Bullying
in schools is a worldwide problem that can have negative consequences
for the general school climate and for the right of students to learn in
a safe environment without fear. Bullying can also have negative
lifelong consequences--both for students who bully and for their
victims. Although much of the formal research on bullying has taken
place in the Scandinavian countries, Great Britain, and Japan, the
problems associated with bullying have been noted and discussed wherever
formal schooling environments exist.
Bullying is
comprised of direct behaviors such as teasing, taunting, threatening,
hitting, and stealing that are initiated by one or more students against
a victim. In addition to direct attacks, bullying may also be more
indirect by causing a student to be socially isolated through
intentional exclusion. While boys typically engage in direct bullying
methods, girls who bully are more apt to utilize these more subtle
indirect strategies, such as spreading rumors and enforcing social
isolation (Ahmad & Smith, 1994; Smith & Sharp, 1994). Whether
the bullying is direct or indirect, the key component of bullying is
that the physical or psychological intimidation occurs repeatedly over
time to create an ongoing pattern of harassment and abuse (Batsche &
Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993).
Extent of the Problem
Various
reports and studies have established that approximately 15% of students
are either bullied regularly or are initiators of bullying behavior
(Olweus, 1993). Direct bullying seems to increase through the elementary
years, peak in the middle school/junior high school years, and decline
during the high school years. However, while direct physical assault
seems to decrease with age, verbal abuse appears to remain constant.
School size, racial composition, and school setting (rural, suburban, or
urban) do not seem to be distinguishing factors in predicting the
occurrence of bullying. Finally, boys engage in bullying behavior and
are victims of bullies more frequently than girls (Batsche & Knoff,
1994; Nolin, Davies, & Chandler, 1995; Olweus, 1993; Whitney &
Smith, 1993).
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