Educational Research Service "The nonprofit foundation serving the research and information needs of educators and the public." 
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Educational Research Service "The nonprofit foundation serving the research and information needs of educators and the public."
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Why Is Bullying an Important Issue?
Students learn best in an environment where they feel safe and secure—one where they are treated with respect. Unfortunately, school is not a safe and secure place for a significant number of students due to repeated instances of bullying or harassment. Repetitive teasing and bullying can make school a nightmare for victims. According to the National Association of School Psychologists, more than 160,000 children skip school everyday because they feel threatened by another student (Labi 2001, online). Even more alarming is the finding of one study that "70 percent of children believe teachers handle episodes of bullying poorly" (Vail 1999, 38).
Bullying: What Do We Know?
Dan Olweus, a longtime researcher on bullying and the developer of one of the first anti-bullying programs, says that a student is being bullied or victimized when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other students. Negative actions can be carried out by physical contact, by words, or in other ways, such as making faces and nasty gestures or by intentional exclusion from a group (1996, 16). Studies show that verbal abuse and harassment are the most commonly reported forms of bullying, followed by derogatory comments about physical appearance, and social bullying. Although bullying often has been viewed as being physical in nature, it is important to also recognize the toll teasing and social isolation can take on a child’s well-being.
Who Is a Bully?
Typically, bullies are characterized by aggressive behavior—both toward their peers and often toward adults. They have a more positive attitude toward violence than their peers, are impulsive, like to dominate others, and have little empathy for their victims. Contrary to popular belief that bullies use aggressive acts to hide their low self-esteem, studies indicate that bullies often have a positive view of themselves and unusually low levels of anxiety or insecurity. They may desire power and control, and may get satisfaction from inflicting suffering. Sometimes, otherwise "nice" children choose to take part in bullying when certain group mechanisms are in place, or when their own inhibitions against aggression are weakened (which might occur if they see that a bully is "rewarded" for bad behavior).
Who Are the Victims? Where Does Bullying Happen?
Research does not support the assertion that certain children are bullied because of "external deviations"—for example, obesity, red hair, an unusual dialect, or wearing glasses. The only physical characteristic that makes children more likely to be victims of bullying is below-average physical size and strength. The most likely victims are "passive" or "nonassertive students who" inadvertently send signals to bullies that they will not retaliate if attacked. They tend to be more anxious, insecure, cautious, quiet, and sensitive than others. Overall, the data indicate that boys are more likely to be both bullies and victims than are girls and that boys often bully directly (open attacks), while girls often bully indirectly (more subtle attacks, such as social isolation or rumor-spreading). Much of the bullying goes on in areas with less adult supervision—hallways, locker rooms, restrooms, cafeterias, bus stops, etc.—but it is important to note that the classroom is not immune to incidents of bullying.
What Are Some Ways to Prevent Bullying?
Schools that have implemented anti-bullying programs have reported a 50 percent reduction in bullying, according to Olweus (Sherman 1999). Key strategies for all members of the school community include: assessing the extent of the problem; training teachers and other staff to recognize bullying and teaching them intervention strategies; alerting and educating parents to the facts about bullying; re-channeling bullies’ needs for power in more socially acceptable directions; establishing networks to support and protect victims of bullying; and shifting the balance of power in the school from bullies to the "silent majority" of students.
Schoolwide bullying policies need to include curricular measures such as conflict resolution and assertiveness training, peer and professional counseling, and improvement of the physical school environment to allow easier adult supervision. The teaching of social skills, anger management, and character education programs in schools is often viewed as an effective method of addressing the problem of bullying (Ballard et al. 1999). Mixed-age groups have been shown to benefit bullying victims and bullies themselves, who re-channel power through leadership activities such as buddy reading or the school safety patrol.
Strategies for teachers include: discussing with students the harm that bullying can cause as well as strategies to reduce it; developing a classroom action plan to ensure that students know what to do when they observe a bully-victim confrontation; and teaching cooperation by assigning projects that require collaboration. Strategies for students include: seeking immediate help from an adult; speaking up and offering support to the victim with kindness or condolence; expressing disapproval of bullying by not joining in the laughter, teasing, or spreading of rumors or gossip; and reporting bullying/victimization incidents to school personnel (U.S. Department of Education 1998, online).
Can the Bullying Tide Be Stemmed in the Early Grades?
Research suggests that the elimination of teasing and bullying in the early grades encourages positive relationships and mutual respect among students (Froschl and Gropper 1999). Examples of effective classroom techniques: in a kindergarten classroom, children add words to a Same/Different chart to understand human commonalities and differences in a positive way; first-graders draw and dictate stories about a time when they had the courage to stand up for a friend; and second-graders work in groups to illustrate their class rules about how they get along (Froschl and Gropper 1999, 72). Some teachers use stories to increase children’s awareness of bullying, and children are led to analyze how the storybook characters feel and the options they have, and what they would do if they were either the bully or victim in the story (Coy 2001).
Should Bullying Be Treated As Just Growing Pains?
No. Given the serious effect bullying has on students and schools, physical and verbal abuse cannot be dismissed as an inevitable part of growing up. Through carefully designed programs, educators, parents, and students can work together to ensure that schools are a place where students feel welcome, included, and ready to learn.
Additional resources available from ERS on the topic of recognizing and preventing bullying:
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ERS Informed Educators on a related topic: The following are recent publications in the ERS Informed Educator series dealing with topics related to bullying. ERS Informed Educators are 8-12 pages in length. Each issue provides a concise, yet comprehensive and balanced summary of information on a priority topic in education. ERS Informed Educators are available for purchase in quantities of 10 copies or more only (any combination of titles). Base price per copy: $9.60. ERS Comprehensive subscriber price: $4.80. ERS Individual subscriber price: $7.20.
Anti-Bullying Network (n.d.). Information for teachers and school managers about whole school anti-bullying policies. Online: http://www.antibullying.net/staffwhole.htm
Atlas, R. S., & Pepler, D. J. (1998). Observations of bullying in the classroom. The Journal of Educational Research (November-December 1998), pp. 86-99.
Ballard, M., Argus, T., & Remley, T. P., Jr. (1999). Bullying and school violence: A proposed prevention program. NASSP Bulletin (May 1999), pp. 38-47.
Blaha, K. L. (2001). Who’s a bully? Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Let’s Talk. Online: http://www.nwrel.org/comm/monthly/whobully.html
Bowman, D. H. (2001). Survey of students documents the extent of bullying. Education Week on the Web (May 2, 2001).
Coy, D. R. (2001). Bullying. ERIC CASS Digest (No. EDO-CG-01-06) (November 2001). Online: http://ericcass.uncg.edu/digest/2001-06.pdf
Froschl, M., & Gropper, N. (1999). Fostering friendships, curbing bullying. Educational Leadership (May 1999), pp. 72-75.
Garrity, C., Jens, K., Porter, W., Sager, N., & Short-Camilli, C. (1996). Bully-proofing your school: A comprehensive approach. Reclaiming children and youth (Spring 1996), pp. 35-39.
Gibson, R. (1998). Expert alert on school bullying. The Age (January 1998).
Harris, S., Petrie, G., & Willoughby, W. (2002). Bullying among 9th graders: An exploratory study. NASSP Bulletin, 86:630, pp. 3-14.
Hoover, J. H., & Oliver, R. (1996). The bullying prevention handbook: A guide for principals, teachers, and counselors. Bloomington, IN: National Education Service.
Koki, S. (1999). Bullying in schools should not be par for the course. PREL policy brief (November 1999). Online: http://www.prel.org/products/Products/bullying-schls.htm
Lumsden, L. (2002). Preventing bullying. ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management. Online: http://ericcass.uncg.edu/virtuallib/bullying/1068.html. ED 155.
Maine Project Against Bullying. (2000). A survey of bullying behavior among Maine third graders. Online: http://lincoln.midcoast.com/~wps/against/bullying.html
National Center for Education Statistics. (2002). Indicators of school crime and safety, 2001. Washington, D.C.: Author. Online: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/crime2001/6.asp?nav=1
National Resource Center for Safe Schools. (1999). Recognizing and preventing bullying. Fact sheet no. 4. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. (2001). Schoolwide prevention of bullying. By request . . . December 2001. Online: http://www.nwrel.org/request/dec01/choosingcreating.htm
Olweus, D. (1996). Bully/victim problems at school: Facts and effective intervention. Reclaiming children and youth (Spring 1996), pp. 15-22.
Peterson, R.L., & Skiba, R. (2001). Creating school climates that prevent school violence. The Clearing House (January/February 2001), pp. 155-163.
Rigby, K. (1997). What children tell us about bullying in schools. Online: http://www.toffac.sa.gov.au/page7.html
Roberts, W.B., & Coursol, D. H. (1996). Strategies for intervention with childhood and adolescent victims of bullying, teasing, and intimidation in school settings. Elementary School Guidance and Counseling (February 1996), pp. 204-212.
Sherman, L. (1999). Sticks and stones. NW Education: Learning in Peace (Spring 1999). Online: http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu/spring_99/article1.html
Vossekuil, B., Reddy, M., Fein, R., Borum, R., & Modzeleski, W. (2000). Safe school initiative: An interim report on the prevention of targeted violence in schools. U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center in collaboration with the U.S. Department of education and with support from the National Institute of Justice. Online: http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac/ntac_ssi_report.pdf
Walls, L (n.d.). Battling bullying: A whole-school approach. Online: http://www.cfchildren.org/PUfeatfall00.shtml
Youngerman, S. (1998). The power of cross-level partnerships. Educational Leadership (September 1998), pp. 58-60.
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