevent another from stepping in?

22. Bullies • Tend to be aggressive, dominant, slightly below average in intelligence and reading ability. • Average popularity • Do not have much empathy for victims. • Young bullies tend to remain bullies. • “adolescent bullies tend to become adult bullies, and then tend to have children who are bullies”

23. Bullies • Possess similarities to other types of offenders. • Come from lower socioeconomic-status families with poor child-rearing techniques. • Tend to be impulsive. • Tend to be unsuccessful in school. • Generally uncooperative. • Come from dysfunctional families low on love.

24. Bullies • Parents criticized them and strictly controlled. • Research found a correlation between harsh physical punishments and strict disciplinarian parents and bullying. • Bullies have been found to have poor social skills. • One study suggests that bullies have a keen insight on others’ mental state and take advantage of that by picking on the emotionally less resilient.

26. Incidents of Bullying • Most often occurs where adult supervision is low or absent: • Schoolyards • Cafeterias • Bathrooms • Hallways • “Olweus found that there is an inverse relationship between the number of supervising adults present and the number of bully/victim incidents.”

27. Incidents of Bullying • Classrooms • School buses • The internet • One student, whose address and phone number were published on the site, was barraged with calls from people calling her a “slut” and a “prostitute.”

28. Victims of Bullying • Most bullies victimize students in the same class or year. • Its unknown the extent of personal attributes that play a role in victim selection. • One major study found that the victims tended to be smaller and weaker than their peers. • Another found those to be nonassertive and socially incompetent were more likely to be victimized

29. Victims of Bullying • Having friends appears to reduce the chances of being bullied. • One study found: • “more than half of those who say they have no friends are being bullied (51%), vs. only 11% of those who say they have more than five friends”

30. Embarrassment Psychological and/or physical distress. Frequently absent from school Cannot concentrate on schoolwork. Low self-esteem Frequently contemplated suicide Social dysfunction Anxiety Insomnia Depression Poor health Consequences of Bullying

31. Consequences of BullyingChronic Victims of Bullying • 6 to 10% are chronic victims, bullied as often as several times a week. • Most are extremely passive and do not defend themselves. • Small number react aggressively toward the bully due to their coping strategies.

32. Consequences of BullyingChronic Victims of Bullying • These chronic victims tend to be anxious and insecure. • Less able to control their emotions, more socially withdrawn. • Chronic victims may return to the bully to try to continue the perceived relationship. • Often remain victims after switching classes.

33. Consequences of BullyingChronic Victims of Bullying • Olweus states: “It does not require much imagination to understand what it is to go through the school years in a state of more or less permanent anxiety and insecurity, and with poor self-esteem. It is not surprising that the victims’ devaluation of themselves sometimes becomes so overwhelming that they seen suicide as the only possible solution.”

35. This article appeared in the Albuquerque Journal on Saturday, December 24, 2005 Consequences of BullyingChronic Victims of Bullying

36. General Requirements for an Effective Strategy to Counter Bullying in Schools • Enlisting the principals commitment and involvement. • Using a multifaceted, comprehensive approach.

37. Specific Responses to Reduce Bullying in Schools • Using the “whole-school” approach. • Increase student reporting of bullying. • Developing activities in less-supervised areas. • Reducing the amount time students can spend less supervised. • Staggering recess, lunch and/or class-release times.

38. Specific Responses to Reduce Bullying in Schools • Monitoring areas where bullying can be expected. • Assigning bullies to a particular location or chores during release times. • Posting classroom signs prohibiting bullying and listing consequences for it. • Providing teachers with effective classroom management training. • Having high-level school administrators inform late-enrolling students about the school’s bullying policy.

39. Responses with Limited Effectiveness • Training students in conflict resolution and peer mediation. • Adopting a “zero tolerance” policy. • Providing group therapy for bullies. • Encouraging victims to simply “stand up” to bullies.

40. Understanding Your Local Problem The information is only a generalized description of bullying in schools. You must combine this information with a more specific understanding of your school’s problem. Analyzing it will help design a more effective response strategy.

42. Thank You