Sunday, 16 January 2005 - 8:45 AM

This presentation is part of: Violent Behavior in Adolescents

Bullying in the School Yard: An Analysis of Multiple Perspectives

Purpose: While considerable research has studied children who bully, there is little research on victims’ experiences (Crick & Bigbee, 1998) and few qualitative studies on the experiences of victimized children or their parents and teachers (Owens, Shute, & Slee, 2000). The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of victimization from the perspectives of children, their parents, teachers, vice principals and principals, and to explain interpersonal processes that protect or place a child at risk for continuing victimization.

Methods: A survey asking about bullying experiences (Pepler, Connolly, & Craig, 1992) was administered to all grade four and five students with parental consent (n=157) in four schools in a large city. After self-identifying as victims, 19 children, along with their parents, teachers, vice-principals and principals were selected and interviewed using a grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Fifty-six in-depth individual interviews were conducted. Questions related to the child’s experiences of victimization, disclosure, peer involvement, and adult awareness and intervention. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and categories developed using the constant comparative method (Creswell, 1998). Measures to ensure trustworthiness included prolonged engagement, persistent observation, and member checking (Lincoln & Guba, 1985).

Results: In the survey, 29% of students reported being bullied once or twice during the current school term, 9% said more than once or twice, 5% said once a week, and 6% reported being bullied several times a week. Of these students, 59% responded that a teacher had not spoken with them about this, whereas 36% said a parent or another adult at home had not talked with them. A significant percentage reported being bullied by a friend. Victims attributed their victimization to their appearance, learning problems, race, and/or religion. Analysis of the interviews revealed that respondents hold diverse perceptions of what constitutes bullying. Children, parents and educators all expressed confusion about how to classify and respond in varied contexts, due to the interaction of several factors. It was particularly perplexing when a child considered a friend was the bully. Analysis revealed that children frequently did not tell adults about their victimization and several factors appear to influence children’s disclosure. The degree of agreement between adult and child regarding whether particular situations constitute bullying can promote or impede disclosure and adult intervention.

Implications for Practice and Policy: A finding of concern is that many children do not report victimization (Naylor & Cowie, 1999). Increasing our understanding of the views of children and adults is key to developing effective interventions (del Barrio, Gutierrez, Hoyos, Barrios, van der Meulen, & Smkotri, 1999). Diverse perceptions may hinder disclosure by children and intervention by adults. It is important to align these views so that children disclose and adults intervene, particularly in confusing situations such as friendships. We know that the adult-child relationship mediates children’s ability to manage peer relations (Atlas & Pepler, 1998). Substantial literature has established that peer relations, and friendships in particular, influence development (Boivin, Hymel, & Hodges, 2001).

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