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Making Classrooms Bully-Free Zones: Practical Suggestions for Educators

Kappa Delta Pi Record, Summer 2007 by Rowan, Leona Onderdonk

Creating a positive and orderly environment can go a long way toward freeing the classroom of bullying.

Bullying is a widespread problem that permeates our society. It occurs not only on school playgrounds, but also throughout society - at the workplace, in the media, and on the Internet. Cohn and Canter (2003, 1) reported, "Bullying is the most common form of violence in our society; between 1 5 percent and 30 percent of students are bullies or victims." In schools, bullying negatively impacts school climate as well as the ability of students to learn in a safe and nonthreatening environment. Moreover, bullying is associated with criminal behavior, school dropout, poor psychosocial adjustment, and other problems with long-term negative effects on society (Cohn and Canter 2003). Victims experience feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

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Results from a recent study by the author suggest strategies that may greatly reduce or prevent bullying. The research indicates a strong link between proficiency in classroom management and the absence of bullying. Thus, by implementing effective classroom management practices and creating positive learning environments, teachers can make great strides toward the prevention of bullying. When they recognize and address the problem in a proactive manner, many incidents of bullying can be avoided.

Defining Bullying

Dillon and Lash (2005, 34) defined bullying as "repeated acts of aggression by individuals who have more power than their victims." Typically, the perpetrator enjoys dominating the victim and the victim feels oppressed (Rigby 2001). Common characteristics of bullies include antisocial behavior, strong self-esteem, an inability to feel empathy, and a need to feel power and control (Banks 1997).

According to Banks (1 997), bullying may be classified as direct or indirect. Direct bullying includes teasing, threatening, hitting, stealing, or using a weapon, whereas indirect bullying is achieved less overtly through acts such as intentional social exclusion or spreading rumors. In general, boys inflict various forms of direct bullying, while girls engage in the more subtle forms of indirect bullying (Harris and Petrie 2002). Whether direct or indirect, physical or psychological, bullying constitutes an ongoing pattern of harassment and abuse. It is a destructive, antisocial behavior that is learned through environmental influences, such as peer groups, home, and the media (Cohn and Canter 2003).

The Study

To gather data on incidents of bullying in local schools, a survey was administered to 1 05 preservice teachers who had observed in kindergarten through 1 2th grade, public and private school classrooms, for three or more weeks in 2006. At the end of their laboratory experiences in schools, all undergraduate and graduate preservice teachers enrolled in a teacher education program at a small college were asked to complete a written survey. The survey was administered to preservice teachers during their college classes.

Though participation in the survey was voluntary, no preservice teacher declined to participate. The mean age of the participants was 21 .3 with a standard deviation of 3.57. Eighty-four percent (n=88) were females while the remaining 1 6 percent were males (n=1 T). All attended a small liberal arts college where the majority of students are from middle class to upper middle class backgrounds.

The survey included items asking respondents to provide information on incidents of bullying they observed during their laboratory experiences in schools. To direct the preservice teachers' attention to the issue, the following definition of bullying was included in the survey: "Bullies are individuals who instill fear in others, who intend to hurt, and who enjoy it. They may use verbal or physical bullying, or they may ignore or exclude their targets with relational bullying" (Charles and Senter 2005, 131).

Survey items asked for information such as gender of the bully, and frequency, location, and time of day of bullying incidents observed. Preservice teachers also indicated the dates of observations and the type of school in which they observed, private or public. Other survey items asked respondents to indicate how the teacher addressed acts of bullying and to rate the teacher's overall effectiveness in classroom management.

Survey data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. Nearly three-fourths of the respondents reported observing one or more incidents of bullying every day, and about one-third of the incidents took place within classrooms. Furthermore, the incidents of bullying were observed in about equal numbers by type of school - public or private - with more than one-fourth of incidents committed by girls.

Perhaps more significant is that the research findings suggested a strong connection between bullying and classroom management. Eighty-seven percent of the respondents who observed no bullying rated the teachers' classroom discipline as above-average to excellent (defined as very orderly with almost no misbehavior). Conversely, the majority of those who reported observing the greatest frequency of bullying rated the teachers' classroom discipline as below average to poor (defined as very disorderly with frequent misbehavior). Fourteen percent of survey participants indicated that the teacher responded to bullying by ignoring it.

Making Classrooms Bully-Free Zones: Practical Suggestions for Educators

Kappa Delta Pi Record, Summer 2007 by Rowan, Leona Onderdonk

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