Bullying Prevalence, Predictability, and Interventions: A Case Study

1. 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: kellibourne@iusd.org

2. 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

3. Research questions • What is the prevalence of bullying at Lakeside Middle School? • Is the time and place of bullying predictable? • What do students perceive are the most effective bullying prevention strategies? • My hypotheses…

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

11. 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

12. 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 

13. 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%) • But20% aren’t doing anything about it…

14. 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

15. 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%)

17. 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%)

19. 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 andbullies • In response, schools cannot play a passive role and wait for targeted students and bullies to come forward seeking their assistance

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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

23. “Let’s Get real” – Human relations media

24. Study Limitations & a Call for more research • Research 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?)

25. Thank you for your time! • Kelli Bourne • kellibourne@iusd.org