ED465200 - Bullying in Schools Should Not Be Par for the Course. PREL Briefing Paper - ERIC-ED465200 | Content Details

ED465200 - Bullying in Schools Should Not Be Par for the Course. PREL Briefing Paper

Source Institution: Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, Honolulu, HI

Sponsoring Agency: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED) Washington, DC

Subject: Aggression, Bullying, Child Rearing, Elementary Secondary Education, Foreign Countries, Intervention, Prevention, Regional Characteristics, Violence

Abstract: While it might appear to be a harmless rite of passage, bullying can have deadly consequences for some school children. Reports from Norway, England, and Japan indicate that children have allegedly committed suicide following episodes of severe bullying. Researchers agree that bullying is worldwide in scope and negatively impacts the general school culture and students' right to attend safe schools free of fear. There seems to be a lack of bullying among Pacific Island children, perhaps because it is a group experience (friends coming to the aid of a victim). In Micronesia and Polynesia, traditional child-rearing is usually indulgent, protective, and supportive, with collective and shared authority over children, values that might positively influence later behavior. Studies indicate a strong correlation between bullying other students during school years and criminal behavior in adulthood. Bullying seems to increase during elementary years, peak during junior high school years, and decline during high school years. An intervention approach includes distributing an initial questionnaire to student and adults, increasing personal awareness, establishing class rules, and incorporating other components of anti-bullying programs. There .is still a great need for schools to be vigilant of bullying behavior and take preventive action.