School Bullying

Vodcast Three:

Interventions in cases of bullying

Dr Ken RigbyConsultant Developed for

Proactive and Reactive Approaches

The proactive or universal approach targets everyone in the school community in an attempt to stop bullying ever happening

The reactive or interventive approach targets those individuals or groups who are actually involved in bully/victim problems

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Why the proactive approach is never entirely successful

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Some individuals are highly predisposed to act aggressively Negative or inadequate parenting and family influence leads

some children to become involved in bully/victim problems at school

Some neighbourhoods instil prejudiced attitudes and promote aggressive behaviour

Exposure to violence through the media can induce some children to act aggressively

Two stages of intervening by school staff

1. When a teacher observes a student or group of students bullying someone and decides to intervene on the spot

2. When it is decided that further action at a later stage needs to be taken to deal with the issue – which has come to the school’s attention

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What is a case of bullying?

A student is being seriously harmed physically and/or psychologically by a more powerful person or group

What is happening is unfair and is expected to continue unless it is stopped

The target evidently does not appear to have the skills or resources to handle the situation

It is decided that time and resources must be allocated to addressing what is happening.

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How successful are interventions with actual cases of bullying?

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To answer this question approx 38,000 Australian students aged 8 to 16 years were asked:

I. Whether they had ever been bullied at school

II. Whether they had told anyone

III. Whether they had told a teacher

IV. After telling a teacher whether things improved, stayed the same or got worse (Rigby, 2008)

What happens when teachers are told?

According to students, in about 50% of cases reported by students to a teacher the situation does not improve

In 10% of cases the situation gets worse

Interventions are less successful with older students

There is a great need for intervention in cases to be improved.

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Six major methods of intervening

1. The Traditional Disciplinary Method

2. Strengthening the Victim to Resist

3. Mediation

4. Restorative Practice

5. The Support Group Method

6. The Method of Shared Concern

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Traditional Disciplinary Method

The Traditional Disciplinary Method is commonly seen as justified when:

A perpetrator is found to be responsible for the bullying

He or she is deemed to deserve to be punished

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The rationale

The imposition of the penalty – and commonly the threat of further punishment – will deter the perpetrator from continuing to bully

The punishment will send a message to other students and deter them from bullying

In general, students will not dare bully

It should be recognised that there are some clearly undesirable ways of carrying out this method – for instance when the penalties are arbitrary and seemingly vindictive

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How the Traditional Disciplinary Method can be used more acceptably

The sanctions are consistent with school rules governing behaviour - especially if the rules have been publicised and endorsed by the school community

The sanctions are administered in such a way as to respect the person of the bully - and focus on the unacceptable behaviour

Pains are subsequently taken to reinforce behaviour that is positive - and incompatible with a bullying style of behaving

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Limitations of the Traditional Disciplinary Method

At best it produces compliance and not a self-sustaining ‘change of heart’

The bullying commonly does not stop - those punished often engage in less conspicuous but equally hurtful forms of bullying

It is difficult - if not impossible - to provide the necessary surveillance to ensure the victim’s safety

The positive reinforcement of the bully’s supporters may be more powerful than any negative reinforcement the school can provide

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The bullying is extreme or actually criminal and a disciplinary response is required

There appears to be no alternative way of proceeding – as for example when non-punitive methods have been ineffective.

When the disciplinary approach appears more justified

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At your school do you think students who are being bullied usually approach staff members for help?

When staff are told, how much help do you think they are to students?

How would you handle a case of low to medium severity bullying, for example the one described in the Handling Bullying Questionnaire?

Exercise – Complete the Handling Bullying Questionnaire – Compare your results with those obtained by most Australian

respondents – Where you differ from most of the Australian respondents, ask

yourself why

Questions to discuss – and an exercise

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