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School bullying is a widespread problem that needs to be addressed by parents and teachers. The short-term and long-term consequences of being a victim of bullying or a bully are usually underestimated. Numerous studies consider adjustment difficulty one of the major implications of experiencing bullying. It affects all spheres of life of the students and leads to academic, psychological, and social relations problems.
Crisis management can be defined as the process of dealing with potential problems before, during, and after their occurrence. The process of eliminating school bullying involves using crisis management techniques. This research is trying to address the school bullying issue. The paper defines the problem and proposes possible solutions based on the analysis of relevant studies investigating the issue.
This paper can benefit the class by presenting an example of conducting the research aimed at finding the methods for efficacious reacting to problematic events.
The investigation of relevant studies on the methods for stopping school bullying reveals that the most effective ways of eliminating this type of behavior include providing training for teachers, encouraging students to participate in the process of managing the problem, and promoting parental support.
Method
An inductive approach was used to study the methods for stopping bullying at schools. The observations and analysis of reliable articles presenting studies investigating the target question were conducted, and conclusions were made based on the results of the analysis.
The studies were selected based on their relevancy. The articles obtained in the search on the Web were filtered, and those that did not contain primary research were eliminated. Data collection, data cleaning, and exploratory data analysis were used to select appropriate data from the studies and analyze the implications they present.
Results
Five relevant studies were indicated during the search stage. All of them explore the primary topic of the paper and suggest the solutions that can eliminate the risks related to school bullying.
Wang, Iannotti, and Nansel (2009) have analyzed four forms of school bullying and the impact of certain factors related to family and social background. This study was selected due to the valuable analysis of variations in school bullying it presents and the solutions related to promoting parental support and establishment of friendly connections it suggests.
The results of the study suggest that positive parental behaviors protect adolescents from bullying others and being bullied (Wang, Iannotti, & Nansel, 2009). The protective effects of parental support were observed in all forms of bullying, including physical, verbal, relational, and cyber forms of bullying (Wang, Iannotti, & Nansel, 2009). The positive effects had similar magnitudes of strength.
The authors have identified a negative relation between having more friends and being a target bullies. The analysis of such results helps to understand that friendship has a potential for protecting adolescents from victimization in different forms of bullying.
The analysis of the article has led to the identification of the main points of conception considering parental support and friendship one of the most influential methods for reducing risks related to experiencing school bullying.
Merrell, Gueldner, Ross, and Isava (2008) presented a study based on the meta-analysis of the effectiveness of school bullying intervention programs. The meta-analytic study of school bullying intervention research included the data collected over 25 years. Sixteen studies were selected for analysis by the authors.
The results of the study have shown that though school bullying interventions have some visible positive outcomes, they cannot be regarded as strong as the majority of intervention effects “did not evidence sufficient power to be considered meaningful or clinically important” (Merrell et al., 2008, p. 38).
Besides, the analysis of the study has lead to the conclusion that a relatively small group of intervention outcomes causes visible negative effects. Such findings appear to be perplexing and draw special attention to the fact that well-intended interventions may lead to unforeseen adverse effects.
The analysis of the data presented in the tables helps to identify this risk group of interventions as those that group together adolescents with similar deflections in behavior. The analysis of the article has led to determining complications related to using school intervention for reducing bullying.
Swearer, Espelage, Vaillancourt, and Hymel (2010) have made their contribution to the process of searching for effective methods of struggling with school bullying and presented their vision of causes and consequences of school anti-bullying programs. The study presents the analysis of current situation related to bullying in school and assesses the effectiveness of school programs based on the evidence collected from reliable studies.
The authors evaluated the implications of the studies investigating the relation between school bullying and academic achievement, school climate, peer group functioning, and individual factors. The assessment of research on the effectiveness of school-based anti-bullying efforts was conducted using detailed investigation of existing evidence.
The analysis of the data collected by the authors helps to identify the obstacles faced by this type of school programs. The authors propose a social-ecological perspective of bullying for understanding the nature of the phenomenon and identifying effective solutions (Swearer et al., 2010).
The analysis of the article has led to determining particular challenges preventing the school programs from achieving their primary goals related to stopping bullying and identifying new possible ways of solving the existing problems based on predicting possible deviant behaviors by analyzing social background.
Bhat (2008) have conducted the study presenting the investigation of specifics of cyber-bullying as a new form of school bullying and suggesting effective strategies for addressing the problem for school “counsellors, guidance officers, and all school personnel” (p. 53).
The author provides a comprehensive overview of different aspects of cyber-bullying, including the tendencies in its development, reasons for engaging in it, its incidence and tools. The analysis of this part of the article helps to understand the origins of the investigated phenomenon and find effective solutions.
The author also provides an overview of previously used methods for reducing cyber-bullying and suggestions of specific actions that can be taken by students, parents, and caregivers to prevent it. The analysis of the second part of the article helps to see the possible ways of dealing with the problem of cyber-bullying and understand the vital importance of activities organized by school for reaching the goal.
Bakema (2010) shares the experience of working on preventing violence at schools and presents the results of investigating the reasons of school bullying and ways of reducing it in Holland. The author debunks common myths about school bullying, reveals what needs to be changed in the attitudes towards it, and explores its major reasons.
The analysis of the first part of the article helps to understand the direct relation between the formation of appropriate attitudes towards bullying among teachers, parents, and adolescents and increasing chances for eliminating the cases of bullies. The second part of the article presents the analysis of the “five-pillar method of Van der Meer” used at numerous schools in Holland (Bakema, 2010, p. 80).
The author reveals the main specifics of the method and discovers which actions it involves. The analysis of the presented information has led to determining particular effective methods used in Holland, including training and educating teachers, mobilizing the silent group, providing assistance for the victim and training for the bully.
Findings of the conducted research indicate a number of methods that can be used to prevent school bullying or reduce the risks related to it.
The following methods were determined: promoting parental support, encouraging friendly atmosphere in the class, using social-ecological framework to predict school violence, educating about internet safety, developing empathy and kindness in students, training the teachers, collecting background information and providing advice to parents, mobilizing the silent group, and informing the bully about the consequences of such type of behavior.
Discussion
The results of the research prove that school bullying can and should be prevented with the help of appropriate techniques. Methods of crisis management should be effectively employed by all of the specialists involved in the process of delivering education at schools. The urgency of the necessity of employing the methods for preventing school bullying is proved by numerous tragic incidents in the United States.
Phoebe Prince, a teenage girl who moved to the United States from Ireland, was found hanging after being a victim of severe school bullying for several months (U.S. teenagers charged over suicide, 2010). The “unrelenting” bullying campaign targeted on the 15-years old girl caused her to commit suicide (U.S. teenagers charged over suicide, 2010, par. 2).
Jaheem Herrera, an 11-year old boy from Georgia, has become another victim of school bullying (U.S. teenagers charged over suicide, 2010). The boy committed suicide after being tormented in school. Such tragic examples illustrate the ineffectiveness of current school system in preventing school bullying.
Therefore, much effort should be put in educating teachers about the efficacious ways of eliminating bullying to prevent more tragic incidents.
Training the teachers appears to be one of the primary techniques that should be employed. Unfortunately, most teachers in the United States and all over the world do not have the knowledge of how to deal with school bullying. Their attempts to interfere often result in worsening the situation and they soon refuse from taking actions to eliminate school bullying.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Scheibel has announced that numerous faculty and staff members at the school where Phoebe Prince was studying witnessed the bullying but did nothing to stop it (U.S. teenagers charged over suicide, 2010). This example demonstrates that indifference and inactivity lead to tragic consequences.
Therefore, training on bullying prevention for all members of school communities should be organized by official institutions to inform and teach the teachers and other faculty members how to deal with school bullying.
Appropriate laws should be passed to ensure that teachers that do not possess skills for intervening in bullying situations do not have the right to be a part of the school community. Otherwise, more tragic events can be expected.
Eliminating inactivity of teachers in dealing with school bullying is directly related to another method of bullying prevention, known as mobilizing the silent group of the students. In this case, the indifference of students is as dangerous as the indifference of teachers is. The silent group of students that do not participate in bullying or try to stop it forms the majority of the class (Bakema, 2010).
This group can be the power that condemns bullies and in such way discourage them from continuing to behave in the same way. Different forms of activities aimed at encouraging the silent group to mobilize and put efforts in preventing bullying should be organized. Bakema (2010) proposes using a forum theater, where the students can voice their concerns and share the experience of dealing with bullying situation with their peers.
Such activity will convert the bullies from the ones everybody is afraid of to the ones everyone is criticizing. Therefore, the potential bullies will have no motivation for oppressing the peers if such behavior leads to the decrease of their popularity and authority among the students.
Promoting parental support is another effective method for managing bullying at schools, as its visible results are proved by numerous studies. The key to promoting parental support is the teachers’ willingness to educate parents about cases of bullying happening in the class.
It is vital for teachers to be aware that attempts to hide the facts about bullying at school and avoid disturbing the parents lead to bad results and cause the situation to become more complicated.
Only if the parents of the child who has become a victim of bullying know the details about the existing problem, they are able to provide necessary support, reduce the risks of the child’s psychological stress related to this negative experience, and teach his/him how to deal with the problem.
In the case if bullying puts a threat to the child’s safety, direct interference of parents is crucial for preventing potential risks that can cause severe psychological or physical problems. Educating the parents of the bully is also of vital importance as they have the biggest potential to explain the impropriety of the actions made by the child and convince him/her to stop doing this.
Parents are usually considered the most trustworthy persons by children. Their authority gives an opportunity to cause positive changes in the behavior related to school bullying, help the children to overcome all difficulties and learn how to deal with this kind of problems.
Further research on the effectiveness of different techniques used to stop bullying at schools should be provided. One of the main causes of tragic consequences of school bullying is caused by the fact that most parents and teachers underestimate the potentially negative influence such experience has on the child.
Therefore, educating the population about the specifics and psychological effects of school bullying is of vital importance for encouraging all members of society to search for effective ways of eliminating this type of behavior.
Managing the problem of school bullying is an urgent and up-to-date issue, as this type of behavior is becoming more and more common in American schools. It causes children to experience severe psychological problems and sometimes results in such tragic consequences as suicides.
Training teachers to deal with such type of behavior, mobilizing the students to participate in the process aimed at stopping school bullying, and promoting parental support appear to be effective solutions to this problem. The efficacy of these methods is proved by research and real-life experience.
References
Bakema, C. (2010). How to stop bullying at schools: A Dutch way. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov. Series VII: Social Sciences and Law, 3(1), 77-82.
Bhat, C. S. (2008). Cyber bullying: Overview and strategies for school counsellors, guidance officers, and all school personnel. Australian Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 18(1), 53-66.
Merrell, K. W., Gueldner, B. A., Ross, S. W., & Isava, D. M. (2008). How effective are school bullying intervention programs? A meta-analysis of intervention research. School Psychology Quarterly, 23(1), 26-42.
Swearer, S. M., Espelage, D. L., Vaillancourt, T., & Hymel, S. (2010). What can be done about school bullying? Linking research to educational practice. Educational Researcher, 39(1), 38-47.
U.S. teenagers charged over suicide of Irish ‘new girl’ targeted in ‘relentless’ school bullying campaign. (2010). Web.
Wang, J., Iannotti, R. J., & Nansel, T. R. (2009). School bullying among adolescents in the United States: Physical, verbal, relational, and cyber. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45(4), 368-375.
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