Bullying

 
January 2006 • Volume 37 • Number 3 • Pages 12-19Bullying in Middle Schools:
Prevention and Intervention * This We Believe Characteristics * An inviting, supportive, and safe environment * Curriculum that is relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory * Multiple learning and teaching approaches that respond to their diversity* Denotes the corresponding characteristics fromNMSA's position paper, This We Believe, for this article. |
Amy Milsom & Laura L. GalloJared hides behind the school building for an hour, hoping Tom has forgotten about him and walked home already. Maybe this will be the first night he will make it home without being pushed or taunted. Jared slowly leaves his hiding spot, gripping his backpack as tight as he can. As he gets farther away fromschool, his stomach begins to unknot. He is relieved that he will make it home tonight without incident. Just then, Tom appears around the corner with a smirk on his face, ready to fight.A main characteristic of a bully is his or her need to gain control over another (Kaiser & Rasminsky, 2003). Bullies can gain control over others through physical force or threats, verbal teasing, and exclusionfrom peers (Beale & Scott, 2001). Argenbright and Edgell (as cited in Beale & Scott) described four specific types of bullies. Physical bullies often hit, kick, or shove others. Verbal bullies use words to harm others through name-calling, insulting, making racist comments, or harsh teasing. Relational bullies often focus on excluding one person from their peer group and usually do sothrough verbal threats and spreading rumors. Finally, reactive bullies are individuals who are often both bully and victim. Typically victims first, they respond to victimization with bullying behavior. While both boys and girls engage in and are victims of bullying, research has shown differences in their bullying behaviors. For example, boys engage in bullying more frequently than girls (Nansel etal., 2001; Seals & Young, 2003). Also, boys are more likely to engage in physical or verbal bullying, while girls often revert to relational bullying (Nansel et al., 2001).Bullying in United States Middle SchoolsBullying among students in other countries (particularly Norway, Australia, and England) has been studied extensively for the past 30 years, but recently researchers in the United Stateshave also begun to examine bullying and victimization in schools. Studies show that bullying tends to peak in late childhood/early adolescence, making prevention and intervention efforts in middle school crucial. Before designing effective prevention and intervention programs, however, school personnel must understand the scope of bullying in the United States as well as characteristics of bulliesand victims. 

Oliver, Hoover, and Hazler (1994) examined bullying by administering surveys to students in grades 7 through 12 from schools in three Midwestern states. Overwhelmingly, participants reported they felt victims of bullying actually brought on the bullying. Less than half believed bullying was done in an attempt to teach a lesson. Students also believed bullies to be more popularthan victims. Interestingly, Oliver, Hoover, and Hazler (1994) found students believed most teasing they witnessed had been done with no malicious intent, but that victims perceived the teasing as bullying.In their national study of 15,686 students in grades 6 through 10, Nansel and associates (2001) reported nearly 30% of students indicated more than occasional involvement as a bully and/or victimof bullying. Males were more frequently involved as both bullies and victims, as were students in grades six through eight (compared to those in grades nine and ten). In addition, Hispanic students reported slightly higher involvement as bullies than White or African American students, while African American students reported being bullied less frequently than both White and Hispanic students....