Abstract
Bullying has been an issue throughout history, but only in recent decades educators began addressing it. Several intervention programs of different types have been developed and are starting to show positive results. This paper will provide information on the issue of bullying and interventions against it.
Introduction
Bullying is an extremely serious issue in education. In recent years it has been exacerbated by the introduction of easily accessible internet resources such as social media sites. Bullying often targets the most vulnerable of the class members. They may include students with disabilities, students with deviating cultural or ethnic backgrounds. If bullying is left unaddressed, the consequences for the victims may be severe. Some cases end in injuries, psychological trauma, and even suicides. This is why the “Bully-Free” initiative was created. This paper will provide information about the severity of bullying in modern educational settings, as well as how “bully-free” programs are addressing this issue.
Bullying in Educational Environments
While bullying is historically associated with school activities, it is important to clearly define it to understand the deeper nature of the issue. Bullying is an activity that consists of targeted humiliation, intimidation, physical and psychological abuse of people by physically stronger or more socially popular people. It may take the form of demeaning remarks, threats, extortion of money and services, and other abuses of power. It is not motivated by random aggression but by the desire of the more powerful party to exploit those who hold a less powerful status. Instances of bullying have been recorded among a wide range of ages from young children in kindergarten settings to adults in work environments (Nickerson, 2017). It is also important to note that aside from bullies and victims, a group of bullies who are also bullied exists, which adds to the complex dynamic of this phenomenon.
Bullying in educational environments can lead to a variety of negative outcomes for students and the education process as a whole. Bullying may lead to serious self-esteem issues, increased levels of stress and anxiety, depression, and even the development of psychological disorders in the future. Students who are bullied are often unable to fully focus on studies due to the additional stress, and their grades suffer because of that (Kalvin & Bierman, 2017). Bullying may also be indirect through rumors and the exclusion of people from the main group. While this type does not involve name-calling and physical abuse, it may still leave the student without important moments of socialization that occur in school and other educational settings.
Interventions
In recent years, the focus on bullying interventions has increased dramatically. Intervention programs such as “Bully-Free” aim to provide awareness of bullying among the students, establishing stricter monitoring of such incidence and responding to them. Students may be asked to establish their own rules and strategies for dealing with bullying. This can not only help find a solution that would fit the class better but also help students understand the issues caused by bullying (Gerlinger & Wo, 2016). Teachers may be trained to prevent problems that may create bullying. The students need to have a clear idea that bullying goes against the rules of the school and which actions may be considered bullying. The punishments for bullying should also be outlined to accentuate the seriousness of the effort. It is important to establish that bullying can lead to a variety of problems for both the victim and the perpetrator. Such programs are designed to be introduced for the school as a whole, and because of that, they may be slightly less effective (Juvonen & Graham, 2014). However, initiatives may be focused on targeting specific individuals too.
One of the more notable types of intervention is designed to assist children with dysfunctional thoughts that lead to acts of bullying. Dysfunctional thoughts often lead children to assume that people are aiming to cause them to harm so in response they provide an aggressive response. By going through the behavioral patterns of a student and analyzing their thought process, teachers may make the student more aware of how to avoid such aggressive reactions (Ansary, Elias, Greene, & Green, 2015). “Fast Track” is one of the intervention programs that were designed to assist children in this fashion (Pasalich, Witkiewitz, McMahon, & Pinderhughes, 2016). Its results have shown that the risk of dysfunctional thoughts affecting children’s behavior was lower than those who did not participate in the initiative.
Reflection
During my work, I have encountered the issue of bullying on multiple occasions. As such initiatives suggest, I pay close attention to the interactions that the children have with each other, and on a few occasions, I noticed that children were involved in bullying. I made sure to inform the class on the issues of bullying afterward and contacted the parents of the students that were involved. Our school has a strict anti-bullying policy, and such behavior should not be repeated.
Overall, I find the suggestions provided by such programs as “Bully-Free” to be very helpful in the educational process. Children are often unaware of the harm they are causing to each other, and even a simple explanation of what they are doing may prevent a percentage of incidences. However, more specifically targeted interventions may lead to greater results with more lasting effects.
Conclusion
Bullying is a serious issue in modern educational settings, but intervention programs such as “Bully-Free” aim to address the issue. People of all ages have shown bullying behavior, but it is especially harmful during the school years. This is why intervention programs targeted toward school students should continue to receive attention.
References
Ansary, N. S., Elias, M. J., Greene, M. B., & Green, S. (2015). Best practices to address (or reduce) bullying in schools.Phi Delta Kappan, 97(2), 30–35. Web.
Gerlinger, J., & Wo, J. C. (2016). Preventing school bullying: Should schools prioritize an authoritative school Discipline approach over security measures?Journal of School Violence, 15(2), 133–157. Web.
Juvonen, J., & Graham, S. (2014). Bullying in schools: The power of bullies and the plight of victims.Annual Review of Psychology, 65(1), 159–185. Web.
Kalvin, C. B., & Bierman, K. L. (2017). Child and adolescent risk factors that differentially predict violent versus nonviolent crime.Aggressive Behavior, 43(6), 568–577. Web.
Nickerson, A. B. (2017). Preventing and intervening with bullying in schools: A framework for evidence-based practice.School Mental Health, 1–14. Web.
Pasalich, D. S., Witkiewitz, K., McMahon, R. J., & Pinderhughes, E. E. (2016). Indirect effects of the Fast Track intervention on conduct disorder symptoms and callous-unemotional traits: Distinct pathways involving discipline and warmth.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 44(3), 587–597. Web.